Electronic structure evolution of single bilayer Bi(1 1 1) film on 3D topological insulator Bi₂Se_xTe_3-x surfaces

The electronic state evolution of single bilayer (1BL) Bi(1 1 1) deposited on three-dimensional (3D) Bi₂Se_xTe_3-x topological insulators at x = 0, 1.26, 2, 2.46, 3 is systematically investigated by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Our results indicate that the electronic structures of epitaxial Bi films are strongly influenced by the substrate especially the topmost sublayer near the Bi films, manifesting in two main aspects. First, the Se atoms cause a stronger charge transfer effect, which induces a giant Rashba-spin splitting, while the low electronegativity of Te atoms induces a strong hybridization at the interface. Second, the lattice strain notably modifies the band dispersion of the surface bands. Furthermore, our experimental results are elucidated by first-principles band structure calculations.