Epitaxial growth of antimony nanofilms on HOPG and thermal desorption to control the film thickness

Group-V elemental nanofilms were predicted to exhibit interesting physical properties such as nontrivial topological properties due to their strong spin-orbit coupling,the quantum confinement,and surface effect.It was reported that the ultrathin Sb nanofilms can undergo a series of topological transitions as a function of the film thickness h:from a topological semimetal(h>7.8 nm)to a topological insulator(7.8 nm>h>2.7 nm),then a quantum spin Hall(QSH)phase(2.7 nm>h>1.0 nm)and a topological trivial semiconductor(h<1.0 nm).Here,we report a comprehensive investigation on the epitaxial growth of Sb nanofilms on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite(HOPG)substrate and the controllable thermal desorption to achieve their specific thickness.The morphology,thickness,atomic structure,and thermal-strain effect of the Sb nanofilms were characterized by a combination study of scanning electron microscopy(SEM),atomic force microscopy(AFM),and scanning tunneling microscopy(STM).The realization of Sb nanofilms with specific thickness paves the way for the further exploring their thickness-dependent topological phase transitions and exotic physical properties.