Growth of the topological insulator Bi2Se3 on Al2O3 by molecular beam epitaxy

We report the growth of single crystalline Bi$_2$Se$_3$ on Al$_2$O$_3$ (110) by molecular beam epitaxy. Previous studies utilizing silicon as a substrate demonstrate favorable structural, optical and transport properties, although this can include contributions from the substrate-film interface. In contrast, growth on Al$_2$O$_3$ may influence substrate-film interfacial contributions to structural and electronic properties. Films grown under a range of temperatures and relative selenium to bismuth deposition rates were characterized by ex-situ XPS, XRD, and Hall measurements and will be compared to previous measurements using silicon as a substrate.