Electronic states driven by the crystal field in two-dimensional materials: The case of antimonene

The search for novel two-dimensional (2D) giant Rashba semiconductors is a crucial step in the development of spintronic technology. The electronic properties and growth mode of antimonene grown by molecular beam epitaxy were investigated using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and scanning tunneling microscopy. Results reveal the semiconducting nature of antimonene and the presence of a highly mobile 2D hole gas (2DHG) near the Fermi level. The anisotropy factor and Fermi velocity of the 2DHG are sensitively dependent on the crystal structure and in-plane lattice parameters of antimonene. Antimonene with small lattice parameters exhibits a small anisotropy factor and electron effective mass. Furthermore, the perpendicular (out of plane) electric field breaks the inversion symmetry and, when combined with strong spin-orbit coupling, induces the spin splitting of the valence band of antimonene. ARPES and work function measurements shed light on the band alignment between antimonene and the substrates and confirmed the presence of a nonignorable interface dipole of approximately 0.2 eV. This dipole could be the cause of approximately 80 meV spin splitting at the valence-band maximum of antimonene, a value that is significantly greater than the thermal energy at room temperature. In addition, the spin-splitting degree depends on the interface dipole strength. The gate voltage can generate the out of plane electric field and regulate the spin state similar to an internal electric field. Our results suggest that antimonene and its van der Waals heterostructure system grown on substrates could be used to develop highly efficient spin field-effect transistors and nanospintronic devices.