Nanoscale Probing of Local Electrical Characteristics on MBE-Grown Bi₂Te₃ Surfaces under Ambient Conditions.

The local electrical characteristics on the surface of MBE-grown Bi2Te3 are probed under ambient conditions by conductive atomic force microscopy. Nanoscale mapping reveals a 10-100× enhancement in current at step-edges compared to that on terraces. Analysis of the local current-voltage characteristics indicates that the transport mechanism is similar for step-edges and terraces.