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| Bismuth selenide | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bismuth selenide |
| IUPACName | Bismuth(III) selenide |
| Formula | Bi2Se3 |
| Molarmass | 654.82 g·mol−1 |
| Appearance | black crystalline solid |
| Density | 7.5 g·cm−3 |
| Meltingpoint | 705 °C |
| Solubility | insoluble in water |
Bismuth selenide is an inorganic compound composed of bismuth and selenium forming the stoichiometry Bi2Se3. It appears as a layered, narrow-gap semiconductor notable for its combination of thermoelectric performance and three-dimensional topological insulator behavior, attracting interest from researchers at institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and Max Planck Society.
Bi2Se3 was first synthesized and characterized in the context of materials research by groups associated with Bell Labs, IBM, General Electric, and laboratories at Argonne National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The compound is closely related to other chalcogenides investigated by researchers at Bell Telephone Laboratories, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory for thermoelectric applications alongside materials like Bismuth telluride, Antimony telluride, Tin selenide, and Lead telluride. Prominent theorists from Princeton University, University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Pennsylvania contributed to early band-structure models that established its topological classification, informing experimental work at Cornell University, University of Maryland, and University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
The crystal structure of Bi2Se3 is rhombohedral (space group R-3m) and is often described in the hexagonal setting; structural studies were reported by researchers at University of Oxford and ETH Zurich using techniques developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Diamond Light Source. The lattice comprises quintuple layers stacked along the c-axis, a motif shared with Sb2Te3 and layered materials investigated at National Institute for Materials Science and Seoul National University. Bonding within the quintuple layers is covalent and ionic, while interlayer coupling exhibits van der Waals character, a trait analyzed by teams at IBM Research, Google Quantum AI, and Microsoft Research. Measured properties such as carrier concentration, mobility, and effective mass were characterized in facilities including Los Alamos National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory using methods refined by groups from Caltech, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne.
Common synthesis routes include Bridgman–Stockbarger crystal growth employed by industrial labs at Siemens, chemical vapor transport methods used by researchers at Riken, and molecular beam epitaxy developed at IBM TJ Watson Research Center and Paul Scherrer Institute. Vapor phase deposition, solvothermal synthesis, and mechanical exfoliation techniques are practiced in laboratories at University of California, Santa Barbara, National University of Singapore, and Tsinghua University. Thin films are grown for device studies in cleanrooms at Nokia Research Center, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Intel Corporation, and academic cleanrooms at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Doping strategies involving elements from Oak Ridge National Laboratory collaborations—such as calcium, magnesium, or copper—modify electrical properties and were explored by teams at University of Michigan and Northwestern University.
Bi2Se3 is a narrow-gap semiconductor with a bulk band gap that was elucidated through angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) at beamlines supported by European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and Brookhaven National Laboratory. Topological surface states with Dirac-like dispersion were predicted by theorists at Princeton University and University of California, Santa Barbara and experimentally confirmed by groups at University of Tokyo, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of British Columbia. The material’s surface conductivity and spin-momentum locking have made it central to studies involving Microsoft Research collaborations on spintronics and quantum computation pursued at Google Quantum AI and IBM Quantum, while proximity effects with superconductors such as Niobium and Aluminum were investigated at Stanford University and Yale University in the context of Majorana fermion searches advocated by teams at Microsoft Station Q and Duke University.
Optical absorption and infrared response were measured by groups at University of Chicago, Imperial College London, and EPFL using spectrometers similar to those at National Institute of Standards and Technology. Raman spectroscopy signatures were cataloged by researchers at University of California, Riverside and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Thermal conductivity and Seebeck coefficient studies were performed by thermoelectrics groups at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Delft University of Technology, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, comparing Bi2Se3 to materials studied by Institute for Energy Conversion and Fraunhofer Society. Ultrafast optical dynamics probed by collaborators from University of Toronto and University of Sydney used pump–probe setups pioneered at Stanford PULSE Institute.
Research into applications spans thermoelectric generators developed in collaborations with DOE national labs and commercial partners such as Bosch and Honeywell. In spintronics and quantum devices, Bi2Se3 has been integrated in prototype devices in labs at MIT, Caltech, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and University of California, Irvine. Optoelectronic device demonstrations were performed by teams at Samsung Electronics, Sony Corporation, and Panasonic Corporation. Hybrid devices coupling Bi2Se3 with ferromagnets (studied at Argonne National Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory) or superconductors (studied at Princeton University and University of Chicago) aim toward fault-tolerant qubits as pursued by researchers at Microsoft Research and IBM Research. Applied physics groups at NIST and JAXA explored sensor and space applications leveraging its stability, and startups incubated at Cambridge Innovation Center and StartX evaluated commercialization pathways.
Work with Bi2Se3 follows laboratory safety practices mandated by institutions such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration, National Institutes of Health, and European Chemicals Agency. Material handling protocols used at MIT, Stanford University, and University of Cambridge recommend engineering controls and personal protective equipment similar to those at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Johns Hopkins University to mitigate exposure risks associated with bismuth and selenium compounds analyzed historically by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization. Waste disposal and environmental impact assessments are conducted in accordance with guidance from Environmental Protection Agency and regional agencies like Environment Agency (UK).
Category:Chalcogenides Category:Semiconductor materials Category:Topological insulators