In this work, we report results on the MBE growth of Bi2Se3, a prototypical topological insulator, on epitaxial graphene on 6H-SiC(0001). In situ scanning tunneling microscopy indicates spiral growth, characterized by atomically smooth terraces 10 to 50 nm in width, separated by steps of 1-2 quintuple-layers in height. X-ray diffraction shows only the (003) family of diffraction peaks with a full width at half maximum of 0.1 degree. Raman spectroscopy reveals two characteristic peaks at 130.21 and 171.48 cm-1, corresponding to the in-plane Eg2 and out-of-plane A1g2 vibrational modes, respectively. The close resemblance of the positions and line shapes of both these peaks to those of bulk Bi2Se3 attest to the very high quality of the film. These results and their impact on the properties of the topologically protected surface states of the Bi2Se3/graphene heterostructure will be presented at the meeting.

*Ying Liu applied for postdoctoral fellow award