Electronic properties of the two-dimensional (Tl, Rb)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] compound having a honeycomb-like structure.

Heavy metal layers having a honeycomb structure on the Si(1 1 1) surface were theoretically predicted to show prospects for possessing properties of the quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulators. The (Tl, Rb)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] atomic-layer compound synthesized in the present work is the first real system of such type, where atoms of heavy metal Tl are arranged into the honeycomb structure stabilized by Rb atoms occupying the centers of the honeycomb units. Electronic properties of the (Tl, Rb)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] compound has been fully characterized experimentally and theoretically and compared with those of the hypothetical (Tl, H)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] prototype system. It is concluded that the QSH-insulator properties of the Tl-honeycomb layers on Si(1 1 1) surface are dictated by the stable adsorption sites occupied by Tl atoms which, in turn, are controlled by the atom species centering the Tl honeycombs. As a result, the real (Tl, Rb)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] compound where Tl atoms occupy the T sites does not possess QSH-insulator properties in contrast to the hypothetical (Tl, H)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] system where Tl atoms reside in the T (on-top) sites and it shows up as a QSH material.