I09-Surface and Interface Structural Analysis
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[18398]
Abstract: Using the normal incidence x-ray standing-wave technique as well as low-energy electron microscopy we have investigated the structure of quasifreestanding monolayer graphene (QFMLG) obtained by intercalation of antimony under the
(
6
√
3
×
6
√
3
)
R
30
∘
reconstructed graphitized
6
H
-SiC(0001) surface, also known as zeroth-layer graphene. We found that Sb intercalation decouples the QFMLG well from the substrate. The distance from the QFMLG to the Sb layer almost equals the expected van der Waals bonding distance of C and Sb. The Sb intercalation layer itself is monoatomic, flat, and located much closer to the substrate, at almost the distance of a covalent Sb-Si bond length. All data is consistent with Sb located on top of the uppermost Si atoms of the SiC bulk.
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Oct 2022
|
|
I09-Surface and Interface Structural Analysis
|
You-Ron
Lin
,
Markus
Franke
,
Shayan
Parhizkar
,
Miriam
Raths
,
Victor
Wen-Zhe Yu
,
Tien-Lin
Lee
,
Serguei
Soubatch
,
Volker
Blum
,
F. Stefan
Tautz
,
Christian
Kumpf
,
Francois C.
Bocquet
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[17737]
Abstract: In the field of van der Waals heterostructures, the twist angle between stacked two-dimensional layers has been identified to be of utmost importance for the properties of the heterostructures. In this context, we previously reported the growth of a single layer of unconventionally oriented epitaxial graphene that forms in a surfactant atmosphere [F. C. Bocquet et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 106102 (2020)]. The resulting G-
R
0
∘
layer is aligned with the SiC lattice, and hence represents an important milestone towards high-quality twisted bilayer graphene, a frequently investigated model system in this field. Here, we focus on the surface structures obtained in the same surfactant atmosphere, but at lower preparation temperatures at which a boron nitride template layer forms on SiC(0001). In a comprehensive study based on complementary experimental and theoretical techniques, we find—in contrast to the literature—that this template layer is a hexagonal
B
x
N
y
layer, but not high-quality hBN. It is aligned with the SiC lattice and gradually replaced by low-quality graphene in the
0
∘
orientation of the
B
x
N
y
template layer upon annealing.
|
Jun 2022
|
|
I09-Surface and Interface Structural Analysis
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[18787]
Abstract: One of the most important functionalities of the atomically thin insulator hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is its ability to chemically and electronically decouple functional materials from highly reactive surfaces. It is therefore of utmost importance to uncover its structural properties on surfaces on an atomic and mesoscopic length scale. In this paper, we quantify the relative coverages of structurally different domains of a hBN layer on the Ni(111) surface using low-energy electron microscopy and the normal incidence x-ray standing wave technique. We find that hBN nucleates on defect sites of the Ni(111) surface and predominantly grows in two epitaxial domains that are rotated by
60
∘
with respect to each other. The two domains reveal identical adsorption heights, indicating a similar chemical interaction strength with the Ni(111) surface. The different azimuthal orientations of these domains originate from different adsorption sites of N and B. We demonstrate that the majority (
≈
70
%
) of hBN domains exhibit a
(
N
,
B
)
=
(
top
,
fcc
)
adsorption site configuration while the minority (
≈
30
%
) show a
(
N
,
B
)
=
(
top
,
hcp
)
configuration. Our study hence underlines the crucial role of the atomic adsorption configuration in the mesoscopic domain structures of in situ fabricated two-dimensional materials on highly reactive surfaces.
|
Sep 2021
|
|
I09-Surface and Interface Structural Analysis
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[23317]
Abstract: The discovery of topological superconductivity in doped
Bi
2
Se
3
made this class of materials highly important for the field of condensed matter physics. However, the structural origin of the superconducting state remained elusive, despite being investigated intensively in recent years. We use scanning tunneling microscopy and the normal incidence x-ray standing wave (NIXSW) technique in order to determine the vertical position of the dopants—one of the key parameters for understanding topological superconductivity in this material— for the case of
Sr
x
Bi
2
Se
3
. In particular, we analyze the NIXSW data in consideration of the inelastic mean free path of the photoemitted electrons, which allows us to distinguish between symmetry-equivalent sites. We find that Sr atoms are not situated inside the van der Waals gap between the
Bi
2
Se
3
quintuple layers but rather in the quintuple layer close to the outer Se planes.
|
Aug 2021
|
|
I09-Surface and Interface Structural Analysis
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[17737, 20810, 20855]
Abstract: We report the use of a surfactant molecule during the epitaxy of graphene on SiC(0001) that leads to the growth in an unconventional orientation, namely
R
0
°
rotation with respect to the SiC lattice. It yields a very high-quality single-layer graphene with a uniform orientation with respect to the substrate, on the wafer scale. We find an increased quality and homogeneity compared to the approach based on the use of a preoriented template to induce the unconventional orientation. Using spot profile analysis low-energy electron diffraction, angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, and the normal incidence x-ray standing wave technique, we assess the crystalline quality and coverage of the graphene layer. Combined with the presence of a covalently bound graphene layer in the conventional orientation underneath, our surfactant-mediated growth offers an ideal platform to prepare epitaxial twisted bilayer graphene via intercalation.
|
Sep 2020
|
|
I09-Surface and Interface Structural Analysis
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[13773]
Abstract: Molecular materials enable a vast variety of functionalities for novel electronic and spintronic devices. The unique possibility to alter organic molecules or metallic substrates offers the opportunity to optimize interfacial properties for almost any desired field of application. For this reason, we extend the successful approach to control metal-organic interfaces by surface alloying. We present a comprehensive characterization of the structural and electronic properties of the interface formed between the prototypical molecule PTCDA and a Sn-Ag surface alloy grown on an Ag(111) single crystal surface. We monitor the changes of adsorption height of the surface alloy atoms and electronic valence band structure upon adsorption of one layer of PTCDA using the normal incidence x-ray standing wave technique in combination with momentum-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. We find that the vertical buckling and the surface band structure of the
Sn
Ag
2
surface alloy is not altered by the adsorption of one layer of PTCDA, in contrast to our recent study of PTCDA on a
Pb
Ag
2
surface alloy [B. Stadtmüller et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 096805 (2016)]. In addition, the vertical adsorption geometry of PTCDA and the interfacial energy level alignment indicate the absence of any chemical interaction between the molecule and the surface alloy. We attribute the different interactions at these PTCDA/surface alloy interfaces to the presence or absence of local
σ
-bonds between the PTCDA oxygen atoms and the surface atoms. Combining our findings with results from literature, we are able to propose an empiric rule for engineering the surface band structure of alloys by adsorption of organic molecules.
|
Aug 2020
|
|
I09-Surface and Interface Structural Analysis
|
Benedikt P.
Klein
,
Juliana M.
Morbec
,
Markus
Franke
,
Katharina K.
Greulich
,
Malte
Sachs
,
Shayan
Parhizkar
,
Francois C.
Bocquet
,
Martin
Schmid
,
Samuel J.
Hall
,
Reinhard J.
Maurer
,
Bernd
Meyer
,
Ralf
Tonner
,
Christian
Kumpf
,
Peter
Kratzer
,
J. Michael
Gottfried
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[16259]
Abstract: Interfaces between polycyclic π-electron systems and metals play prominent roles in organic or graphene-based (opto)electronic devices, in which performance-related parameters depend critically on the properties of metal/semiconductor contacts. Here, we explore how the topology of the π-electron system influences the bonding and the electronic properties of the interface. We use azulene as a model for nonalternant pentagon-heptagon (5-7) ring pairs and compare it to its isomer naphthalene, which represents the alternant 6-6 ring pair. Their coverage-dependent interaction with Ag(111) and Cu(111) surfaces was studied with the normal-incidence X-ray standing wave (NIXSW) technique, near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy, UV and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS, XPS), and density functional theory (DFT). Coverage-dependent adsorption heights and spectroscopic data reveal that azulene forms shorter interfacial bonds than naphthalene and engages in stronger electronic interactions with both surfaces. These differences are more pronounced on Cu. Increasing coverages lead to larger adsorption heights, indicating bond weakening by intermolecular repulsion. The extensive DFT calculations include dispersive interactions using: (1) the DFT-D3 scheme, (2) the vdWsurf correction based on DFT-TS, (3) a Many-Body Dispersion (MBD) correction scheme, and (4) the D3surf scheme. All methods predict the adsorption heights reasonably well with an average error below 0.1 Å. The stronger bond of azulene is attributed to its nonalternant topology, which results in a reduced HOMO-LUMO gap and brings the LUMO energetically close to the Fermi energy of the metal, causing stronger hybridization with electronic states of the metal surfaces.
|
Nov 2019
|
|
I09-Surface and Interface Structural Analysis
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[12975]
Abstract: A combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, low-energy electron diffraction,and low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) has been used to identify the structural phases formed by 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) on Ag(111). These comprise a two-dimensional gas phase, a low-density commensurate (LDC) phase, and a higher-density incommensurate (HDI) phase. LEEM also shows the presence of an additional “precursor-HDI” phase with a surface unit mesh area only ≈3% less than the HDI phase. Normal incidence x-ray standing-wave measurements of the HDI phase yield almost identical structural parameters to the LDC phase for which a full structure determination has been previously reported. The results show TCNQ does not adopt the inverted bowl distortion favored in earlier density functional theory calculations of TCNQ on coinage metal surfaces, but the N atoms are twisted out of the molecular plane, an effect found for the LDC phase to be due to incorporation of Ag adatoms. The possible role of Ag adatoms in the HDI phase, and in the transition from the precursor-HDI phase, is discussed.
|
Nov 2019
|
|
I09-Surface and Interface Structural Analysis
|
Benedikt P.
Klein
,
Nadine J.
Van Der Heijden
,
Stefan R.
Kachel
,
Markus
Franke
,
Claudio K.
Krug
,
Katharina K.
Greulich
,
Lukas
Ruppenthal
,
Philipp
Müller
,
Phil
Rosenow
,
Shayan
Parhizkar
,
Francois C.
Bocquet
,
Martin
Schmid
,
Wolfgang
Hieringer
,
Reinhard J.
Maurer
,
Ralf
Tonner
,
Christian
Kumpf
,
Ingmar
Swart
,
J. Michael
Gottfried
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[16259]
Open Access
Abstract: The interaction of carbon-based aromatic molecules and nanostructures with metals can strongly depend on the topology of their π-electron systems. This is shown with a model system using the isomers azulene, which has a nonalternant π system with a 5-7 ring structure, and naphthalene, which has an alternant π system with a 6-6 ring structure. We found that azulene can interact much more strongly with metal surfaces. On copper (111), its zero-coverage desorption energy is 1.86 eV, compared to 1.07 eV for naphthalene. The different bond strengths are reflected in the adsorption heights, which are 2.30 Å for azulene and 3.04 Å for naphthalene, as measured by the normal incidence x-ray standing wave technique. These differences in the surface chemical bond are related to the electronic structure of the molecular π systems. Azulene has a lowlying LUMO that is close to the Fermi energy of Cu and strongly hybridizes with electronic states of the surface, as is shown by photoemission, near-edge x-ray absorption fine-structure, and scanning tunneling microscopy data in combination with theoretical analysis. According to density functional theory calculations, electron donation from the surface into the molecular LUMO leads to negative charging and deformation of the adsorbed azulene. Noncontact atomic force microscopy confirms the deformation, while Kelvin probe force microscopy maps show that adsorbed azulene partially retains its in-plane dipole. In contrast, naphthalene experiences only minor adsorption-induced changes of its electronic and geometric structure. Our results indicate that the electronic properties of metal-organic interfaces, as they occur in organic (opto)electronic devices, can be tuned through modifications of the π topology of the molecular organic semiconductor, especially by introducing 5-7 ring pairs as functional structural elements.
|
Feb 2019
|
|
I09-Surface and Interface Structural Analysis
|
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[13837]
Abstract: The success of future organic electronic devices distinctively depends on the electronic and geometric properties of thin organic films. Although obviously these properties are strongly influenced by the growth mechanisms, real time growth studies are relatively rare since not many experimental techniques exist that allow in situ studies in ultra high vacuum. In this context, we investigated the prototypical system 1,4,5,8-naphtalene-tetracarboxylic-dianhydride (NTCDA) on Cu(001). We used low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) for the real-time growth study, and a variety of other techniques for investigating the geometric and electronic structure. While for similar model systems well known and well characterized growth modi occur (e.g., compact, well ordered islands or disordered, gas-like layers), for NTCDA/Cu(001) we observe the growth of dendrite-like, fractal structures. The dendritic structures arise from a strongly preferred one-dimensional growth mode forming a long-range ordered network of thin molecular chains spanning over the entire surface already at small coverages. Later in the growth process, the voids in the network structure are incrementally filled. These results are very unexpected for such a simple adsorbate system consisting of well investigated components, the properties of which were believed to be already well understood. We explain this unexpected behavior by a dendritic growth model that is supported by energetic arguments based on pair-potential calculations. These calculations give reason for the experimentally observed growth of one-dimensional structures, and therefore represent the key to a semi-quantitative understanding of this dendritic growth mode.
|
Jan 2019
|
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