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Preventing carbon contamination of optical devices for X-rays: the effect of oxygen on photon-induced dissociation of CO on platinum
Platinum is one of the most common coatings used to optimize mirror
reflectivity in soft X-ray beamlines. Normal operation results in optics
contamination by carbon-based molecules present in the residual vacuum of
the beamlines. The reflectivity reduction induced by a carbon layer at the mirror
surface is a major problem in synchrotron radiation sources. A time-dependent
photoelectron spectroscopy study of the chemical reactions which take place at
the Pt(111) surface under operating conditions is presented. It is shown that the
carbon contamination layer growth can be stopped and reversed by low partial
pressures of oxygen for optics operated in intense photon beams at liquidnitrogen
temperature. For mirrors operated at room temperature the carbon
contamination observed for equivalent partial pressures of CO is reduced and
the effects of oxygen are observed on a long time scale
Formation of one-dimensional self-assembled silicon nanoribbons on Au(110)-(2x1)
We report results on the self-assembly of silicon nanoribbons on the (2x1)
reconstructed Au(110) surface under ultra-high vacuum conditions. Upon
adsorption of 0.2 monolayer (ML) of silicon the (2x1) reconstruction of Au(110)
is replaced by an ordered surface alloy. Above this coverage a new
superstructure is revealed by low electron energy diffraction (LEED) which
becomes sharper at 0.3 Si ML. This superstructure corresponds to Si nanoribbons
all oriented along the [-110] direction as revealed by LEED and scanning
tunneling microscopy (STM). STM and high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy
indicate that the nanoribbons are flat and predominantly 1.6 nm wide. In
addition the silicon atoms show signatures of two chemical environments
corresponding to the edge and center of the ribbons.Comment: Under publication in Applied Physics Letter
Silicon Sheets By Redox Assisted Chemical Exfoliation
In this paper, we report the direct chemical synthesis of silicon sheets in
gram-scale quantities by chemical exfoliation of pre-processed calcium
di-silicide (CaSi2). We have used a combination of X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Energy-dispersive X-ray
spectroscopy to characterize the obtained silicon sheets. We found that the
clean and crystalline silicon sheets show a 2-dimensional hexagonal graphitic
structure.Comment: Accepted in J. Phys.: Condens. Matte
Single-layer graphene on epitaxial FeRh thin films
Graphene is a 2D material that displays excellent electronic transport properties with prospective applications in many fields. Inducing and controlling magnetism in the graphene layer, for instance by proximity of magnetic materials, may enable its utilization in spintronic devices. This paper presents fabrication and detailed characterization of single-layer graphene formed on the surface of epitaxial FeRh thin films. The magnetic state of the FeRh surface can be controlled by temperature, magnetic field or strain due to interconnected order parameters. Characterization of graphene layers by X-ray Photoemission and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy, Low-Energy Ion Scattering, Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, and Low-Energy Electron Microscopy shows that graphene is single-layer, polycrystalline and covers more than 97% of the substrate. Graphene displays several preferential orientations on the FeRh(0 0 1) surface with unit vectors of graphene rotated by 30 degrees, 15 degrees, 11 degrees, and 19 degrees with respect to FeRh substrate unit vectors. In addition, the graphene layer is capable to protect the films from oxidation when exposed to air for several months. Therefore, it can be also used as a protective layer during fabrication of magnetic elements or as an atomically thin spacer, which enables incorporation of switchable magnetic layers within stacks of 2D materials in advanced devices
Thiophene Derivatives On Gold And Molecular Dissociation Processes
We report a systematic study of thiophene derivatives on gold surfaces. These molecules are of interest in molecular electronics, and the characracteristics of the thiophene-electrode interface in devices needs to be understood as it affects electron transport characteristics. Some experiments indicated S-C bond scission in contact with metals resulting in disruption of the π-electron system that affects charge transport, which would also be affected by presence of split-off chemisorbed sulfur. We explored this dissociation aspect by photoemission for the case of monocrystalline Au(111) surfaces and Au films grown on mica for a series of polythiophenes molecules (nT, n = 1-4, 6) as well as for α,ω-diquaterthiophene (DH4T) and dihexylsexithiophene (DH6T). The S 2p X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy peaks are found to have complex line shapes corresponding to S atoms with different core level binding energies (CLBE). Density functional theory calculations of adsorption energies and CLBEs were performed for various adsorption configurations of thiophene on a perfect Au(111) plane and for comparison, calculations were also performed for bithiophene, terthiophene, alkenethiol, alkenethiol chain, and a broken thiophene related metallocycle, incorporating an Au adatom and an S atom. On the basis of these results we relate the different contributions to the S 2p peak to intact molecules on different adsorption sites and broken molecules. Calculations in particular show that the CLBEs for intact thiophene (1T) can be the same as for the alkene and alkanethiol cases as opposed to usual assumptions in the literature. The existence of intact thiophenes is confirmed by the presence of clear π resonance peaks in the near edge X-ray fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra. Spontaneous dissociation appears to a variable extent in different samples, and we tentatively relate this to the presence of a more or less large number of steps and defects sites. X-ray induced beam damage was investigated for 1T and 3T using an intense synchrotron beam of 260 eV photons, and showed changes in the S 2p spectra related to S-C bond scission
Epitaxial Synthesis Of Blue Phosphorene
Phosphorene is a new 2D material composed of a single or few atomic layers of black phosphorus. Phosphorene has both an intrinsic tunable direct bandgap and high carrier mobility values, which make it suitable for a large variety of optical and electronic devices. However, the synthesis of single-layer phosphorene is a major challenge. The standard procedure to obtain phosphorene is by exfoliation. More recently, the epitaxial growth of single-layer phosphorene on Au(111) was investigated by molecular beam epitaxy and the obtained structure described as a blue phosphorene sheet. In the present study, large areas of high-quality monolayer phosphorene, with a bandgap value equal to at least 0.8 eV, are synthesized on Au(111). The experimental investigations, coupled with density functional theory calculations, give evidence of two distinct phases of blue phosphorene on Au(111), instead of one as previously reported, and their atomic structures are determined