Strong signature of electron-vibration coupling in molecules on Ag(111) triggered by tip-gated discharging

Abstract Electron-vibration coupling is of critical importance for the development of molecular electronics, spintronics, and quantum technologies, as it affects transport properties and spin dynamics. The control over charge-state transitions and subsequent molecular vibrations using scanning tunneling microscopy typically requires the use of a decoupling layer. Here we show the vibronic excitations of tetrabromotetraazapyrene (TBTAP) molecules directly adsorbed on Ag(111) into an orientational glassy phase. The electron-deficient TBTAP is singly-occupied by an electron donated from the substrate, resulting in a spin 1/2 state, which is confirmed by a Kondo resonance. The TBTAP•− discharge is controlled by tip-gating and leads to a series of peaks in scanning tunneling spectroscopy. These occurrences are explained by combining a double-barrier tunneling junction with a Franck-Condon model including molecular vibrational modes. This work demonstrates that suitable precursor design enables gate-dependent vibrational excitations of molecules on a metal, thereby providing a method to investigate electron-vibration coupling in molecular assemblies without a decoupling layer

Growth and local electronic properties of Cobalt nanodots underneath graphene on SiC(0001)

International audienceThe coupling of graphene with a ferromagnetic material opens opportunities for technological innovations in spintronics. To obtain this coupling it is necessary to control the elaboration of interfaces at the atomic scale. Here, we present results on cobalt intercalation between graphene and a buffer layer supported on a SiC(0001) substrate. As a result, we obtain cobalt islands covered by graphene whose local electronic properties are measured by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. These islands reveal two very distinct shapes and properties. Small-islands with atomic height and very narrow size distribution and, more interestingly, flat cobalt nanodots lower than one nanometer high, that are encapsulated by graphene. Compared to a graphene monolayer on SiC, those nanodots exhibit very different spectroscopic signatures. Using dI/dV local differential conductance spectra together with an analysis of image potential surface states measured thanks to dz/dV spectra, we show that graphene on the nanodots is neutrally charged. Moreover, its 4.65 eV work function is surprisingly larger than the predicted value of 3.8 eV for graphene on Co. First principle calculations show that those Co nanodots can be seen as cobalt bilayer sandwiched between two carbon planes