The order-disorder transition of the (3x3)Sn/Ge(111) phase

Growing attention has been drawn in the past years to the \alpha-phase (1/3 monolayer) of Sn on Ge(111), which undergoes a transition from the low temperature (3x3) phase to the room temperature (\sqrt3 x \sqrt3)R30 one. On the basis of scanning tunnelling microscopy experiments, this transition was claimed to be the manifestation of a surface charge density wave (SCDW), i.e. a periodic redistribution of charge, possibly accompanied by a periodic lattice distortion, which determines a change of the surface symmetry. As further experiments with different techniques were being performed, increasing doubts were cast about the SCDW model. We have measured by He scattering the long range order of the 1/3 monolayer phase of Sn on the Ge(111) surface throughout the phase transition. The transition has been found of the order-disorder type with a critical temperature Tc=220 K. The expected 3-State Potts critical exponents are shown to be consistent with the observed power law dependence of the (3x3) order parameter and its correlation length close to Tc, thus excluding a charge density wave driven phase transition.Comment: 6 pages with 4 figures; updated reference

Quantum size effects in the low temperature layer-by-layer growth of Pb on Ge(001)

The electronic properties of thin metallic films deviate from the corresponding bulk ones when the film thickness is comparable with the wavelength of the electrons at the Fermi level due to quantum size effects (QSE). QSE are expected to affect the film morphology and structure leading to the low temperature (LT) ``electronic growth'' of metals on semiconductors. In particular, layer-by-layer growth of Pb(111) films has been reported for deposition on Ge(001) below 130 K. An extremely flat morphology is preserved throughout deposition from four up to a dozen of monolayers. These flat films are shown to be metastable and to reorganize into large clusters uncovering the first Pb layer, pseudomorphic to the substrate, already at room temperature. Indications of QSE induced structural variations of the growing films have been reported for Pb growth on Ge(001), where the apparent height of the Pb(111) monatomic step was shown to change in an oscillatory fashion by He atom scattering (HAS) during layer-by-layer growth. The extent of the structural QSE has been obtained by a comparison of the HAS data with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and reflectivity experiments. Whereas step height variations as large as 20 % have been measured by HAS reflectivity, the displacement of the atomic planes from their bulk position, as measured by XRD, has been found to mainly affect the topmost Pb layer, but with a lower extent, i.e. the QSE observed by HAS are mainly due to a perpendicular displacement of the topmost layer charge density. The effect of the variable surface relaxation on the surface vibration has been studied by inelastic HAS to measure the acoustic dispersion of the low energy phonons.Comment: 28 pages (laTex,elsart) and 13 figures (eps); updated reference

Study of the isotropic contribution to the analysis of photoelectron diffraction experiments at the ALOISA beamline

The angular distribution of the intensity in photoemission experiments is affected by electron diffraction patterns and by a smoothly varying ISO contribution originated by both intrumental details and physical properties of the samples. The origin of the various contributions to the ISO component has been identified since many years. Nonetheless in this work we present original developement of the ED analysis, which arises from the evolution of instrumental performance, in terms of analyzers positioning and angular resolution, as well as collimation and size of X-ray beams in third generation synchrotron sources. The analytical treatement of the instrumental factors is presented in detail for the end station of the ALOISA beamline (Trieste Synchrotron), where a wide variety of scattering geometries is available for ED experiments. We present here the basic formulae and their application to experimental data taken on the Fe/Cu3Au(001) system in order to highlight the role of the various parameters included in the distribution function. A specific model for the surface illumination has been developed as well as the overlayer thickness and surface roughness have been considered.Comment: RevTex, nine pages with five eps figures; to be published in J. Electron Spectrosc. Relat. Pheno

The pseudomorphic to bulk fcc phase transition of thin Ni films on Pd(100)

We have measured the transformation of pseudomorphic Ni films on Pd(100) into their bulk fcc phase as a function of the film thickness. We made use of x-ray diffraction and x-ray induced photoemission to study the evolution of the Ni film and its interface with the substrate. The growth of a pseudomorphic film with tetragonally strained face centered symmetry (fct) has been observed by out-of-plane x-ray diffraction up to a maximum thickness of 10 Ni layers (two of them intermixed with the substrate), where a new fcc bulk-like phase is formed. After the formation of the bulk-like Ni domains, we observed the pseudomorphic fct domains to disappear preserving the number of layers and their spacing. The phase transition thus proceeds via lateral growth of the bulk-like phase within the pseudomorphic one, i.e. the bulk-like fcc domains penetrate down to the substrate when formed. This large depth of the walls separating the domains of different phases is also indicated by the strong increase of the intermixing at the substrate-film interface, which starts at the onset of the transition and continues at even larger thickness. The bulk-like fcc phase is also slightly strained; its relaxation towards the orthomorphic lattice structure proceeds slowly with the film thickness, being not yet completed at the maximum thickness presently studied of 30 Angstrom (i.e. about 17 layers).Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Spectro-microscopy of single and multi-layer graphene supported by a weakly interacting substrate

We report measurements of the electronic structure and surface morphology of exfoliated graphene on an insulating substrate using angle-resolved photoemission and low energy electron diffraction. Our results show that although exfoliated graphene is microscopically corrugated, the valence band retains a massless fermionic dispersion, with a Fermi velocity of ~10^6 m/s. We observe a close relationship between the morphology and electronic structure, which suggests that controlling the interaction between graphene and the supporting substrate is essential for graphene device applications.Comment: 10 pages of text, 4 JPEG figure

Quantifying through-space charge transfer dynamics in \u3c0-coupled molecular systems

understanding the role of intermolecular interaction on through-space charge transfer characteristics in \u3c0-stacked molecular systems is central to the rational design of electronic materials. However, a quantitative study of charge transfer in such systems is often difficult because of poor control over molecular morphology. Here we use the core-hole clock implementation of resonant photoemission spectroscopy to study the femtosecond chargetransfer dynamics in cyclophanes, which consist of two precisely stacked \u3c0-systems held together by aliphatic chains. We study two systems, [2,2]paracyclophane (22PCP) and [4,4]paracyclophane (44PCP), with inter-ring separations of 3.0 and 4.0 \uc5, respectively. We find that charge transfer across the \u3c0-coupled system of 44PCP is 20 times slower than in 22PCP. We attribute this difference to the decreased inter-ring electronic coupling in 44PCP. These measurements illustrate the use of core-hole clock spectroscopy as a general tool for quantifying through-space coupling in \u3c0-stacked systems

Surfactant-like Effect and Dissolution of Ultrathin Fe Films on Ag(001)

The phase immiscibility and the excellent matching between Ag(001) and Fe(001) unit cells (mismatch 0.8 %) make Fe/Ag growth attractive in the field of low dimensionality magnetic systems. Intermixing could be drastically limited at deposition temperatures as low as 140-150 K. The film structural evolution induced by post-growth annealing presents many interesting aspects involving activated atomic exchange processes and affecting magnetic properties. Previous experiments, of He and low energy ion scattering on films deposited at 150 K, indicated the formation of a segregated Ag layer upon annealing at 550 K. Higher temperatures led to the embedding of Fe into the Ag matrix. In those experiments, information on sub-surface layers was attained by techniques mainly sensitive to the topmost layer. Here, systematic PED measurements, providing chemical selectivity and structural information for a depth of several layers, have been accompanied with a few XRD rod scans, yielding a better sensitivity to the buried interface and to the film long range order. The results of this paper allow a comparison with recent models enlightening the dissolution paths of an ultra thin metal film into a different metal, when both subsurface migration of the deposit and phase separation between substrate and deposit are favoured. The occurrence of a surfactant-like stage, in which a single layer of Ag covers the Fe film is demonstrated for films of 4-6 ML heated at 500-550 K. Evidence of a stage characterized by the formation of two Ag capping layers is also reported. As the annealing temperature was increased beyond 700 K, the surface layers closely resembled the structure of bare Ag(001) with the residual presence of subsurface Fe aggregates.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Unusual disordering processes of oxygen overlayers on Rh(111): A combined diffraction study using thermal He atoms and low-energy electrons

The temperature-dependent behavior of the Rh(111)-(2X2)-1O phase was investigated by He-atom scattering (HAS) and low-energy electron diffraction. The adsorption system undergoes an order-disorder phase transition at Tc=280±5 K, with critical exponents found to be consistent with the four-state Potts model. Beyond the phase transition the HAS specular peak intensity exhibits a strong and reversible increase. This finding points toward a reduction of the surface charge-density corrugation induced by the phase transition itself. Around 160 K, hydrogen adsorbed on the Rh(111)-(2X2)-1O surface reacts with oxygen to form water, and drives the overlayer in an out-of-equilibrium condition which is characterized by a dramatic domain-wall proliferation

Determination of the structure and geometry of N-heterocyclic carbenes on Au(111) using high-resolution spectroscopy

N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) bind very strongly to transition metals due to their unique electronic structure featuring a divalent carbon atom with a lone pair in a highly directional sp(2)-hybridized orbital. As such, they can be assembled into monolayers on metal surfaces that have enhanced stability compared to their thiol-based counterparts. The utility of NHCs to form such robust self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) was only recently recognized and many fundamental questions remain. Here we investigate the structure and geometry of a series of NHCs on Au(111) using high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. We find that the N-substituents on the NHC ring strongly affect the molecule-metal interaction and steer the orientation of molecules in the surface layer. In contrast to previous reports, our experimental and theoretical results provide unequivocal evidence that NHCs with N-methyl substituents bind to undercoordinated adatoms to form flat-lying complexes. In these SAMs, the donor-acceptor interaction between the NHC lone pair and the undercoordinated Au adatom is primarily responsible for the strong bonding of the molecules to the surface. NHCs with bulkier N-substituents prevent the formation of such complexes by forcing the molecules into an upright orientation. Our work provides unique insights into the bonding and geometry of NHC monolayers; more generally, it charts a clear path to manipulating the interaction between NHCs and metal surfaces using traditional coordination chemistry synthetic strategies

Relating Energy Level Alignment and Amine-Linked Single Molecule Junction Conductance

Using photoemission spectroscopy, we determine the relationship between electronic energy level alignment at a metal-molecule interface and single-molecule junction transport data. We measure the position of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) relative to the Au metal Fermi level for three 1,4-benzenediamine derivatives on Au(111) and Au(110) with ultraviolet and resonant x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. We compare these results to scanning tunnelling microscope based break-junction measurements of single molecule conductance and to first-principles calculations. We find that the energy difference between the HOMO and Fermi level for the three molecules adsorbed on Au(111) correlate well with changes in conductance, and agree well with quasiparticle energies computed from first-principles calculations incorporating self-energy corrections. On the Au(110) which present Au atoms with lower-coordination, critical in break-junction conductance measurements, we see that the HOMO level shifts further from the Fermi level. These results provide the first direct comparison of spectroscopic energy level alignment measurements with single molecule junction transport data