Probing hot-electron dynamics at surfaces with a cold scanning tunneling microscope

We report on a novel approach to measure the phase relaxation length and femtosecond lifetime of hot quasiparticles on metal surfaces. A 4 K scanning tunneling microscope has been used to study the spatial decay of interference patterns in the local density of states for surface state electrons on Ag(111) and Cu(111). This decay is governed by inelastic; electron-electron scattering. We find a (E - E-F)(-2) energy dependence of the lifetimes for both Ag and Cu, and our values are comparable to the corresponding bulk electron lifetimes. This indicates that electron-electron interaction of hot surface state electrons with the Fermi sea is dominated by the underlying bulk electrons. [S0031-9007(99)09260-1]

Quantum coherence and lifetimes of surface-state electrons

We discuss a novel approach to measure the electron phase-relaxation length and femtosecond lifetimes at surfaces. It relies on the study of the spatial decay of quantum interference patterns in the local density of states (LDOS) with the STM. The method has been applied to s-p derived surface-state electrons on Cu(111) and Ag(111). The characteristic decay length of the LDOS oscillations is influenced by the finite lifetime, and thus reveals information about inelastic scattering in the two-dimensional (2D) electron gas. After an introduction in Section 1, we present a model describing the decay of Friedel oscillations off from straight steps in Section 2. Energy dependent lifetime measurements of hot electrons are presented in Section 3 and interpreted in terms of electron-electron scattering. The temperature dependent lifetime measurements of low-energy quasiparticles discussed in Section 4 give insight into the interaction of these 2D electrons with phonons. Our results on inelastic lifetimes are discussed in comparison with high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission and femtosecond two-photon photoemission measurements. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Confinement of surface state electrons in Fabry-Perot resonators

Ag(111) surface state electrons have been confined in symmetric and asymmetric Fabry-Perot resonators formed by two atomically parallel step edges. The local density of states in the resonators has been measured by means of low-temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy and can perfectly be explained with a simple Fabry-Perot-like model. The energy dependent reflection amplitudes and scattering phase shifts of the different kinds of Ag(111) step edges have been determined with high accuracy. The model character of the resonators opens up quantitative electron scattering experiments at test structures brought into the resonator

Thermal damping of quantum interference patterns of surface-state electrons

The temperature-dependent damping of quantum-mechanical interference patterns from surface-state electrons scattering off steps on Ag(111) and Cu(111) has been studied using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy in the temperature range 3,5-178 K. The thermal damping of the electron standing waves is described quantitatively within a simple plane-wave model accounting for thermal broadening due to the broadening of the Fermi-Dirac distributions of sample and tip, for beating effects between electrons with different kll vectors, and for inelastic collisions of the electrons, e.g., with phonons. Our measurements reveal that Fermi-Dirac broadening fully explains the observed damping for Ag and Cu. From the analysis of our data, lower limits of the phase-relaxation lengths at the Fermi energy EF Of the two-dimensional electron gas of L-phi(E-F)greater than or similar to 600 Angstrom at 3.5 K and greater than or similar to 250 Angstrom at 77 K for Ag(111), and of L-phi(E-F)greater than or similar to 660 Angstrom at 77 K and greater than or similar to 160 Angstrom at 178 K for Cu(111) are deduced. In contrast to integral measurements such as photoemission we measure L-phi close to EF and also locally. The latter eliminates residual line widths due to surface defect scattering found in the integrating techniques. Our STM results, therefore, currently provide a very good absolute estimate of L-phi and the inelastic lifetime tau=L-phi/v(F), respectively. Our values can be combined with photoemission results on dL(phi)/dT to derive the inelastic lifetime of surface state electrons at any T

Use of scanning capacitance microscopy for controlling wafer processing

Scanning capacitance microscopy and electrostatic force microscopy have been used to characterize commercial semiconductor devices at various stages of the fabrication process. These methods, combined with conventional atomic force microscopy, allow to visualize qualitatively the oxide thickness, the nature of dopants and the exact position of implanted areas. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

STM conductance of Kondo impurities on open and structured surfaces

We study the scanning tunneling microscopy response for magnetic atoms on open and structured surfaces using Wilson's renormalization group. We observe Fano resonances associated with Kondo resonances and interference effects. For a magnetic atom in a quantum corral coupled to the confined surface states, and experimentally relevant parameters, we observe a large confinement induced effect not present in the experiments. These results suggest that the Kondo screening is dominated by the bulk electrons rather than the surface ones.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

3D Lowest Landau Level Theory Applied to YBCO Magnetization and Specific Heat Data: Implications for the Critical Behavior in the H-T Plane

We study the applicability of magnetization and specific heat equations derived from a lowest-Landau-level (LLL) calculation, to the high-temperature superconducting (HTSC) materials of the YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$ (YBCO) family. We find that significant information about these materials can be obtained from this analysis, even though the three-dimensional LLL functions are not quite as successful in describing them as the corresponding two-dimensional functions are in describing data for the more anisotropic HTSC Bi- and Tl-based materials. The results discussed include scaling fits, an alternative explanation for data claimed as evidence for a second order flux lattice melting transition, and reasons why 3DXY scaling may have less significance than previously believed. We also demonstrate how 3DXY scaling does not describe the specific heat data of YBCO samples in the critical region. Throughout the paper, the importance of checking the actual scaling functions, not merely scaling behavior, is stressed.Comment: RevTeX; 10 double-columned pages with 7 figures embedded. (A total of 10 postscript files for the figures.) Submitted to Physical Review

Implication of the overlap representation for modelling generalized parton distributions

Based on a field theoretically inspired model of light-cone wave functions, we derive valence-like generalized parton distributions and their double distributions from the wave function overlap in the parton number conserved s-channel. The parton number changing contributions in the t-channel are restored from duality. In our construction constraints of positivity and polynomiality are simultaneously satisfied and it also implies a model dependent relation between generalized parton distributions and transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions. The model predicts that the t-behavior of resulting hadronic amplitudes depends on the Bjorken variable x_Bj. We also propose an improved ansatz for double distributions that embeds this property.Comment: 15 pages, 8 eps figure

Critical-point scaling function for the specific heat of a Ginzburg-Landau superconductor

If the zero-field transition in high temperature superconductors such as YBa_2Cu_3O_7-\delta is a critical point in the universality class of the 3-dimensional XY model, then the general theory of critical phenomena predicts the existence of a critical region in which thermodynamic functions have a characteristic scaling form. We report the first attempt to calculate the universal scaling function associated with the specific heat, for which experimental data have become available in recent years. Scaling behaviour is extracted from a renormalization-group analysis, and the 1/N expansion is adopted as a means of approximation. The estimated scaling function is qualitatively similar to that observed experimentally, and also to the lowest-Landau-level scaling function used by some authors to provide an alternative interpretation of the same data. Unfortunately, the 1/N expansion is not sufficiently reliable at small values of N for a quantitative fit to be feasible.Comment: 20 pages; 4 figure

STM observation of electronic wave interference effect in finite-sized graphite with dislocation-network structures

Superperiodic patterns near a step edge were observed by STM on several-layer-thick graphite sheets on a highly oriented pyrolitic graphite substrate, where a dislocation network is generated at the interface between the graphite overlayer and the substrate. Triangular- and rhombic-shaped periodic patterns whose periodicities are around 100 nm were observed on the upper terrace near the step edge. In contrast, only outlines of the patterns similar to those on the upper terrace were observed on the lower terrace. On the upper terrace, their geometrical patterns gradually disappeared and became similar to those on the lower terrace without any changes of their periodicity in increasing a bias voltage. By assuming a periodic scattering potential at the interface due to dislocations, the varying corrugation amplitudes of the patterns can be understood as changes in LDOS as a result of the beat of perturbed and unperturbed waves, i.e. the interference in an overlayer. The observed changes in the image depending on an overlayer height and a bias voltage can be explained by the electronic wave interference in the ultra-thin overlayer distorted under the influence of dislocation-network structures.Comment: 8 pages; 6 figures; Paper which a part of cond-mat/0311068 is disscussed in detai