Creating and modulating electronic states on noble metal surfaces: ultrathin Ag islands on Si(111)-7×7 as a prototype

2011/02/05 by Fang Cheng, Xiong Zhou, Cheng, Fang +15
Physics and Astronomy · Materials Science · #Surface and Thin Film Phenomena #Electron and X-Ray Spectroscopy Techniques #Copper-based nanomaterials and applications

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1102.1056

Abstract

Various-thickness Ag islands were prepared on Si(111)-7×7 using the one-step deposition at a high substrate temperature. An electronic state centered at -0.40∼-0.15eV versus E_Fermi, detectable on the surface of the Ag islands thinner than 9 layers, was created by the electronic hybridization between Ag and Si at the Ag-Si interface. Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and density functional theory revealed that the thickness of Ag islands determined the strength of the hybridization, leading to a modulation to the energy and intensity of the state on the surface.

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