Abstract
The spatial dependence of the differential conductivity of ultrathin Pb films deposited on the Si(111)7 × 7 surface has been studied by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. Pb films are characterized by the presence of quantum-confined states for conduction electrons and, correspondingly, maxima of the differential tunneling conductivity. The energy of these states is determined mainly by the local thickness of the Pb layer. It has been found that the tunneling conductivity within atomically smooth terraces can be spatially inhomogeneous, and the period of small-scale modulation coincides with the period of the Si(111)7 × 7 reconstruction. Large-scale inhomogeneities of the tunneling conductivity have been detected in sufficiently thick Pb films. They are manifested in the gradual shift of the quantum-confined levels by about 50 meV at a distance of about 100 nm. Such inhomogeneities of the tunneling conductivity and, correspondingly, the density of states in Pb films can be attributed to the presence of intrinsic defects of the crystal structure, e.g., local electrical potentials and stresses.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
D. K. Ferry and S.M. Goodnick, Transport in Nanostructures, 2nd ed. (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 2009).
I. B. Altfeder, K.A. Matveev, and D.M. Chen, Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 2815 (1997).
I. B. Altfeder, D.M. Chen, and K.A. Matveev, Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 4895 (1998).
I. B. Altfeder, V. Narayanamurti, and D.M. Chen, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 206801 (2002).
W. B. Su, S.H. Chang, W.B. Jian, C.S. Chang, L.J. Chen, and T.T. Tsong, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 5116 (2001).
I-Po Hong, C. Brun, F. Patthey, I.Y. Sklyadneva, X. Zubizarreta, R. Heid, V.M. Silkin, P.M. Echenique, K.P. Bohnen, E.V. Chulkov, and W.-D. Schneider, Phys. Rev. B 80, 081409 (2009).
D. Eom, S. Qin, M.Y. Chou, and C.K. Shih, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 027005 (2006).
K. Wang, X. Zhang, M. M. T. Loy, T.-C. Chiang, and X. Xiao, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 076801 (2009).
S. S. Ustavshchikov, A.V. Putilov, and A. Yu. Aladyshkin, JETP Lett. 106, 491 (2017).
M. Jalochowski and E. Bauer, Phys. Rev. B 38, 5272 (1988).
N. Miyata, K. Horikoshi, T. Hirahara, S. Hasegawa, C.M. Wei, and I. Matsuda, Phys. Rev. B 78, 245405 (2008).
J. H. Dil, J.W. Kim, Th. Kampen, K. Horn, and A. R. H. F. Ettema, Phys. Rev. B 73, 161308 (2006).
A. Mans, J.H. Dil, A. R. H. F. Ettema, and H.H. Weitering, Phys. Rev. B 66, 195410 (2002).
D. A. Ricci, Y. Liu, T. Miller, and T.-C. Chiang, Phys. Rev. B 79, 195433 (2009).
C. M. Wei and M.Y. Chou, Phys. Rev. B 66, 233408 (2002).
I. B. Altfeder, X. Liang, T. Yamada, D.M. Chen, and V. Narayanamurti, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 226404 (2004).
M. Milun, P. Pervan, and D.P. Woodruff, Rep. Prog. Phys. 65, 99 (2002).
T.-C. Chiang, Surf. Sci. Rep. 39, 181 (2000).
Yu. F. Komnik and E.I. Bukhshtab, JETP Lett. 6, 58 (1967).
Yu. F. Komnik and E.I. Bukhshtab, JETP Lett. 8, 4 (1968).
N. W. Ashkroft and N.D. Mermin, Solid State Physics (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Philadelphia, 1976), Vol. 1.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Russian Text © The Author(s), 2019, published in Pis’ma v Zhurnal Eksperimental’noi i Teoreticheskoi Fiziki, 2019, Vol. 109, No. 11, pp. 789–796.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Putilov, A.V., Ustavschikov, S.S., Bozhko, S.I. et al. Nonuniform Quantum-Confined States and Visualization of Hidden Defects in Pb(111) Films. Jetp Lett. 109, 755–761 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0021364019110134
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0021364019110134