@phdthesis{Reis2022, author = {Reis, Felix}, title = {Realization and Spectroscopy of the Quantum Spin Hall Insulator Bismuthene on Silicon Carbide}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-25825}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-258250}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Topological matter is one of the most vibrant research fields of contemporary solid state physics since the theoretical prediction of the quantum spin Hall effect in graphene in 2005. Quantum spin Hall insulators possess a vanishing bulk conductivity but symmetry-protected, helical edge states that give rise to dissipationless charge transport. The experimental verification of this exotic state of matter in 2007 lead to a boost of research activity in this field, inspired by possible ground-breaking future applications. However, the use of the quantum spin Hall materials available to date is limited to cryogenic temperatures owing to their comparably small bulk band gaps. In this thesis, we follow a novel approach to realize a quantum spin Hall material with a large energy gap and epitaxially grow bismuthene, i.e., Bi atoms adopting a honeycomb lattice, in a \((\sqrt{3}\times\sqrt{3})\) reconstruction on the semiconductor SiC(0001). In this way, we profit both from the honeycomb symmetry as well as the large spin-orbit coupling of Bi, which, in combination, give rise to a topologically non-trivial band gap on the order of one electronvolt. An in-depth theoretical analysis demonstrates that the covalent bond between the Si and Bi atoms is not only stabilizing the Bi film but is pivotal to attain the quantum spin Hall phase. The preparation of high-quality, unreconstructed SiC(0001) substrates sets the basis for the formation of bismuthene and requires an extensive procedure in ultra-pure dry H\(_2\) gas. Scanning tunneling microscopy measurements unveil the (\(1\times1\)) surface periodicity and smooth terrace planes, which are suitable for the growth of single Bi layers by means of molecular beam epitaxy. The chemical configuration of the resulting Bi film and its oxidation upon exposure to ambient atmosphere are inspected with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy reveals the excellent agreement of probed and calculated band structure. In particular, it evidences a characteristic Rashba-splitting of the valence bands at the K point. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy probes signatures of this splitting, as well, and allows to determine the full band gap with a magnitude of \(E_\text{gap}\approx0.8\,\text{eV}\). Constant-current images and local-density-of-state maps confirm the presence of a planar honeycomb lattice, which forms several domains due to different, yet equivalent, nucleation sites of the (\(\sqrt{3}\times\sqrt{3}\))-Bi reconstruction. Differential conductivity measurements demonstrate that bismuthene edge states evolve at atomic steps of the SiC substrate. The probed, metallic local density of states is in agreement with the density of states expected from the edge state's energy dispersion found in density functional theory calculations - besides a pronounced dip at the Fermi level. By means of temperature- and energy-dependent tunneling spectroscopy it is shown that the spectral properties of this suppressed density of states are successfully captured in the framework of the Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid theory and most likely originate from enhanced electronic correlations in the edge channel.}, subject = {Zweidimensionales Material}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Ruff2013, author = {Ruff, Andreas}, title = {On the importance of electronic correlations in potassium-doped organic semiconductors}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-83635}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2013}, abstract = {The present thesis is concerned with the impact of alkali metal-doping on the electronic structure of semiconducting organic thin films. The organic molecular systems which have been studied are the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons picene, pentacene, and coronene. Motivated by reports about exceptional behavior like superconductivity and electronic correlations of their alkali metal-doped compounds, high quality films fabricated from the above named molecules have been studied. The electronic structure of the pristine materials and their doped compounds has been investigated using photoelectron spectroscopy. Core level and valence band studies of undoped films yield excellent photoemission spectra agreeing with or even outperforming previously reported data from the literature. Alkali metal-doping manifests itself in a uniform manner in the electronic structure for all probed samples: Opposed to reports from the literature about metallicity and even superconductivity in alkali metal-doped picene, pentacene, and coronene, all films exhibit insulating nature with an energy gap of the order of one electron-volt. Remarkably, this is independent of the doping concentration and the type of dopant, i.e., potassium, cesium, or sodium. Based on the interplay between narrow bandwidths in organic semiconductors and sufficiently high on-molecule Coulomb repulsion, the non-metallicity is attributed to the strong influence of electronic correlations leading to the formation of a Mott insulator. In the case of picene, this is consolidated by calculations using a combination of density functional theory and dynamical mean-field theory. Beyond the extensive considerations regarding electronic correlations, further intriguing aspects have been observed. The deposition of thin picene films leads to the formation of a non-equilibrium situation between substrate and film surface. Here, the establishment of a homogeneous chemical potential is hampered due to the only weak van der Waals-interactions between the molecular layers in the films. Consequently, spectral weight is measurable above the reference chemical potential in photoemission. Furthermore, it has been found that the acceptance of additional electrons in pentacene is limited. While picene and coronene are able to host up to three extra electrons, in pentacene the limit is already reached for one electron. Finally, further extrinsic effects, coming along with alkali metal-doping, have been scrutinized. The oxidation of potassium atoms induced by the reaction with molecular oxygen in the residual gas of the ultra-high vacuum system turned out to significantly influence the electronic structure of alkali metal-doped picene and coronene. Moreover, also the applied X-ray and UV irradiation caused a certain impact on the photoemission spectra. Surprisingly, both effects did not play a role in the studies of potassium-doped pentacene.}, subject = {Organischer Halbleiter}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Roeder2017, author = {R{\"o}der, Anja M.}, title = {Excited-State Dynamics in Open-Shell Molecules}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-151738}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2017}, abstract = {In this thesis the excited-state dynamics of radicals and biradicals were characterized with femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy. These open-shell molecules play important roles as combustion intermediates, in the formation of soot and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, in atmospheric chemistry and in the formation of complex molecules in the interstellar medium and galactic clouds. In these processes molecules frequently occur in some excited state, excited either by thermal energy or radiation. Knowledge of the reactivity and dynamics of these excited states completes our understanding of these complex processes. These highly reactive molecules were produced via pyrolysis from suitable precursors and examined in a molecular beam under collision-free conditions. A first laser now excites the molecule, and a second laser ionizes it. Time-of-flight mass spectrometry allowed a first identification of the molecule, photoelectron spectroscopy a complete characterization of the molecule - under the condition that the mass spectrum was dominated by only one mass. The photoelectron spectrum was obtained via velocity-map imaging, providing an insight in the electronic states involved. Ion velocity map imaging allowed separation of signal from direct ionization of the radical in the molecular beam and dissociative photoionization of the precursor. During this thesis a modified pBasex algorithm was developed and implemented in python, providing an image inversion tool without interpolation of data points. Especially for noisy photoelectron images this new algorithm delivers better results. Some highlighted results: • The 2-methylallyl radical was excited in the ππ*-state with different internal energies using three different pump wavelengths (240.6 , 238.0 and 236.0 nm). Ionized with 800 nm multi-photon probe, the photoelectron spectra shows a s-Rydberg fingerprint spectrum, a highly positive photoelectron anisotropy of 1.5 and a bi-exponential decay ( τ1= 141\pm43 fs, τ2= 4.0\pm0.2 ps for 240.6 nm pump), where the second time-constant shortens for lower wavelengths. Field-induced surface hopping dynamics calculations confirm that the initially excited ππ*-state relaxes very fast to an s-Rydberg state (first experimentally observed time-constant), and then more slowly to the first excited state/ground state (second time-constant). With higher excitation energies the conical intersection between the s-Rydberg-state and the first excited state is reached faster, resulting in shorter life-times. • The benzyl radical was excited yith 265 nm and probed with two wavelengths, 798 nm and 398 nm. Probed with 798 nm it shows a bi-exponential decay (\tau_{1}=84\pm5 fs, \tau_{2}=1.55\pm0.12 ps), whereas with 398 nm probe only the first time-constant is observed (\tau_{1}=89\pm5 fs). The photoelectron spectra with 798 nm probe is comparable to the spectrum with 398 nm probe during the first 60 fs, at longer times an additional band appears. This band is due to a [1+3']-process, whereas with 398 nm only signal from a [1+1']-process can be observed. Non-adiabatic dynamic on the fly calculations show that the initially excited, nearly degenerate ππ/p-Rydberg-states relax very fast (first time-constant) to an s-Rydberg state. This s-Rydberg state can no longer be ionized with 398 nm, but with 798 nm ionization via intermediate resonances is still possible. The s-Rydberg state then decays to the first excited state (second time-constant), which is long-lived. • Para-xylylene, excited with 266 nm into the S2-state and probed with 800 nm, shows a bi-exponential decay (\tau_{1}=38\pm7 fs, \tau_{2}=407\pm9 fs). The initially excited S2-state decays quickly to S1-state, which shows dissociative photoionization. The population of the S1-state is directly visible in the masses of the dissociative photoionization products, benzene and the para-xylylene -H. • Ortho-benzyne, produced via pyrolysis from benzocyclobutendione, was excited with 266 nm in the S2 state and probed with 800 nm. In its time-resolved mass spectra the dynamic of the ortho-benzyne signal was superposed with the dynamics from dissociative photoionization of the precursor and of the ortho-benzyne-dimer. With time-resolved ion imaging gated on the ortho-benzyne these processes could be seperated, showing that the S2-state of ortho-benzyne relaxes within 50 fs to the S1-state.}, subject = {Radikal }, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Sachs2010, author = {Sachs, S{\"o}nke}, title = {Organische Halbleiter: Fundamentale Aspekte von Metallkontakten, hochgeordneten Schichten und deren Anwendung in Feldeffekttransistoren}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48684}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2010}, abstract = {Eingebettet in ein Konzept zum Aufbau eines Hochleistungs-Feldeffekt-Transistors auf der Basis organischer Halbleiter (OFET), werden in der vorliegenden Dissertation fundamentale Aspekte des Aufbaus und der Funktion organischer Halbleiter-Bauelemente erforscht. Die Kenntnis, welche maximale Leistungsf{\"a}higkeit organische Halbleiter in OFETs prinzipiell erreichen k{\"o}nnen, ist von elementarem Interesse, sowohl um Transportmodelle zu verfeinern, als auch um Mechanismen und Optimierungsans{\"a}tze zu finden, mit denen OFETs generell verbessert werden k{\"o}nnen. Es wird das Ziel verfolgt, sich der maximalen Leistungsf{\"a}higkeit eines gegebenen Materialsystems anzun{\"a}hern. Aufwendige Pr{\"a}parationsstrategien werden f{\"u}r dieses Ziel bewusst in Kauf genommen, auch wenn deshalb vermutlich kein direkter Zugang zu Anwendungen er{\"o}ffnet wird. An geeigneten Modellsystemen k{\"o}nnen einzelne wichtige Aspekte, wie die elektronische Struktur an Metallkontakten und im organischen Halbleitervolumen sowie das Wachstum von Schichten und Kristalliten organischer Halbleitermolek{\"u}le auf einkristallinen Isolatorsubstraten charakterisiert werden. Die Ergebnisse dieser grundlegenden Experimente fließen in den Aufbau des geplanten OFETs ein. Auf dem Weg zu einem funktionsf{\"a}higen Bauelement mit bestm{\"o}glichen Eigenschaften wurden wesentliche Fortschritte erzielt. Der erste Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit ist die Untersuchung elektronischer Niveaus an Metallkontakt-Grenzfl{\"a}chen und im Volumen des Modellsystems PTCDA/Ag(111) mit Zwei-Photonen-Photoelektronenspektroskopie (2PPE). Die 2PPE-Spektren der PTCDA/Ag(111)-Grenzfl{\"a}che sind dominiert durch einen unbesetzten, parallel zur Grenzfl{\"a}che stark dispersiven Shockley-artigen Grenzfl{\"a}chenzustand (IS), der sich durch die Chemisorption der Molek{\"u}le auf der Ag(111)-Oberfl{\"a}che bildet. Bei der Untersuchung von intramolekular angeregten elektronischen Zust{\"a}nden von PTCDA mit 2PPE zeigen sich im Vergleich zum Untergrund der Spektren schwache Signale, die jedoch mit einer geeigneten Beschreibung des Untergrunds davon separiert werden k{\"o}nnen. Besonders interessant ist in diesem Zusammenhang das LUMO, das bei einer Anregung aus dem HOMO eine um 0,4 eV st{\"a}rkere energetische Absenkung zeigt, als bei der Anregung aus dem HOMO-1. Dies kann durch die unterschiedlichen exzitonischen Zust{\"a}nde, die bei den Anregungen entstehen, erkl{\"a}rt werden. Neben den metallischen Kontakten ist die Grenzfl{\"a}che zwischen organischem Halbleiter und Gate-Isolator entscheidend f{\"u}r die Leistungsf{\"a}higkeit eines OFETs. Am Beispiel des Wachstums von Diindenoperylen-Molek{\"u}len (DIP) auf einkristallinen Al2O3-Substraten wurde die morphologische und strukturelle Ausbildung von organischen Halbleiterschichten mit optischer Mikroskopie und Rasterkraftmikroskopie untersucht. Das Wachstum kann als stark anisotrop charakterisiert werden. Die - im Vergleich zu den Bindungsenergien mit dem Substrat - deutlich gr{\"o}ßeren Bindungsenergien innerhalb der DIP-(001)-Kristallebenen f{\"u}hren bei Substrattemperaturen von 440 K zu einem Wachstum von aufrecht stehenden Molek{\"u}len. Es zeigt sich, dass die w{\"a}hrend des Wachstums herrschende Substrattemperatur einen entscheidenden Einfluss auf die Morphologie der DIP-Schicht hat. So nimmt die Inselgr{\"o}ße von etwa 200 nm bei 350 K auf {\"u}ber 700 nm bei 450 K zu. Außerdem wird ein Ansteigen der Filmrauheit, besonders ab etwa 430 K, beobachtet, das auf den {\"U}bergang zu einem anderen Wachstumsmodus bei diesen Temperaturen hinweist. Bei etwas h{\"o}heren Temperaturen von etwa 460 K wird das Wachstum von DIP-Kristalliten beobachtet. Dabei k{\"o}nnen - abh{\"a}ngig von den gew{\"a}hlten Pr{\"a}parationsparametern - drei unterschiedliche Kristallit-Typen unterschieden werden: „Mesa-Kristallite" mit lateralen Abmessungen von mehreren Mikrometern, „Dendritische Kristallite", die eine verzweigte Struktur aufweisen, die mithilfe der Wachstumskinetik erkl{\"a}rt werden kann und „Schichtkristallite", deren Morphologie sich durch teilweise starke Kr{\"u}mmungen auszeichnet. Insgesamt zeigt sich, dass die Morphologie kristalliner Strukturen durch eine feine Balance der Pr{\"a}parationsparameter Substrattemperatur, Aufdampfrate, Substratmorphologie und Substratreinheit bestimmt wird, so dass kleine {\"A}nderungen dieser Parameter zu deutlich unterschiedlichen Kristallitformen f{\"u}hren. Schließlich wird das Konzept zum Aufbau eines Hochleistungs-OFET vorgestellt und in Details weiterentwickelt. Fortschritte werden in erster Linie bei der Pr{\"a}paration der Gate-Elektrode erzielt, die unter dem Al2O3-Substrat angebracht werden soll. F{\"u}r die Ausd{\"u}nnung des Substrats wird eine Bohrtechnik weiterentwickelt und mit einer nasschemischen {\"A}tzmethode kombiniert, so dass Isolatorst{\"a}rken von unter 10 µm erreicht werden k{\"o}nnen. Erste wenige OFETs wurden auf der Basis dieses Substrats pr{\"a}pariert, allerdings ohne dass die Bauteile Feldeffekte zeigten. Verbesserungsm{\"o}glichkeiten werden diskutiert.}, subject = {Organischer Halbleiter}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Sauer2014, author = {Sauer, Christoph}, title = {Accessing molecule-metal and hetero-molecular interfaces with direct and resonant photoelectron spectroscopy}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-107928}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2014}, abstract = {This thesis consists of two parts of original experimental work, its evaluation, and in- terpretation. Its final goal is to investigate dynamical charge transfer (CT) at a hetero- molecular interface with resonant photoelectron spectroscopy (RPES). In order to achieve this goal preliminary studies have been necessary. First two hetero-molecular inter- faces that exhibit adequate structural properties as well as an appropriate photoelec- tron spectroscopy (PES) spectrum of the valence regime have been identified. The de- sired CT analysis with RPES of these hetero-molecular systems is then conducted on the basis of the knowledge gained by previous RPES studies of homo-molecular sys- tems. The characterization of hetero-molecular films on single crystal Ag surfaces in the first part of this thesis is performed with high resolution core level PES and valence PES. The reproduction of the core level PES data with reference spectra of homo-molecular films allows me to determine which molecule is in direct contact to the Ag surface and which one is situated in higher layers (not the first one). Due to the direct correspon- dence of core level and valence PES the assignment of features in the spectra of the latter technique can be achieved with the identification of the contributions extracted from the evaluation of the data of the former technique. It is found that the systems PTCDA on one monolayer (ML) of SnPc on Ag(111) and CuPc/1 ML PTCDA/Ag(111) are stable at 300 K which means that no significant layer exchange occurs for these systems. In contrast a vertical exchange of CuPc and PTCDA molecules is observed for PTCDA de- posited on top of 1 ML CuPc/Ag(111). Up to a coverage of approximately 0.5 ML of PTCDA molecules these diffuse into the first layer, replace CuPc molecules, and con- sequently force them into higher layers. Above a coverage of approximately 0.5 ML of PTCDA molecules these are also found in higher layers. The search for a promising system for the intended RPES study then leads to an investigation of hetero-molecular films with a combination of F4TCNQ and PTCDA molecules on Ag(110) within the same approach. Depositing F4TCNQ molecules onto a 1 ML PTCDA/Ag(110) film in the herringbone phase at 300 K results in an instable hetero-organic system which un- dergoes a layer exchange. Hereby PTCDA molecules in the first layer are replaced by F4TCNQ molecules similar to the behavior of the system PTCDA/1 ML CuPc/Ag(111). Switching the order of the preparation steps leads to a stable film of PTCDA/1.0 ML F4TCNQ/Ag(110) at 300 K. Among the stable hetero-molecular films only the system CuPc/1 ML PTCDA/Ag(111) exhibits the required wetting growth of the first two layers at 300 K and a valence PES spectrum with energetically separable molecular orbital signals in the same intensity range. Thus this system is identified to be appropriate for a detailed analysis with RPES. The unexpected findings of vertical exchanges in the hetero-molecular films at 300 K motivate a study of the behavior at elevated temperatures for all systems investigated before. Therein it is revealed that annealing 1.5 ML SnPc/1 ML PTCDA/Ag(111) and 1.0 ML PTCDA/1 ML SnPc/Ag(111) to a temperature above the desorption temperature of molecules not in direct contact to the Ag(111) surface results in a 1 ML SnPc/Ag(111) film in both cases. Hence at elevated temperatures (approximately above 420 K) SnPc molecules replace PTCDA molecules in the first layer on Ag(111). At higher temper- atures (approximately above 470 K) PTCDA molecules and SnPc molecules situated above the first layer then desorb from the 1 ML SnPc/Ag(111) sample. Annealing all hetero-molecular films with CuPc and PTCDA molecules on Ag(111) to 570 K leads to a sample with CuPc and PTCDA molecules in the first and only layer. Depending on the initial CuPc coverage different ratios of both molecules are obtained. With a CuPc coverage of exactly 1 ML, or above, films with PTCDA coverages of approxi- mately 0.1-0.2 ML are produced. So at elevated temperatures CuPc molecules replace PTCDA molecules in the first layer of the system CuPc/1 ML PTCDA/Ag(111). Anal- ogously the layer exchange at 300 K for the system PTCDA/1 ML CuPc/Ag(111) is reversed at elevated temperatures. In the case of SnPc and CuPc coverages below 1 ML annealing vertical hetero-molecular systems with PTCDA on Ag(111) up to 570 K re- sults in a single layer of mixed hetero-molecular films with lateral long range order. In this way the system CuPc + PTCDA/Ag(111) is prepared and then characterized as a proper system for a detailed analysis with RPES. Additional annealing experiments of hetero-organic films consisting of F4TCNQ and PTCDA molecules on Ag(110) with an F4TCNQ coverage of 1.0 ML (and above) end in a submonolayer (sub-ML) film of F4TCNQ/Ag(110) that exhibits a contribution of amorphous carbon. Consequently, it can be concluded that at elevated temperatures part of the F4TCNQ molecules decom- pose. In the second part of this thesis homo-molecular multilayer samples and (sub-)ML films on single crystalline metal surfaces are investigated with RPES in order to enable the final RPES study of vertical and lateral hetero-molecular interface systems. First a pho- ton energy (hν) dependent intensity variation of (groups of) molecular orbital signals of exemplary multilayer films (NTCDA and coronene) is studied and explained on the basis of the local character of the electronic transitions in near edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy in combination with the real space probability den- sity of the contributing molecular orbitals. This simple approach is found to be able to correctly describe relative intensity variations by orders of magnitude while it fails for hν dependent relative intensity changes in the same order of magnitude. After that the hν dependent line-shape evolution of an energetically separated molecular orbital signal of a CuPc multilayer is discussed in relation to small molecules in the gas phase and explained with an effect of electron vibration coupling. Through a comparison of the hν dependent line-shape evolution of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of a CuPc with a SnPc multilayer the molecule specific character of this effect is identified. Then the same effect with either two (or more) electronic transitions or multiple coupling vibrational modes is observed for a coronene multilayer. Thereafter the influence of the adsorption on metal surfaces on this effect is studied and discussed with special emphasis on a possible contribution by features which are related to dynamical interface CT. For a sub-ML of SnPc/Au(111) no variation with respect to a SnPc multilayer film is detected while for a sub-ML of CuPc/Au(111) less intensity is distributed into the high binding energy (EB) part of the HOMO signal with respect to the corresponding multilayer film. In the RPES data of a sub-ML of coronene/Ag(111) a resonance specific variation of the hν dependent line-shape evolution of the HOMO signal is found by the revelation of a change of this effect with respect to the coronene multilayer data in only one of the two NEXAFS resonances. All these findings are consistently explained within one effect and a common set of parameters, namely all quantities that characterize the potential energy surfaces involved in the RPES process. Through that an alternative explanation that re- lies on dynamical CT can be excluded which influences the following CT analysis with RPES. Three criteria for such an analysis of dynamical interface CT with RPES are identified. In the system coronene on Ag(111) a low EB feature is related to metal-molecule inter- face CT through the assignment of a particular final state and hence named CT state. In the EB region of the frontier molecular orbital signals of the molecule-metal inter- face systems with a signal from the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) in direct valence PES a broad line-shape is measured in RPES. This finding is related to interface CT by a possible explanation that emerges through the comparison to the line- shape of the CT state. The constant kinetic energy (EK ) features detected for several molecule-metal interfaces constitute the third criterion for a CT analysis with RPES. For the molecule-metal interface systems without a LUMO signal in direct valence PES the energy of these features can be calculated with the assignment of the responsible decay channel in combination with explicitly given simplifying assumptions. Through that the involvement of metal-molecule interface CT in the generation of these constant EK fea- tures is demonstrated. The RPES data of the lateral and the vertical hetero-molecular interface, identified in the first part, is then scanned for these three CT criteria. Thereby neither for the lateral hetero-molecular system CuPc + PTCDA/Ag(111) nor for the verti- cal hetero-molecular system CuPc/1 ML PTCDA/Ag(111) dynamical hetero-molecular interface CT can be confirmed. In the former system the molecule-metal interface in- teraction is found to dominate the physics of the system in RPES while in the latter system no hints for a significant hybridization at the CuPc-PTCDA interface can be revealed}, subject = {Organisches Molek{\"u}l}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Scheiderer2019, author = {Scheiderer, Philipp}, title = {Spectroscopy of Prototypical Thin Film Mott Materials}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-18635}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-186358}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2019}, abstract = {The rich phase diagram of transition metal oxides essentially roots in the many body physics arising from strong Coulomb interactions within the underlying electron system. Understanding such electronic correlation effects remains challenging for modern solid state physics, therefore experimental data is required for further progress in the field. For this reason, spectroscopic investigations of prototypical correlated materials are the scope of this thesis. The experimental methods focus on photoelectron spectroscopy, and the test materials are the correlated metal SrVO\(_3\) and the Mott insulator LaTiO\(_3\), both of which are fabricated as high quality thin films. In SrVO\(_3\) thin films, a reduction of the film thickness induces a dimensional crossover from the metallic into the Mott insulating phase. In this thesis, an extrinsic chemical contribution from a surface over-oxidation is revealed that emerges additionally to the intrinsic change of the effective bandwidth usually identified to drive the transition. The two contributions are successfully disentangled by applying a capping layer that prevents the oxidation, allowing for a clean view on the dimensional crossover in fully stoichiometric samples. Indeed, these stoichiometric layers exhibit a higher critical thickness for the onset of the metallic phase than the bare and therefore over-oxidized thin films. For LaTiO\(_3\) thin films, the tendency to over-oxidize is even stronger. An uncontrolled oxygen diffusion from the substrate into the film is found to corrupt the electronic properties of LaTiO\(_3\) layers grown on SrTiO\(_3\). The Mott insulating phase is only detected in stoichiometric films fabricated on more suitable DyScO\(_3\) substrates. In turn, it is demonstrated that a \(controlled\) incorporation of excess oxygen ions by increasing the oxygen growth pressure is an effective way of \(p\) doping the material which is used to drive the band filling induced Mott transition. Gaining control of the oxygen stoichiometry in both materials allows for a systematic investigation of correlation effects in general and of the Mott transition in particular. The investigations are realized by various photoelectron spectroscopy techniques that provide a deep insight into the electronic structure. Resonant photoemission not only gives access to the titanium and vanadium related partial density of states of the valence band features, but also shows how the corresponding signal is enhanced by tuning the photon energy to the \(L\) absorption threshold. The enhanced intensity turns out to be very helpful for probing the Fermi surface topology and band dispersions by means of angular-resolved photoemission. The resulting momentum resolved electronic structure verifies central points of the theoretical description of the Mott transition, viz. the renormalization of the band width and a constant Luttinger volume in a correlated metal as the Mott phase is approached.}, subject = {{\"U}bergangsmetalloxide}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Schmid2010, author = {Schmid, Benjamin}, title = {Surface preparation and Mn states of (Ga,Mn)As investigated by means of soft- and hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-50057}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2010}, abstract = {The present thesis deals with surface treatment, material improvement, and the electronic structure of the diluted magnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As. The two key issues are the preparation of clean surfaces and the observation of potential valence hybridizations in (Ga,Mn)As by means of photoemission spectroscopy. Several cleaning methods are applied individually to (Ga,Mn)As and their e ects are compared in detail by various methods. Based on the results of each method, a sophisticated recipe has been elaborated, which provides clean, stoichiometric, and reconstructed surfaces, even if the sample was exposed to air prior to preparation. Moreover, the recipe works equally well for intentionally oxidized surfaces. The individual advantages of ex-situ wet- chemical etching and in situ ion-milling and tempering can be combined in an unique way. In regard to the post-growth annealing in order to optimize the electronic and magnetic properties of (Ga,Mn)As, the effect of surface segregation of interstitial Mn was quantifed. It turns out that the Mn concentration at the surface increases by a factor 4.3 after annealing at 190 C for 150 h. The removal of the segregated and oxidized species by wet-chemical etching allows a tentative estimate of the content of interstitial Mn. 19-23\% of the overall Mn content in as-grown samples resides on interstitial positions. The complementary results of core level photoemission spectroscopy and resonant photoemission spectroscopy give hints to the fact that a sizeable valence hybridization of Mn is present in (Ga,Mn)As. This outlines that the simple Mn 3d5-con guration is too naive to refect the true electronic structure of substitutional Mn in (Ga,Mn)As. Great similarities in the core level spectra are found to MnAs. The bonding is thus dominantly of covalent, not ionic, character. Transport measurements, in particular for very low temperatures (<10 K), are in agreement with previous results. This shows that at low temperature, the conduction is mainly governed by variable-range hopping which is in line with the presence of an impurity band formed by substitutional Mn. In the light of the presented results, it is therefore concluded that a double-exchange interaction is the dominant mechanism leading to ferromagnetic coupling in (Ga,Mn)As. The valence hybridization and the presents of an impurity band, both of which are inherent properties of substitutional Mn, are indications for a double-exchange scenario, being at variance to a RKKY-based explanation. Contributions from a RKKY-like mechanism cannot definitely be excluded, however, they are not dominant.}, subject = {Photoelektronenspektroskopie}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Stuehler2023, author = {St{\"u}hler, Rudolf Raul Albert}, title = {Growth and Spectroscopy of the Two-dimensional Topological Insulator Bismuthene on SiC(0001)}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-32008}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-320084}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {A plethora of novel material concepts are currently being investigated in the condensed matter research community. Some of them hold promise to shape our everyday world in a way that silicon-based semiconductor materials and the related development of semiconductor devices have done in the past. In this regard, the last decades have witnessed an explosion of studies concerned with so called ''quantum materials'' with emerging novel functionalities. These could eventually lead to new generations of electronic and/or spintronic devices. One particular material class, the so called topological materials, play a central role. As far as their technological applicability is concerned, however, they are still facing outstanding challenges to date. Predicted for the first time in 2005 and experimentally verified in 2007, two-dimensional topological insulators (2D TIs) (a.k.a. quantum spin Hall insulators) exhibit the outstanding property of hosting spin-polarized metallic states along the boundaries of the insulating 2D bulk material, which are protected from elastic single-particle backscattering and give rise to the quantum spin Hall effect (QSHE). Owing to these peculiar properties the QSHE holds promise for dissipationless charge and/or spin transport. However, also in today's best 2D TIs the observation of the QSHE is still limited to cryogenic temperatures of maximum 100 K. Here, the discovery of bismuthene on SiC(0001) has marked a milestone towards a possible realization of the QSHE at or beyond room-temperature owing to the massively increased electronic bulk energy gap on the order of 1 eV. This thesis is devoted to and motivated by the goal of advancing its synthesis and to build a deeper understanding of its one-particle and two-particle electronic properties that goes beyond prior work. Regarding the aspect of material synthesis, an improved growth procedure for bismuthene is elaborated that increases the domain size of the material considerably (by a factor of ≈ 3.2 - 6.5 compared to prior work). The improved film quality is an important step towards any future device application of bismuthene, but also facilitates all further basic studies of this material. Moreover, the deposition of magnetic transition metals (Mn and Co) on bismuthene is investigated. Thereby, the formation of ordered magnetic Bi-Mn/Co alloys is realized, their structure is resolved with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and their pristine electronic properties are resolved with scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and photoemission spectroscopy (PES). It is proposed that these ordered magnetic Bi-Mn/Co-alloys offer the potential to study the interplay between magnetism and topology in bismuthene in the future. In this thesis, a wide variety of spectroscopic techniques are employed that aim to build an understanding of the single-particle, as well as two-particle level of description of bismuthene's electronic structure. The techniques involve STS and angle-resolved PES (ARPES) on the one hand, but also optical spectroscopy and time-resolved ARPES (trARPES), on the other hand. Moreover, these experiments are accompanied by advanced numerical modelling in form of GW and Bethe-Salpeter equation calculations provided by our theoretical colleagues. Notably, by merging many experimental and theoretical techniques, this work sets a benchmark for electronic structure investigations of 2D materials in general. Based on the STS studies, electronic quasi-particle interferences in quasi-1D line defects in bismuthene that are reminiscent of Fabry-P{\´e}rot states are discovered. It is shown that they point to a hybridization of two pairs of helical boundary modes across the line defect, which is accompanied by a (partial) lifting of their topological protection against elastic single-particle backscattering. Optical spectroscopy is used to reveal bismuthene's two-particle elecronic structure. Despite its monolayer thickness, a strong optical (two-particle) response due to enhanced electron-hole Coulomb interactions is observed. The presented combined experimental and theoretical approach (including GW and Bethe-Salpeter equation calculations) allows to conclude that two prominent optical transitions can be associated with excitonic transitions derived from the Rashba-split valence bands of bismuthene. On a broader scope this discovery might promote further experiments to elucidate links of excitonic and topological physics. Finally, the excited conduction band states of bismuthene are mapped in energy and momentum space employing trARPES on bismuthene for the first time. The direct and indirect band gaps are succesfully extracted and the effect of excited charge carrier induced gap-renormalization is observed. In addition, an exceptionally fast excited charge carrier relaxation is identified which is explained by the presence of a quasi-metallic density of states from coupled topological boundary states of domain boundaries.}, subject = {Topologischer Isolator}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Weinhardt2005, author = {Weinhardt, Lothar}, title = {Elektronische und chemische Eigenschaften von Grenzfl{\"a}chen und Oberfl{\"a}chen in optimierten Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 D{\"u}nnschichtsolarzellen}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-16234}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2005}, abstract = {In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden Untersuchungen an D{\"u}nnschichtsolarzellen auf der Basis von Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2, der heute vielversprechendsten D{\"u}nnschichttechnologie, durchgef{\"u}hrt. F{\"u}r eine weitere Optimierung der Zellen ist ein detailliertes Verst{\"a}ndnis ihrer chemischen, elektronischen und strukturellen Eigenschaften notwendig. Insbesondere die in dieser Arbeit untersuchten Eigenschaften an den Grenzfl{\"a}chen der Zelle sind aufgrund ihrer zentralen Rolle f{\"u}r den Ladungstr{\"a}gertransport von besonderem Interesse. Bei den vorliegenden Untersuchungen kamen verschiedene Spektroskopien zum Einsatz. Mit einer Kombination von Photoelektronenspektroskopie und Inverser Photoelektronenspektroskopie war es m{\"o}glich, sowohl eine direkte Bestimmung der Valenz- und Leitungsbandanpassungen an den untersuchten Grenzfl{\"a}chen durchzuf{\"u}hren als auch Oberfl{\"a}chenbandl{\"u}cken zu bestimmen. Die Messungen wurden durch die volumenempfindliche R{\"o}ntgenemissionsspektroskopie ideal erg{\"a}nzt, die - wie diese Arbeit zeigt - zusammen mit der Photoelektronenspektroskopie besonders n{\"u}tzlich bei der Analyse des Durchmischungsverhaltens an Grenzfl{\"a}chen oder auch des Einflusses chemischer Behandlungen auf die chemischen und elektronischen Eigenschaften von Oberfl{\"a}chen ist. Im ersten Teil der Arbeit wurden vier Grenzfl{\"a}chen in Proben auf der Basis des Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2-Absorbers von Shell Solar (M{\"u}nchen) untersucht. Es konnte dabei zun{\"a}chst das Durchmischungsverhalten an der CdS/CuIn(S,Se)2-Grenzfl{\"a}che in Abh{\"a}ngigkeit des S-Gehaltes an der Absorberoberfl{\"a}che untersucht werden. Bei Messungen an der i-ZnO/CdS-Grenzfl{\"a}che wurde ein flacher Leitungsbandverlauf gefunden, zudem konnte eine Durchmischung an dieser Grenzfl{\"a}che ausgeschlossen werden. Eine besondere Herausforderung stellten die Messungen an der Grenzfl{\"a}che des Absorbers zum Molybd{\"a}nr{\"u}ckkontakt dar, da diese Grenzfl{\"a}che nach ihrem Entstehen unweigerlich unter der etwa 1-2 um dicken Absorberschicht begraben liegt. Durch geeignetes Abspalten des Absorbers vom R{\"u}ckkontakt gelang es, diese Grenzfl{\"a}che freizulegen und zu spektroskopieren. Die Untersuchungen zur Vorbehandlung des Shell-Absorbers mit einer ammoniakalischen Cd-L{\"o}sung dienten dem Verst{\"a}ndnis der positiven Einfl{\"u}sse dieser Behandlung auf den Zellwirkungsgrad. Dabei wurde neben verschiedenen Reinigungswirkungen auf den Absorber als wichtigster Befund die Bildung einer sehr d{\"u}nnen CdS-Schicht und, f{\"u}r hohe Cd-Konzentrationen, einer zus{\"a}tzlichen Cd(OH)2-Schicht auf der Absorberoberfl{\"a}che nachgewiesen. Die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse {\"u}ber die Cd-Behandlung haben eine besondere Bedeutung f{\"u}r die Untersuchung der Grenzfl{\"a}che des Absorbers und einer mit ILGAR ("Ion Layer Gas Reaction") hergestellten Zn(O,OH)-Pufferschicht. An dieser Grenzfl{\"a}che wurde die Bandanpassung mit und ohne vorherige Cd-Behandlung des Absorbers vermessen. Wird die Bandanpassung ohne Vorbehandlung noch durch Adsorbate auf dem Absorber dominiert, wobei man ein "Cliff" im Leitungsband findet, so ist der Leitungsbandverlauf f{\"u}r die Grenzfl{\"a}che mit Cd-behandeltem Absorber flach, was im Einklang mit den sehr guten Wirkungsgraden steht, die mit solchen Zellen erreicht werden. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit wurden Messungen an D{\"u}nnschichtsolarzellen mit selenfreiem Cu(In,Ga)S2 Absorber diskutiert. Ein Problem des Cu(In,Ga)S2-Systems besteht heute noch darin, daß die offene Klemmenspannung geringer ausf{\"a}llt, als dies aufgrund der im Vergleich zu CuInSe2 gr{\"o}ßeren Bandl{\"u}cke zu erwarten w{\"a}re. Modelle, die dies auf eine ung{\"u}nstige Bandanpassung an der CdS/Cu(In,Ga)S2-Grenzfl{\"a}che zur{\"u}ckf{\"u}hren, konnten in dieser Arbeit durch die Messung der Leitungsbandanpassung, die ein deutlich "Cliff"-artiges Verhalte aufweist, best{\"a}tigt werden. Untersuchungen des Einflusses unterschiedlicher Oberfl{\"a}chenzusammensetzungen auf die chemischen und elektronischen Eigenschaften der Cu(In,Ga)Se2-Absorberoberfl{\"a}che ergaben, wie sich die Bandl{\"u}cke des Absorbers mit wachsender Kupferverarmung vergr{\"o}ßert und gleichzeitig die Bandverbiegung zunimmt. Im letzten, rein grundlagenorientierten Teil dieser Arbeit wurden R{\"o}ntgenabsorptions- und resonante R{\"o}ntgenemissionsmessungen an CdS und ZnS im Vergleich zu von A. Fleszar berechneten theoretischen Spektren, die unter Ber{\"u}cksichtigung der {\"U}bergangsmatrixelemente aus einer LDA-Bandstruktur berechnet wurden, diskutiert. Es konnten dabei sowohl Anregungen in exzitonische Zust{\"a}nde als auch koh{\"a}rente Emission mit Informationen {\"u}ber die Bandstruktur gefunden werden. Auch war es m{\"o}glich, die Lebensdauern verschiedener Valenzlochzust{\"a}nde zu bestimmen. Es zeigt sich, daß so die Bestimmung einer unteren Grenze f{\"u}r die Bandl{\"u}cke m{\"o}glich ist, f{\"u}r eine genaue Bestimmung bei den untersuchten Verbindungen jedoch ein Vergleich mit theoretischen Berechnungen notwendig ist.}, subject = {D{\"u}nnschichtsolarzelle}, language = {de} }