@phdthesis{Hoepfner2012,
  author    = {H{\"o}pfner, Philipp Alexander},
  title     = {Two-Dimensional Electron Systems at Surfaces — Spin-Orbit Interaction and Electronic Correlations},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-78876},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2012},
  abstract  = {This thesis addresses three different realizations of a truly two-dimensional electron system (2DES), established at the surface of elemental semiconductors, i.e., Pt/Si(111), Au/Ge(111), and Sn/Si(111). Characteristic features of atomic structures at surfaces have been studied using scanning tunneling microscopy and low energy electron diffraction with special emphasis on Pt deposition onto Si(111). Topographic inspection reveals that Pt atoms agglomerate as trimers, which represent the structural building block of phase-slip domains. Surprisingly, each trimer is rotated by 30° with respect to the substrate, which results in an unexpected symmetry breaking. In turn, this represents a unique example of a chiral structure at a semiconductor surface, and marks Pt/Si(111) as a promising candidate for catalytic processes at the atomic scale. Spin-orbit interactions (SOIs) play a significant role at surfaces involving heavy adatoms. As a result, a lift of the spin degeneracy in the electronic states, termed as Rashba effect, may be observed. A candidate system to exhibit such physics is Au/Ge(111). Its large hexagonal Fermi sheet is suggested to be spin-split by calculations within the density functional theory. Experimental clarification is obtained by exploiting the unique capabilities of three-dimensional spin detection in spin- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. Besides verification of the spin splitting, the in-plane components of the spin are shown to possess helical character, while also a prominent rotation out of this plane is observed along straight sections of the Fermi surface. Surprisingly and for the first time in a 2DES, additional in-plane rotations of the spin are revealed close to high symmetry directions. This complex spin pattern must originate from crystalline anisotropies, and it is best described by augmenting the original Rashba model with higher order Dresselhaus-like SOI terms. The alternative use of group-IV adatoms at a significantly reduced coverage drastically changes the basic properties of a 2DES. Electron localization is strongly enhanced, and the ground state characteristics will be dominated by correlation effects then. Sn/Si(111) is scrutinized with this regard. It serves as an ideal realization of a triangular lattice, that inherently suffers from spin frustration. Consequently, long-range magnetic order is prohibited, and the ground state is assumed to be either a spiral antiferromagnetic (AFM) insulator or a spin liquid. Here, the single-particle spectral function is utilized as a fundamental quantity to address the complex interplay of geometric frustration and electronic correlations. In particular, this is achieved by combining the complementary strengths of ab initio local density approximation (LDA) calculations, state-of-the-art angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, and the sophisticated many-body LDA+DCA. In this way, the evolution of a shadow band and a band backfolding incompatible with a spiral AFM order are unveiled. Moreover, beyond nearest-neighbor hopping processes are crucial here, and the spectral features must be attributed to a collinear AFM ground state, contrary to common expectation for a frustrated spin lattice.},
  subject      = {Halbleiteroberfl{\"a}che},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{ElKareh2014,
  author    = {El-Kareh, Lydia},
  title     = {Rashba-type spin-split surface states: Heavy post transition metals on Ag(111)},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-112722},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {In the framework of this thesis, the structural and electronic properties of bismuth and lead deposited on Ag(111) have been investigated by means of low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (LT-STM) and spectroscopy (STS). Prior to spectroscopic investigations the growth characteristics have been investigated by means of STM and low energy electron diffraction (LEED) measurements. Submonolayer coverages as well as thick films have been investigated for both systems. Subsequently the quantum well characteristics of thick Pb films on Ag(111) have been analyzed and the quantum well character could be proved up to layer thicknesses of N ≈ 100 ML. The observed characteristics in STS spectra were explained by a simple cosine Taylor expansion and an in-plane energy dispersion could be detected by means of quasi-particle interferences. The main part of this work investigates the giant Rashba-type spin-split surface alloys of (√3 × √3)Pb/Ag(111)R30◦ and (√3 × √3)Bi/Ag(111)R30◦. With STS experiments the band positions and splitting strengths of the unoccupied (√3 × √3)Pb/Ag(111)R30◦ band dispersions could be resolved, which were unclear so far. The investigation by means of quasi-particle interferences resulted in the observation of several scattering events, which could be assigned as intra- and inter-band transitions. The analysis of scattering channels within a simple spin-conservation-approach turned out to be incomplete and led to contradictions between experiment and theory. In this framework more sophisticated DFT calculations could resolve the apparent deviations by a complete treatment of scattering in spin-orbit-coupled materials, which allows for constructive interferences in spin-flip scattering processes as long as the total momentum J_ is conserved. In a similar way the band dispersion of (√3 × √3)Bi/Ag(111)R30◦ was investigated. The STS spectra confirmed a hybridization gap opening between both Rashba-split bands and several intra- and inter-band scattering events could be observed in the complete energy range. The analysis within a spin-conservation-approach again turned out to be insufficient for explaining the observed scattering events in spin-orbit-coupled materials, which was confi by DFT calculations. Within these calculations an inter-band scattering event that has been identified as spin-conserving in the simple model could be assigned as a spin-flip scattering channel. This illustrates evidently how an incomplete description can lead to completely different indications. The present work shows that different spectroscopic STM modes are able to shed light on Rashba-split surface states. Whereas STS allowed to determine band onsets and splitting strengths, quasi-particle interferences could shed light on the band dispersions. A very important finding of this work is that spin-flip scattering events may result in constructive interferences, an eff which has so far been overlooked in related publications. Additionally it has been found that STM measurements can not distinguish between spin-conserving scattering events or spin-flip scattering events, which prevents to give a definite conclusion on the spin polarization for systems with mixed orbital symmetries just from the observed scattering events.},
  subject      = {Silber},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Blumenstein2012,
  author    = {Blumenstein, Christian},
  title     = {One-Dimensional Electron Liquid at a Surface: Gold Nanowires on Ge(001)},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-72801},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2012},
  abstract  = {Selbstorganisierte Nanodr{\"a}hte auf Halbleiteroberfl{\"a}chen erm{\"o}glichen die Untersuchung von Elektronen in niedrigen Dimensionen. Interessanterweise werden die elektronischen Eigenschaften des Systems von dessen Dimensionalit{\"a}t bestimmt, und das noch {\"u}ber das Quasiteilchenbild hinaus. Das quasi-eindimensionale (1D) Regime zeichnet sich durch eine schwache laterale Kopplung zwischen den Ketten aus und erm{\"o}glicht die Ausbildung einer Peierls Instabilit{\"a}t. Durch eine Nesting Bedingung in der Fermi Fl{\"a}che kommt es zu einer Bandr{\"u}ckfaltung und damit zu einem isolierenden Grundzustand. Dies wird begleitet von einer neuen {\"U}berstruktur im Realraum, die mit dem Nestingvektor korrespondiert. In fr{\"u}heren Nanodrahtsystemen wurde ein solcher Effekt gezeigt. Dazu geh ̈oren Indium Ketten auf Si(111) und die Gold rekonstruierten Substrate Si(553) und Si(557). Die Theorie sagt jedoch einen weiteren Zustand voraus, der nur im perfekten 1D Grenzfall existiert und der bei geringster Kopplung mit h{\"o}heren Dimensionen zerst{\"o}rt wird. Dieser Zustand wird Tomonaga-Luttinger Fl{\"u}ssigkeit (TLL) genannt und f{\"u}hrt zu einem Zusammenbruch des Quasiteilchenbildes der Fermi-Fl{\"u}ssigkeit. Hier sind nur noch kollektive Anregungen der Elektronen erlaubt, da die starke laterale Einschr{\"a}nkung zu einer erh{\"o}hten Kopplung zwischen den Teilchen f{\"u}hrt. Dadurch treten interessante Effekte wie Spin-Ladungs-Trennung auf, bei dem sich die Ladung und der Spin eines Elektrons entkoppeln und getrennt voneinander durch den Nanodraht bewegen k{\"o}nnen. Bis heute wurde solch ein seltener Zustand noch nicht an einer Oberfl{\"a}che beobachtet. In dieser Arbeit wird ein neuer Ansatz zur Herstellung von besser definierten 1D Ketten gew{\"a}hlt. Dazu wird die Au-rekonstruierte Ge(001) Nanodraht-Oberfl{\"a}che untersucht. F{\"u}r die Pr{\"a}paration des Substrates wird ein neues Rezept entwickelt, welches eine langreichweitig geordnete Oberfl{\"a}che erzeugt. Um das Wachstum der Nanodr{\"a}hte zu optimieren wird das Wachstums-Phasendiagramm ausgiebig untersucht. Außerdem werden die strukturellen Bausteine der Ketten sehr genau beschrieben. Es ist bemerkenswert, dass ein struktureller Phasen{\"u}bergang der Ketten oberhalb von Raumtemperatur gefunden wird. Aufgrund von spektroskopischen Untersuchungen kann eine Peierls Instabilit{\"a}t als Ursache ausgeschlossen werden. Es handelt sich um einen 3D-Ising-Typ {\"U}bergang an dem das Substrat ebenfalls beteiligt ist. Die Untersuchungen zur elektronischen Struktur der Ketten zeigen zwei deutliche Erkennungsmerkmale einer TLL: Ein potenzgesetzartiger Verlauf der Zustandsdichte und universales Skalenverhalten. Daher wird zum ersten Mal eine TLL an einer Oberfl{\"a}che nachgewiesen, was nun gezielt lokale Untersuchungen und Manipulationen erm{\"o}glicht. Dazu geh{\"o}ren (i) Dotierung mit Alkalimetallen, (ii) die Untersuchung von Kettenenden und (iii) die einstellbare Kopplung zwischen den Ketten durch zus{\"a}tzliche Goldatome. Damit wird ein wichtiger Beitrag zu theoretischen Vorhersagen und Modellen geliefert und somit das Verst{\"a}ndnis korrelierter Elektronen vorangetrieben.},
  subject      = {Nanodraht},
  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{Bauernfeind2023,
  author    = {Bauernfeind, Maximilian Josef Xaver},
  title     = {Epitaxy and Spectroscopy of Two-Dimensional Adatom Systems: the Elemental Topological Insulator Indenene on SiC},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-31166},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-311662},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Two-dimensional (2D) topological insulators are a new class of materials with properties that are promising for potential future applications in quantum computers. For example, stanene represents a possible candidate for a topological insulator made of Sn atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. However, it has a relatively fragile low-energy spectrum and sensitive topology. Therefore, to experimentally realize stanene in the topologically non-trivial phase, a suitable substrate that accommodates stanene without compromising these topological properties must be found. A heterostructure consisting of a SiC substrate with a buffer layer of adsorbed group-III elements constitutes a possible solution for this problem. In this work, 2D adatom systems of Al and In were grown epitaxially on SiC(0001) and then investigated structurally and spectroscopically by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and photoelectron spectroscopy. Al films in the high coverage regime \( (\Theta_{ML}\approx2\) ML\( ) \) exhibit unusually large, triangular- and rectangular-shaped surface unit cells. Here, the low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) pattern is brought into accordance with the surface topography derived from STM. Another Al reconstruction, the quasi-one-dimensional (1D) Al phase, exhibits a striped surface corrugation, which could be the result of the strain imprinted by the overlayer-substrate lattice mismatch. It is suggested that Al atoms in different surface areas can occupy hexagonal close-packed and face-centered cubic lattice sites, respectively, which in turn lead to close-packed transition regions forming the stripe-like corrugations. On the basis of the well-known herringbone reconstruction from Au(111), a first structural model is proposed, which fits well to the structural data from STM. Ultimately, however, thermal treatments of the sample could not generate lower coverage phases, i.e. in particular, a buffer layer structure. Strong metallic signatures are found for In high coverage films \( (\Theta_{ML}\approx3\) to \(2\) ML\() \) by scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES), which form a \( (7\times7) \), \( (6\times4\sqrt{3}) \), and \( (4\sqrt{3}\times4\sqrt{3}) \) surface reconstruction. In all these In phases electrons follow the nearly-free electron model. Similar to the Al films, thermal treatments could not obtain the buffer layer system. Surprisingly, in the course of this investigation a triangular In lattice featuring a \( (1\times1) \) periodicity is observed to host massive Dirac-like bands at \( K/K^{\prime} \) in ARPES. Based on this strong electronic similarity with graphene at the Brillouin zone boundary, this new structure is referred to as \textit{indenene}. An extensive theoretical analysis uncovers the emergence of an electronic honeycomb network based on triangularly arranged In \textit{p} orbitals. Due to strong atomic spin-orbit coupling and a comparably small substrate-induced in-plane inversion symmetry breaking this material system is rendered topologically non-trivial. In indenene, the topology is intimately linked to a bulk observable, i.e., the energy-dependent charge accumulation sequence within the surface unit cell, which is experimentally exploited in STS to confirm the non-trivial topological character. The band gap at \( K/K^{\prime} \), a signature of massive Dirac fermions, is estimated by ARPES to approximately 125 meV. Further investigations by X-ray standing wave, STM, and LEED confirm the structural properties of indenene. Thus, this thesis presents the growth and characterization of the novel quantum spin Hall insulator material indenene.},
  subject      = {Dreiecksgitter},
  language  = {en}
}