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ZnO-based semiconductors were studied by Raman spectroscopy and complementary methods (e.g. XRD, EPS) with focus on semimagnetic alloying with transition metal ions, doping (especially p-type doping with nitrogen as acceptor), and nanostructures (especially wet-chemically synthesized nanoparticles).
X-ray dark-field imaging allows to resolve the conflict between the demand for centimeter scaled fields of view and the spatial resolution required for the characterization of fibrous materials structured on the micrometer scale. It draws on the ability of X-ray Talbot interferometers to provide full field images of a sample's ultra small angle scattering properties, bridging a gap of multiple orders of magnitude between the imaging resolution and the contrasted structure scale. The correspondence between shape anisotropy and oriented scattering thereby allows to infer orientations within a sample's microstructure below the imaging resolution. First demonstrations have shown the general feasibility of doing so in a tomographic fashion, based on various heuristic signal models and reconstruction approaches. Here, both a verified model of the signal anisotropy and a reconstruction technique practicable for general imaging geometries and large tensor valued volumes is developed based on in-depth reviews of dark-field imaging and tomographic reconstruction techniques.
To this end, a wide interdisciplinary field of imaging and reconstruction methodologies is revisited. To begin with, a novel introduction to the mathematical description of perspective projections provides essential insights into the relations between the tangible real space properties of cone beam imaging geometries and their technically relevant description in terms of homogeneous coordinates and projection matrices. Based on these fundamentals, a novel auto-calibration approach is developed, facilitating the practical determination of perspective imaging geometries with minimal experimental constraints. A corresponding generalized formulation of the widely employed Feldkamp algorithm is given, allowing fast and flexible volume reconstructions from arbitrary tomographic imaging geometries. Iterative reconstruction techniques are likewise introduced for general projection geometries, with a particular focus on the efficient evaluation of the forward problem associated with tomographic imaging. A highly performant 3D generalization of Joseph's classic linearly interpolating ray casting algorithm is developed to this end and compared to typical alternatives. With regard to the anisotropic imaging modality required for tensor tomography, X-ray dark-field contrast is extensively reviewed. Previous literature is brought into a joint context and nomenclature and supplemented by original work completing a consistent picture of the theory of dark-field origination. Key results are explicitly validated by experimental data with a special focus on tomography as well as the properties of anisotropic fibrous scatterers. In order to address the pronounced susceptibility of interferometric images to subtle mechanical imprecisions, an efficient optimization based evaluation strategy for the raw data provided by Talbot interferometers is developed. Finally, the fitness of linear tensor models with respect to the derived anisotropy properties of dark-field contrast is evaluated, and an iterative scheme for the reconstruction of tensor valued volumes from projection images is proposed. The derived methods are efficiently implemented and applied to fiber reinforced plastic samples, imaged at the ID19 imaging beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. The results represent unprecedented demonstrations of X-ray dark-field tensor tomography at a field of view of 3-4cm, revealing local fiber orientations of both complex shaped and low-contrast samples at a spatial resolution of 0.1mm in 3D. The results are confirmed by an independent micro CT based fiber analysis.
In this work fluorescence-based single molecule detection at low concetration is investigated, with an emphasis on the usage of active transport and waveguides.
Active transport allows to overcome the limits of diffusion-based systems in terms of the lowest detectable threshold of concentration.
The effect of flow in single molecule experiments is investigated and a theoretical model is derived for laminar flow.
Waveguides on the other hand promise compact detection schemes and show great potential for their possible integration into lab-on-a-chip applications. Their properties in single molecule experiments are analyzed with help of a method based on the reciprocity theorem of electromagnetic theory.
In the frame of this thesis vibronic and electronic states of organic molecules have been examined. A central question is the interaction within and between the molecules in thin films and at metal-organic interfaces. The main experimental tools were high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and high resolution near edge X-ray absortion fine structure (NEXFAS). The electronic and vibronic structure of thin NTCDA films was examined with low energy electrons as probe, i.e. HREELS. The spectra of the electronic excited molecular orbitals of submonolayer NTCDA on a Ag(111) shows a partially filled orbital. The interaction between this orbital and the total symetric molecular vibrations leads to the typical Fano peak profiles which are seen in the vibrational spectra. The sub-monolayer superstructure can be driven to a phase transition into an disordered phase upon cooling, which is also seen in the electronic and vibronic excitation spectra. Multilayers show flat lying or upright standing molecules as a function of the preparation conditions. The upright standing molecules show an island growth mode, where the islands are well ordered and exhibit a structure in diffraction experiments which can be attributed to the molecular crystal structure. In order to examine the order in more detail various thin films were examined using SPALEED as function of film thickness and preparation parameters. In case of a low temperature substrate no long range order leading to a diffraction pattern was found. In contrast growth on room temperature substrates leads to island growth of films in a structure of the molecular crystal, where two preferred orientations of the islands relative to the substrate were found. In case of thick films the reference to the substrate gets lost and the molecular crystals grow with a defined crystal direction with respect to the surface but with an arbitrary azimuthal orientation leading to circles in the diffraction pattern. NTCDA monolayers on a Ag(111) surface using HREELS as a tool were examined. The electronic excitation spectra reveal a partially filled molecular orbital which is strongly shifted compared to the multilayer. The existence of this state is responsible for the activation of normally forbidden Ag modes in the vibrational spectra. Due to the electron phonon coupling these modes exhibit a Fano like peak shape. Cooling a monolayer leads to a phase transition with strong changes in the spectroscopic features both in electronic and vibronic excitations. In case of the molecule ANQ the intramolecular interaction was examined. In the oxygen NEXAFS spectra a vibronic fine structure is found, which leads to the conclusion that asymmetric potentials are involved. It is an interesting question if the fundamental vibration is has C-H or C=O character. In order to address this question spectra of condensed and gas phase ANQ were compared to an ANQ derivate (ANQ- Br$_2$Cl$_2$), with the conclusion that the coupling is most likely to a C=O mode. High resolution C1s spectra of hydrogenated and fully deuterated naphthalene both in gas and condensed phase have been presented. Depending on the final state orbital distinct differences have been found between gas and condensed phase. A energetic shift of resonances (Res. B, C, D) is interpreted as effect of $\pi$-$\pi$ interaction in the condensed phase. This is especially notable for resonance B which is undoubtly assigned to an excitation into a $\pi^*$ orbital. The results lead to an interpretation, that for organic molecular crystals more than pure van-derWaals interaction has to be taken into account. In summary it is found that the intramolecular interaction in NEXAFS spectra is preferentially coupled to one or a few vibronic progressions. Due to the delocalized electronic system maybe even states which are not spatially near the core excited atom can be involved. It could be shown that a condensation of the molecules in thin films leads to changes within the spectra. The influence the intermolecular interaction can be clearly seen in this finding, where additional hints are found that more than mere van-der-Waals binding has to be taken into account.
In this thesis, a model system of a magnetic topological heterostructure is studied, namely a heterosystem consisting of a single ferromagnetic septuple-layer (SL) of \(MnBi_2Te_4\) on the surface of the three-dimensional topological insulator \(Bi_2Te_3\).
Using MBE and developing a specialized experimental setup, the first part of this thesis deals with the growth of \(Bi_2Te_3\) and thin films of \(MnBi_2Te_4\) on \(BaF_2\)-substrates by the co-evaporation of its binary constituents. The structural analysis is conducted along several suitable probes such as X-ray diffraction (XRD, XRR), AFM and scanning tunnelling electron microscopy (STEM). It is furthermore found that the growth of a single septuple-layer of \(MnBi_2Te_4\) on the surface of \(Bi_2Te_3\) can be facilitated.
By using X-ray absorption and circular magnetic dichroism (XAS, XMCD), the magnetic properties of \(MnBi_2Te_4\) are explored down to the monolayer limit. The layered nature of the vdW crystal and a strong uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy establish stable out-of plane magnetic order at the surface of \(MnBi_2Te_4\), which is stable even down to the 2D limit. Pushing the material system to there, i.e. a single SL \(MnBi_2Te_4\) further allows to study the phase transition of this 2D ferromagnet and extract its critical behaviour with \(T_c \, = \, 14.89~k\) and \(\beta \, = \, 0.484\).
Utilizing bulk crystals of the ferromagnetic \(Fe_3GeTe_2\) as substrate allows to influence, enhance and bias the magnetism in the single SL of \(MnBi_2Te_4\). By growing heterostructures of the type \(MnBi_2Te_4\) -- n layer \(Bi_2Te_3\) -- \(Fe_3GeTe_2\)for n between 0 and 2, it is shown, that a considerable magnetic coupling can be introduced between the \(MnBi_2Te_4\) top-layer and the substrate.
Finally the interplay between topology and magnetism in the ferromagnetic extension is studied directly by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The heterostructure is found to host a linearly dispersing TSS at the centre of the Brillouin zone. Using low temperature and high-resolution ARPES a large magnetic gap opening of \(\sim\) 35 meV is found at the Dirac point of the TSS. By following its temperature evolution, it is apparent that the scaling behaviour coincides with the magnetic order parameter of the modified surface.
Two-Dimensional Electron Systems at Surfaces — Spin-Orbit Interaction and Electronic Correlations
(2012)
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.
The thesis at hand is concerned with improving our understanding of and our control over transport properties of the three-dimensional topological insulator HgTe. Topological insulators are characterized by an insulating bulk and symmetry-protected metallic surface states. These topological surface states hold great promise for research and technology; at the same time, many properties of experimentally accessible topological insulator materials still need to be explored thoroughly. The overall aim of this thesis was to experimentally investigate micrometer-sized HgTe transport devices to observe the ballistic transport regime as well as intercarrier scattering and possibly identify special properties of the topological surface states.
Part I of the thesis presents lithographic developments concerned with etching small HgTe devices. The aim was to replace existing processes which relied on dry etching with high-energy \(\text{Ar}^+\) ions and an organic etch mask. This etching method is known to degrade the HgTe crystal quality. In addition, the etch mask turned out to be not durable for long etching processes and difficult to remove completely after etching. First, \(\text{BaF}_2\) was introduced as a new etch mask for dry etching to replace the organic etch mask. With common surface characterization techniques like SEM and XPS it was shown that \(\text{BaF}_2\) etch masks are easy to deposit, highly durable in common dry etching processes for \(\text{Hg}_{1-x}\text{Cd}_x\text{Te}\), and easy to remove in deionized water. Transport results of HgTe devices fabricated with the new etch mask are comparable to results obtained with the old process. At the same time, the new etch mask can withstand longer etching times and does not cause problems due to incomplete removal. Second, a new inductively coupled plasma dry etching process based on \(\text{CH}_4\) and Ar was introduced. This etching process is compatible with \(\text{BaF}_2\) etch masks and yields highly reproducible results. Transport results indicate that the new etching process does not degrade the crystal quality and is suitable to produce high-quality transport devices even in the micrometer range. A comparison with wet-etched samples shows that inductively coupled plasma etching introduces a pronounced edge roughness. This - usually undesirable - property is actually beneficial for some of the experiments in this study and mostly irrelevant for others. Therefore, most samples appearing in this thesis were fabricated with the new process.
Part II of the thesis details the advancements made in identifying topological and trivial states which contribute to transport in HgTe three-dimensional topological insulators. To this end, macroscopic Hall bar samples were fabricated from high-quality tensilely strained HgTe layers by means of the improved lithographic processes. All samples were equipped with a top gate electrode, and some also with a modulation doping layer or a back gate electrode to modify the carrier density of the surface states on both sides of the HgTe layer. Due to the high sample quality, Landau levels could be well-resolved in standard transport measurements down to magnetic fields of less than 0.5T. High-resolution measurements of the Landau level dispersion with gate voltage and magnetic field allowed disentangling different transport channels. The main result here is that the upper (electron) branches of the two topological surface states contribute to transport in all experimentally relevant density regimes, while the hole branch is not accessible. Far in n-regime bulk conduction band states give a minor contribution to transport. More importantly, trivial bulk valence band holes come into play close to the charge neutrality point. Further in p-regime, the strong applied gate voltage leads to the formation of two-dimensional, massive hole states at the HgTe surface. The interplay of different states gives rise to rich physics: Top gate-back gate maps revealed that an anticrossing of Landau levels from the two topological surface states occurs at equal filling. A possible explanation for this effect is a weak hybridization of the surface states; however, future studies need to further clarify this point. Furthermore, the superposition of n-type topological and p-type trivial surface states leads to an intriguing Landau level dispersion. The good quantization of the Hall conductance in this situation indicates that the counterpropagating edge states interact with each other. The nature of this interaction will be the topic of further research.
Part III of the thesis is focused on HgTe microstructures. These "channel samples" have a typical width of 0.5 to 4µm and a typical length of 5 to 80µm. The quality of these devices benefits particularly from the improved lithographic processes. As a result, the impurity mean free path of the topological surface state electrons is on the order of the device width and transport becomes semiballistic. This was verified by measuring the channel resistance in small magnetic fields in n-regime. The deflection of carriers towards the dissipative channel walls results in a pronounced peak in the magnetoresistance, which scales in a predictable manner with the channel width. To investigate transport effects due to mutual scattering of charge carriers, the differential resistance of channel samples was measured as a function of carrier temperature. Selective heating of the charge carriers - but not the lattice - was achieved by passing a heating current through the channel. Increasing the carrier temperature has two pronounced effects when the Fermi level is situated in proximity to the bulk valence band maximum where the density of states is large. First, when both topological surface state electrons and bulk holes are present, electron-hole scattering leads to a pronounced increase in resistance with increasing carrier temperature. Second, a thermally induced increase of the electron and hole carrier densities reduces the resistance again at higher temperatures. A model considering these two effects was developed, which can well reproduce the experimental results. Current heating experiments in zero-gap HgTe quantum wells and compressively strained HgTe layers are consistent with this model. These observations raise the question as to how electron-hole scattering may affect other transport properties of HgTe-based three-dimensional topological insulators, which is briefly discussed in the outlook.
The subject of this thesis is the investigation of the transport properties of topological and massive surface states in the three-dimensional topological insulator Hg(Mn)Te. These surface states give rise to a variety of extraordinary transport phenomena, making this material system of great interest for research and technological applications. In this connection, many physical properties of the topological insulator Hg(Mn)Te still require in-depth exploration. The overall aim of this thesis is to analyze the quantum transport of HgTe-based devices ranging from hundreds of micrometers (macroscopic) down to a few micrometers in size (microscopic) in order to extend the overall understanding of surface states and the possibilities of their manipulation.
In order to exploit the full potential of our high-quality heterostructures, it was necessary to revise and improve the existing lithographic fabrication process of macroscopic three-dimensional Hg(Mn)Te samples. A novel lithographic standard recipe for the fabrication of the HgTe-based macrostructures was developed. This recipe includes the use of an optimized Hall bar design and wet etching instead of etching with high-energy \(\mathrm{{Ar^{+}}}\)-ions, which can damage the samples. Further, a hafnium oxide insulator is applied replacing the SiO\(_{2}\)/Si\(_{3}\)N\(_{4}\) dielectric in order to reduce thermal load. Moreover, the devices are metallized under an alternating angle to avoid discontinuities of the metal layers over the mesa edges. It was revealed that the application of gate-dielectric and top-gate metals results in n-type doping of the devices. This phenomenon could be attributed to quasi-free electrons tunneling from the trap states, which form at the interface cap layer/insulator, through the cap into the active layer. This finding led to the development of a new procedure to characterize wafer materials. It was found that the optimized lithographic processing steps do not unintentionally react chemically with our heterostructures, thus avoiding a degradation of the quality of the Hg(Mn)Te layer. The implementation of new contact structures Ti/Au, In/Ti/Au, and Al/Ti/Au did not result in any improvement compared to the standard structure AuGe/Au. However, a novel sample recipe could be developed, resulting in an intermixing of the contact metals (AuGe and Au) and fingering of metal into the mesa. The extent of the quality of the ohmic contacts obtained through this process has yet to be fully established.
This thesis further deals with the lithographic realization of three-dimensional HgTe-based microstructures measuring only a few micrometer in size. Thus, these structures are in the order of the mean free path and the spin relaxation length of topological surface state electrons. A lithographic process was developed enabling the fabrication of nearly any desired microscopic device structure. In this context, two techniques suitable for etching microscopic samples were realized, namely wet etching and the newly established inductively coupled plasma etching. While wet etching was found to preserve the crystal quality of the active layer best, inductively coupled plasma etching is characterized by high reproducibility and excellent structural fidelity. Hence, the etching technique employed depends on the envisaged type of experiment.
Magneto-transport measurements were carried out on the macroscopic HgTe-based devices fabricated by means of improved lithographic processing with respect to the transport properties of topological and massive surface states. It was revealed that due to the low charge carrier density present in the leads to the ohmic contacts, these regions can exhibit an insulating behavior at high magnetic fields and extremely low temperatures. As soon as the filling factor of the lowest Landau levels dropped below a critical value (\(\nu_{\mathrm{{c}}}\approx0.8\)), the conductance of the leads decreased significantly. It was demonstrated that the carrier density in the leads can be increased by the growth of modulation doping layers, a back-gate-electrode, light-emitting diode illumination, and by the application of an overlapping top-gate layout. This overlapping top-gate and a back-gate made it possible to manipulate the carrier density of the surface states on both sides of the Hg(Mn)Te layer independently. With this setup, it was identified that topological and massive surface states contribute to transport simultaneously in 3D Hg(Mn)Te. A model could be developed allowing the charge carrier systems populated in the sample to be determined unambiguously. Based on this model, the process of the re-entrant quantum Hall effect observed for the first time in three-dimensional topological insulators could be explained by an interplay of n-type topological and p-type massive surface states. A well-pronounced \(\nu=-1\rightarrow\nu=-2\rightarrow\nu=-1\) sequence of quantum Hall plateaus was found in manganese-doped HgTe-based samples. It is postulated that this is the condensed-matter realization of the parity anomaly in three-dimensional topological insulators. The actual nature of this phenomenon can be the subject of further research. In addition, the measurements have shown that inter-scattering occurs between counter-propagating quantum Hall edge states. The good quantization of the Hall conductance despite this inter-scattering indicates that only the unpaired edge states determine the transport properties of the system as a whole. The underlying inter-scattering mechanism is the topic of a publication in preparation.
Furthermore, three-dimensional HgTe-based microstructures shaped like the capital letter "H" were investigated regarding spin transport phenomena. The non-local voltage signals occurring in the measurements could be attributed to a current-induced spin polarization of the topological surface states due to electrons obeying spin-momentum locking. It was shown that the strength of this non-local signal is directly connected to the magnitude of the spin polarization and can be manipulated by the applied top-gate voltage. It was found that in these microstructures, the massive surface and bulk states, unlike the topological surface states, cannot contribute to this spin-associated phenomenon. On the contrary, it was demonstrated that the population of massive states results in a reduction of the spin polarization, either due to the possible inter-scattering of massive and topological surface states or due to the addition of an unpolarized electron background. The evidence of spin transport controllable by a top-gate-electrode makes the three-dimensional material system mercury telluride a promising candidate for further research in the field of spintronics.
One of the most significant technological advances in history was driven by the utilization of a new material class: semiconductors.
Its most important application being the transistor, which is indispensable in our everyday life. The technological advance in the semiconductor industry, however, is about to slow down. Making transistors ever smaller to increase the performance and trying to reduce and deal with the dissipative heat will soon reach the limits dictated by quantum mechanics with Moore himself, predicting the death of his famous law in the next decade.
A possible successor for semiconductor transistors is the recently discovered material class of topological insulators. A material which in its bulk is insulating but has topological protected metallic surface states or edge states at its boundary. Their electrical transport characteristics include forbidden backscattering and spin-momentum-locking with the spin of the electron being perpendicular to its momentum. Topological insulators therefore offer an opportunity for high performance devices with low dissipation, and applications in spintronic where data is stored and processed at the same point.
The topological insulator Bi\(_2\)Se\(_3\) and related compounds offer relatively high energy band gaps and a rather simple band structure with a single dirac cone at the gamma point of the Brillouin zone. These characteritics make them ideal candidates to study the topological surface state in electrical transport experiments and explore its physics.
The fact that photovoltaics is a key technology for climate-neutral energy production can be taken as a given. The question to what extent perovskite will be used for photovoltaic technologies has not yet been fully answered. From a photophysical point of view, however, it has the potential to make a useful contribution to the energy sector. However, it remains to be seen whether perovskite-based modules will be able to compete with established technologies in terms of durability and cost efficiency. The additional aspect of ionic migration poses an additional challenge. In the present work, primarily the interaction between ionic redistribution, capacitive properties and recombination dynamics was investigated. This was done using impedance spectroscopy, OCVD and IV characteristics as well as extensive numerical drift-diffusion simulations. The combination of experimental and numerical methods proved to be very fruitful. A suitable model for the description of solar cells with respect to mobile ions was introduced in chapter 4.4. The formal mathematical description of the model was transferred by a non-dimensionalization and suitable numerically solvable form. The implementation took place in the Julia language. By intelligent use of structural properties of the sparse systems of equations, automatic differentiation and the use of efficient integration methods, the simulation tool is not only remarkably fast in finding the solution, but also scales quasi-linearly with the grid resolution. The software package was released under an open source license. In conventional semiconductor diodes, capacitance measurements are often used to determine the space charge density. In the first experimental chapter 5, it is shown that although this is also possible for the ionic migration present in perovskites, it cannot be directly understood as doping related, since the space charge distribution strongly depends on the preconditions and can be manipulated by an externally applied voltage. The exact form of this behavior depends on the perovskite composition. This shows, among other things, that experimental results can only be interpreted within the framework of conventional semiconductors to a very limited extent. Nevertheless, the built-in 99 potential of the solar cell can be determined if the experiments are carried out properly. A statement concerning the type and charge of the mobile ions is not possible without further effort, while their number can be determined. The simulations were applied to experimental data in chapter 6. Thus, it could be shown that mobile ions make a significant contribution to the OCVD of perovskite solar cells. j-V characteristics and OCVD transients measured as a function of temperature and illumination intensities could be quantitatively modeled simultaneously using a single global set of parameters. By the simulations it was further possible to derive a simple experimental procedure to determine the concentration and the diffusivity of the mobile ions. The possibility of describing different experiments in a uniform temperaturedependent manner strongly supports the model of mobile ions in perovskites. In summary, this work has made an important contribution to the elucidation of ionic contributions to the (photo)electrical properties of perovskite solar cells. Established experimental techniques for conventional semiconductors have been reinterpreted with respect to ionic mass transport and new methods have been proposed to draw conclusions on the properties for ionic transport. As a result, the published simulation tools can be used for a number of further studies.
Oxide heterostructures attract a lot of attention as they display a vast range of physical phenomena like conductivity, magnetism, or even superconductivity. In most cases, these effects are caused by electron correlations and are therefore interesting for studying fundamental physics, but also in view of future applications. This thesis deals with the growth and characterization of several prototypical oxide heterostructures. Fe3O4 is highly ranked as a possible spin electrode in the field of spintronics. A suitable semiconductor for spin injection in combination with Fe3O4 is ZnO due to its oxide character and a sufficiently long spin coherence length. Fe3O4 has been grown successfully on ZnO using pulsed laser deposition and molecular beam epitaxy by choosing the oxygen partial pressure adequately. Here, a pressure variation during growth reduces an FeO-like interface layer. Fe3O4 films grow in an island-like growth mode and are structurally nearly fully relaxed, exhibiting the same lattice constants as the bulk materials. Despite the presence of a slight oxygen off-stoichiometry, indications of the Verwey transition hint at high-quality film properties. The overall magnetization of the films is reduced compared to bulk Fe3O4 and a slow magnetization behavior is observed, most probably due to defects like anti-phase boundaries originating from the initial island growth. LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures exhibit a conducting interface above a critical film thickness, which is most likely explained by an electronic reconstruction. In the corresponding model, the potential built-up owing to the polar LaAlO3 overlayer is compensated by a charge transfer from the film surface to the interface. The properties of these heterostructures strongly depend on the growth parameters. It is shown for the first time, that it is mainly the total pressure which determines the macroscopic sample properties, while it is the oxygen partial pressure which controls the amount of charge carriers near the interface. Oxygen-vacancy-mediated conductivity is found for too low oxygen pressures. A too high total pressure, however, destroys interface conductivity, most probably due to a change of the growth kinetics. Post-oxidation leads to a metastable state removing the arbitrariness in controlling the electronic interface properties by the oxygen pressure during growth. LaVO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures exhibit similar behavior compared to LaAlO3/SrTiO3 when it comes to a thickness-dependent metal-insulator transition. But in contrast to LaAlO3, LaVO3 is a Mott insulator exhibiting strong electron correlations. Films have been grown by pulsed laser deposition. Layer-by-layer growth and a phase-pure pervoskite lattice structure is observed, indicating good structural quality of the film and the interface. An electron-rich layer is found near the interface on the LaVO3 side for conducting LaVO3/SrTiO3. This could be explained by an electronic reconstruction within the film. The electrostatic doping results in a band-filling-controlled metal-insulator transition without suffering from chemical impurities, which is unavoidable in conventional doping experiments.
This thesis reports a successful fabrication and characterisation of ferromagnetic/superconductor junction (F/S) on graphene. The thesis preposes a fabrication method to produce F/S junctions on graphene which make use of ALD grown Al2O3 as the tunnel barrier for the ferromagnetic contacts. Measurements done on F/G/S/G/F suggests that by injecting spin polarised current into the superconductor, a spin imbalance is created in the quasiparticle density of states of the superconductor which then diffuses through the graphene channel. The observed characteristic curves are similar to the ones which are already reported on metallic ferromagnet/superconductor junctions where the spin imbalance is created using Zeeman splitting. Further measurements also show that the curves loose their characteristic shapes when the temperature is increased above the critical temperature (Tc) or when the external magnetic field is higher then the critical field (Hc) of the superconducting contact. But to prove conclusively and doubtlessly the existence of spin imbalance in ferromagnet/superconductor junctions on graphene, more devices have to be made and characterised preferably in a dilution refrigerator.
The fascination of microcavity exciton-polaritons (polaritons) rests upon the combination of advanced technological control over both the III-V semiconductor material platform as well as the precise spectroscopic access to polaritonic states, which provide access to the investigation of open questions and complex phenomena due to the inherent nonlinearity and direct spectroscopic observables such as energy-resolved real and Fourier space information, pseudospin and coherence. The focus of this work was to advance the research area of polariton lattice simulators with a particular emphasis on their lasing properties. Following the brief introduction into the fundamental physics of polariton lattices in chapter 2, important aspects of the sample fabrication as well as the Fourier spectroscopy techniques used to investigate various features of these lattices were summarized in chapter 3. Here, the implementation of a spatial light modulator for advanced excitation schemes was presented.
At the foundation of this work is the capability to confine polaritons into micropillars or microtraps resulting in discrete energy levels. By arranging these pillars or traps into various lattice geometries and ensuring coupling between neighbouring sites, polaritonic band structures were engineered. In chapter 4, the formation of a band structure was visualised in detail by investigating ribbons of honeycomb lattices. Here, the transition of the discrete energy levels of a single chain of microtraps to the fully developed band structure of a honeycomb lattice was observed. This study allows to design the size of individual domains in more complicated lattice geometries such that a description using band structures becomes feasible, as it revealed that a width of just six unit cells is sufficient to reproduce all characteristic features of the S band of a honeycomb lattice. In particular in the context of potential technological applications in the realms of lasing, the laser-like, coherent emission from polariton microcavities that can be achieved through the excitation of polariton condensates is intriguing. The condensation process is significantly altered in a lattice potential environment when compared to a planar microcavity. Therefore, an investigation of the polariton condensation process in a lattice with respect to the characteristics of the excitation laser, the exciton-photon detuning as well as the reduced trap distance that represents a key design parameter for polaritonic lattices was performed. Based on the demonstration of polariton condensation into multiple bands, the preferred condensation into a desired band was achieved by selecting the appropriate detuning. Additionally, a decreased condensation threshold in confined systems compared to a planar microcavity was revealed.
In chapter 5, the influence of the peculiar feature of flatbands arising in certain lattice geometries, such as the Lieb and Kagome lattices, on polaritons and polariton condensates was investigated. Deviations from a lattice simulator described by a tight binding model that is solely based on nearest neighbour coupling cause a remaining dispersiveness of the flatbands along certain directions of the Brillouin zone. Therefore, the influence of the reduced trap distance on the dispersiveness of the flatbands was investigated and precise technological control over the flatbands was demonstrated. As next-nearest neighbour coupling is reduced drastically by increasing the distance between the corresponding traps, increasing the reduced trap distance enables to tune the S flatbands of both Lieb and Kagome lattices from dispersive bands to flatbands with a bandwidth on the order of the polariton linewidth. Additionally to technological control over the band structures, the controlled excitation of large condensates, single compact localized state (CLS) condensates as well as the resonant excitation of polaritons in a Lieb flatband were demonstrated. Furthermore, selective condensation into flatbands was realised. This combination of technological and spectroscopic control illustrates the capabilities of polariton lattice simulators and was used to study the coherence of flatband polariton condensates. Here, the ability to tune the dispersiveness from a dispersive band to an almost perfect flatband in combination with the selectivity of the excitation is particularly valuable. By exciting large flatband condensates, the increasing degree of localisation to a CLS with decreasing dispersiveness was demonstrated by measurements of first order spatial coherence. Furthermore, the first order temporal coherence of CLS condensates was increased from τ = 68 ps for a dispersive flatband, a value typically achieved in high-quality microcavity samples, to a remarkable τ = 459 ps in a flatband with a dispersiveness below the polarion linewidth. Corresponding to this drastic increase of the first order coherence time, a decrease of the second order temporal coherence function from g(2)(τ =0) = 1.062 to g(2)(0) = 1.035 was observed. Next to laser-like, coherent emission, polariton condensates can form vortex lattices. In this work, two distinct vortex lattices that can form in polariton condensates in Kagome flatbands were revealed. Furthermore, chiral, superfluid edge transport was realised by breaking the spatial symmetry through a localised excitation spot. This chirality was related to a change in the vortex orientation at the edge of the lattice and thus opens the path towards further investigations of symmetry breaking and chiral superfluid transport in Kagome lattices.
Arguably the most influential concept in solid-state physics of the recent decades is the idea of topological order that has also provided a new degree of freedom to control the propagation of light. Therefore, in chapter 6, the interplay of topologically non-trivial band structures with polaritons, polariton condensates and lasing was emphasised. Firstly, a two-dimensional exciton-polariton topological insulator based on a honeycomb lattice was realised. Here, a topologically non-trivial band gap was opened at the Dirac points through a combination of TE-TM splitting of the photonic mode and Zeeman splitting of the excitonic mode. While the band gap is too small compared to the linewidth to be observed in the linear regime, the excitation of polariton condensates allowed to observe the characteristic, topologically protected, chiral edge modes that are robust against scattering at defects as well as lattice corners. This result represents a valuable step towards the investigation of non-linear and non-Hermitian topological physics, based on the inherent gain and loss of microcavities as well as the ability of polaritons to interact with each other. Apart from fundamental interest, the field of topological photonics is driven by the search of potential technological applications, where one direction is to advance the development of lasers. In this work, the starting point towards studying topological lasing was the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model, since it combines a simple and well-understood geometry with a large topological gap. The coherence properties of the topological edge defect of an SSH chain was studied in detail, revealing a promising degree of second order temporal coherence of g(2)(0) = 1.07 for a microlaser with a diameter of only d = 3.5 µm. In the context of topological lasing, the idea of using a propagating, topologically protected mode to ensure coherent coupling of laser arrays is particularly promising. Here, a topologically non-trivial interface mode between the two distinct domains of the crystalline topological insulator (CTI) was realised. After establishing selective lasing from this mode, the coherence properties were studied and coherence of a full, hexagonal interface comprised of 30 vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) was demonstrated. This result thus represents the first demonstration of a topological insulator VCSEL array, combining the compact size and convenient light collection of vertically emitting lasers with an in-plane topological protection.
Finally, in chapter 7, an approach towards engineering the band structures of Lieb and honeycomb lattices by unbalancing the eigenenergies of the sites within each unit cell was presented. For Lieb lattices, this technique opens up a path towards controlling the coupling of a flatband to dispersive bands and could enable a detailed study of the influence of this coupling on the polariton flatband states. In an unbalanced honeycomb lattice, a quantum valley Hall boundary mode between two distinct, unbalanced honeycomb domains with permuted sites in the unit cells was demonstrated. This boundary mode could serve as the foundation for the realisation of a polariton quantum valley Hall effect with a truly topologically protected spin based on vortex charges. Modifying polariton lattices by unbalancing the eigenenergies of the sites that comprise a unit cell was thus identified as an additional, promising path for the future development of polariton lattice simulators.
Time and Spatially Resolved Photoluminescence Spectroscopy of Hot Excitons in Gallium Arsenide
(2015)
The present thesis investigates the impact of hot exciton effects on the low-temperature time and spatially resolved photoluminescence (PL) response of free excitons in high-purity gallium arsenide (GaAs). The work at hand extends available studies of hot carrier effects, which in bulk GaAs have up to now focused on hot electron populations. In crucial distinction from previous work, we extensively study the free exciton second LO-phonon replica. The benefit of this approach is twofold. First, the two LO phonon-assisted radiative recombination allows to circumvent the inherent interpretation ambiguities of the previously investigated free exciton zero-phonon line. Second, the recombination line shape of the second LO-phonon replica provides direct experimental access to the exciton temperature, thereby enabling the quantitative assessment of hot exciton effects.
In the first part of the thesis, we address the influence of transient cooling on the time evolution of an initially hot photocarrier ensemble. To this end, we investigate time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) signals detected on the free exciton second LO-phonon replica. Settling a long-standing question, we show by comparison with TRPL transients of the free exciton zero-phonon line that the slow free exciton photoluminescence rise following pulsed optical excitation is dominated by the slow buildup of a free exciton population and not by the relaxation of large K-vector excitons to the Brillouin zone center. To establish a quantitative picture of the delayed photoluminescence onset, we determine the cooling dynamics of the initially hot photocarrier cloud from a time-resolved line shape analysis of the second LO-phonon replica. We demonstrate that the Saha equation, which fundamentally describes the thermodynamic population balance between free excitons and the uncorrelated electron-hole plasma, directly translates the experimentally derived cooling curves into the time-dependent conversion of unbound electron-hole pairs into free excitons.
In the second part of the thesis, we establish the impact of hot exciton effects on low-temperature spatially resolved photoluminescence (SRPL) studies. Such experiments are widely used to investigate charge carrier and free exciton diffusion in semiconductors and semiconductor nanostructures. By SRPL spectroscopy of the second LO-phonon replica, we show that above-band gap focused laser excitation inevitably causes local heating in the carrier system, which crucially affects the diffusive expansion of a locally excited exciton packet. Undistorted free exciton diffusion profiles, which are correctly described by the commonly used formulation of the photocarrier diffusion equation, are only observed in the absence of spatial temperature gradients. At low sample temperatures, the reliable determination of free exciton diffusion coefficients from both continuous-wave and time-resolved SRPL spectroscopy requires strictly resonant optical excitation.
Using resonant laser excitation, we observe the dimensional crossover of free exciton diffusion in etched wire structures of a thin, effectively two-dimensional GaAs epilayer. When the lateral wire width falls below the diffusion length, the sample geometry becomes effectively one-dimensional. The exciton diffusion profile along the wire stripe is then consistently reproduced by the steady-state solution to the one-dimensional diffusion equation.
Finally, we demonstrate the formation of macroscopic free and bound exciton photoluminescence rings in bulk GaAs around a focused laser excitation spot. Both ring formation effects are due to pump-induced local heating in the exciton system. For a quantitative assessment of the mechanism underlying the free exciton ring formation, we directly determine the exciton temperature gradient from a spatially resolved line shape analysis of the free exciton second LO-phonon replica. We demonstrate that a pump-induced hot spot locally modifies the thermodynamic population balance between free excitons and unbound electron-hole pairs described by the Saha equation, which naturally explains the emergence of macroscopic free exciton ring structures.
In summary, we demonstrate that quantitative consideration of hot exciton effects provides a coherent picture both of the time-domain free exciton luminescence kinetics and of the distinct spatially resolved photoluminescence patterns developing under the influence of spatial photocarrier diffusion.
This thesis describes the growth and characterization of both the all-oxide heterostructure
Fe3O4/ZnO and the spin-orbit coupling driven layered perovskite iridates.
As for Fe3O4/ZnO, the 100% spin-polarized Fe3O4 is a promising spin electrode candidate
for spintronic devices. However, the single crystalline ZnO substrates exhibit different polar surface termination which, together with substrate preparation method, can drastically affect the physical properties of Fe3O4/ZnO heterostructures. In this thesis two different methods of substrate preparation were investigated: a previously used in situ method involving sputtering and annealing treatments and a recent ex situ method containing only the annealing procedure. For the latter, the annealing treatment was performed in dry and humid O2 gas flow for the O- and Zn-terminated substrates, respectively, to produce atomically at surfaces as verified by atomic force microscopy(AFM). With these methods, four different ZnO substrates were fabricated and used further for Fe3O4 film growth. Fe3O4 films of 20 nm thickness were successfully grown by reactive molecular beam epitaxy. AFM measurements reveal a higher film surface roughness for the samples with in situ prepared substrates. Moreover, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements indicate significant Zn substitution within the Fe3O4 film for these samples, whereas the samples with ex situ prepared substrates show stoichiometric Fe3O4 films. X-ray diffraction measurements confirm the observations from XPS, revealing additional peaks due to Zn substitution in Fe3O4 films grown on in situ prepared ZnO substrates. Conductivity, as well as magnetometry, measurements show the presence of Zn-doped ferrites in films grown on in situ prepared substrates. Such unintentionally intercalated Zn-doped ferrites dramatically change the electrical and magnetic properties of the films and, therefore, are not preferred in a high-quality heterostructure.
X-ray reflectivity (XRR) measurements show for the film grown on ex situ prepared Zn-terminated substrate a variation of film density close to the interface which is also confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Using polarized neutron reflectometry, magnetic depth profiles of the films grown on ex situ prepared substrates clearly indicate Fe3O4 layers with reduced magnetization at the interfaces. This result is consistent with earlier observations made by resonant magnetic X-ray reflectometry (RMXR), but in contrast to the findings from XRR and TEM of this thesis. A detailed TEM study of all four samples shows that the sample with ex situ prepared O-terminated substrate has the sharpest interface, whereas those with ex situ prepared Zn-terminated as well as in situ prepared substrates indicate rougher interfaces. STEM-EELS composition profiles of the samples reveal the Zn substitution in the films with in situ prepared substrates and therefore confirm the presence of Zn-doped ferrites. Moreover, a change of the Fe oxidation state of the first Fe layer at the interface which was observed in previous studies done by RMXR, was not verified for the samples with in situ prepared substrates thus leaving the question of a possible presence of the magnetically dead layer open. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations were performed to determine the termination dependent layer sequences which are ...-Zn-O-(interface)-[Fe(octa)-O-Fe(tetra)-Fe(octa)-Fe(tetra)-O]-[...]-... and ...-O-Zn-(interface)-[O-Fe(octa)-O-Fe(tetra)-Fe(octa)-Fe(tetra)]-[...]-... for the samples with O- and Zn-terminated substrates, respectively. Spin density calculations show that in case of O-termination the topmost substrate layers imitate the spin polarization of film layers close to the interface. Here, the first O layer is affected much stronger than the first Zn layer. Due to the strong decrease of this effect toward deeper substrate layers, the substrate surface is supposed to be sensitive to the contiguous spin polarization of the film. Thus, the topmost O layer of the O-terminated substrate could play the most essential role for effective spin injection into ZnO.
The 5d transition metal oxides Ba2IrO4 (BIO) and Sr2IrO4 (SIO) are associated with the Ruddlesden-Popper iridate series with phase type "214" (RP{214), and due to the strong spin-orbit coupling belong to the class of Mott insulators. Moreover, they show many similarities of the isostructural high Tc-cuprate superconductors, e.g. crystal structure, magnetism and electronic band structure. Therefore, it is of great interest to activate a potential superconducting phase in (RP{214) iridates. However, only a small number of publications on PLD grown (RP{214) iridates in the literature exists. Furthermore, published data of soft X-ray angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (SX-ARPES) experiments mainly originate from measurements which were performed on single crystals or MBE grown films of SIO and BIO. In this thesis La-doped SIO films (La0:2Sr1:8IrO4, further referred as LSIO) were used to pursue a potential superconducting phase.
A set of characterization methods was used to analyze the quality of the PLD grown BIO, SIO and LSIO films. AFM measurements demonstrate that thick PLD grown(RP{214) iridate films have rougher surfaces, indicating a transition from a 2D layer-bylayer growth (which is demonstrated by RHEED oscillations) to a 3D island-like growth mode. In addition, chemical depth profiling XPS measurements indicate an increase of the O and Ir relative concentrations in the topmost film layers. Constant energy k-space maps and energy distribution curves (EDCs) measured by SX-ARPES show for every grown film only weak energy band dispersions, which are in strong contrast to the results obtained on the MBE grown films and single crystals from the literature. In this thesis,
a subsequent TEM study reveals missing SrO layers within the grown films which occur mainly in the topmost layers, confirming the results and suggestions from XPS and SX-ARPES data: the PLD grown films have defects and, therefore, incoherently scatter photoelectrons. Nevertheless, the LSIO film shows small additional spectral weight between the highsymmetry M points close to the Fermi level which can be attributed to quasiparticle states which, in turn, indicates the formation of a Fermi-arc. However, neither conductivity measurements nor valence band analysis via XPS confirm an activation of a superconducting phase or presence of spectral weight of quasiparticle states at the Fermi level in this LSIO film.
It is possible that these discovered difficulties in growth are responsible for the low number of SX-ARPES publications on PLD grown (RP{214) iridate films. For further investigations of (RP{214) iridate films by SX-ARPES, their PLD growth recipes have to be improved to create high quality single crystalline films without imperfections.
This thesis presents an experimental study of the thermoelectrical properties of semiconductor quantum dots (QD). The measurements give information about the interplay between first order tunneling and macroscopic quantum tunneling transport effects in the presence of thermal gradients by the direct comparison of the thermoelectric response and the energy spectrum of the QD. The aim of the thesis is to contribute to the understanding of the charge and spin transport in few-electron quantum dots with respect to potential applications in future quantum computing devices. It also gives new insight into the field of low temperature thermoelectricity. The investigated QDs were defined electrostatically in a two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) formed with a GaAs/(Al,Ga)As heterostructure by means of metallic gate electrodes on top of the heterostructure. Negative voltages with respect to the potential of the 2DEG applied to the gate electrodes were used to deplete the electron gas below them and to form an isolated island of electron gas in the 2DEG which contains a few ten electrons. This QD was electrically connected to the 2DEG via two tunneling barriers. A special electron heating technique was used to create a temperature difference between the two connecting reservoirs across the QD. The resulting thermoelectric voltage was used to study the charge and spin transport processes with respect to the discrete energy spectrum and the magnetic properties of the QD. Such a two dimensional island usually exhibits a discrete energy spectrum, which is comparable to that of atoms. At temperatures below a few degrees Kelvin, the electrostatic charging energy of the QDs exceeds the thermal activation energy of the electrons in the leads, and the transport of electrons through the QD is dominated by electron-electron interaction effects. The measurements clarify the overall line shape of thermopower oscillations and the observed fine structure as well as additional spin effects in the thermoelectrical transport. The observations demonstrate that it is possible to control and optimize the strength and direction of the electronic heat flow on the scale of a single impurity and create spin-correlated thermoelectric transport in nanostructures, where the experimenter has a close control of the exact transport conditions. The results support the assumption that the performance of thermoelectric devices can be enhanced by the adjustment of the QD energy levels and by exploiting the properties of the spin-correlated charge transport via localized, spin-degenerate impurity states. Within this context, spin entropy has been identified as a driving force for the thermoelectric transport in the spin-correlated transport regime in addition to the kinetic contributions. Fundamental considerations, which are based on simple model assumptions, suggest that spin entropy plays an important role in the presence of charge valence fluctuations in the QD. The presented model gives an adequate starting point for future quantitative analysis of the thermoelectricity in the spin-correlated transport regime. These future studies might cover the physics in the limit of single electron QDs or the physics of more complex structures such as QD molecules as well as QD chains. In particular, it should be noted that the experimental investigations of the thermopower of few-electron QDs address questions concerning the entropy transport and entropy production with respect to single-bit information processing operations. These questions are of fundamental physical interest due to their close connection to the problem of minimal energy requirements in communication, and thus ultimately to the so called "Maxwell's demon" with respect to the second law of thermodynamics.
This PhD thesis addresses the photophysics of selected small organic molecules with the purpose of using them for efficient and even novel light sources. In particular, the studies presented focused on revealing the underlying exciton dynamics and determining the transition rates between different molecular states. It was shown how the specific properties and mechanisms of light emission in fluorescent molecules, molecules with phosphorescence or thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), biradicals, and multichromophores can be utilized to build novel light-emitting devices. The main tool employed here was the analysis of the emitters’ photon statistics, i.e. the analysis of the temporal distribution of emitted photons, during electrical or optical excitation. In the introduction of this work, the working principle of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) was introduced, while Chapter 2 provided the physical background of the relevant properties of organic molecules and their interaction with light. In particular, the occurrence of discrete energy levels in organic semiconductors and the process of spontaneous light emission were discussed. Furthermore, in this chapter a mathematical formalism was elaborated with the goal to find out what kind of information about the studied molecule can be obtained by analyzing its photon statistics. It was deduced that the intensity correlation function g (2)(t) contains information about the first two factorial moments of the photon statistics and that higher order factorial moments do not contain any additional information about the system under study if the system is always in the same state after the emission of a photon. To conclude the introductory part, Chapter 3 introduced the utilized characterization methods including confocal microscopy of single molecules, time correlated single photon counting and temperature dependent photoluminescence measurements. To provide the background necessary for an understanding of for the following result chapters, in Section 4.1 a closer look was taken at the phenomenon of blinking and photobleaching of individual molecules. For a squaraine-based fluorescent emitter rapid switching between a bright and dark state was observed during photoexcitation. Using literature transition rates between the molecular states, a consistent model was developed that is able to explain the distribution of the residence times of the molecule in the bright and dark states. In particular, an exponential and a power-law probability distribution was measured for the time the molecule resides in tis bright and dark state, respectively. This behavior as well as the change in photoluminescence intensity between the two states was conclusively explained by diffusion of residual oxygen within the sample, which had been prepared in a nitrogen-filled glovebox. For subsequent samples of this work, thin strips of atomic aluminum were deposited on the matrices to serve as oxygen getter material. This not only suppressed the efficiency of photobleaching, but also noticeably prolonged the time prior to photobleaching, which made many of the following investigations possible in the first place. For emitters used in displays, emission properties such as narrow-band luminescence and short fluorescence lifetimes are desired. These properties can be influenced not only by the emitter molecule itself, but also by the interaction with the chosen environment. Therefore, before focusing on the photophysics of individual small organic molecules, Section 4.2 highlighted the interaction of a perylene bisimide-based molecular species with its local environment in a disordered polymethyl methacrylate matrix. In a statistical approach, individual photophysical properties were measured for 32 single molecules and correlations in the variation of the properties were analyzed. This revealed how the local polarity of the molecules’ environment influences their photophysics. In particular, it was shown how an increase in local polarity leads to a red-shifted emission, narrower emission lines, broader vibronic splitting between different emission lines in combination with a smaller Huang-Rhys parameter, and a longer fluorescence lifetime. In the future, these results may help to embed individual chromophores into larger macromolecules to provide the chromophore with the optimal local environment to exhibit the desired emission properties. The next two sections focused on a novel and promising class of chromophores, namely linear coordinated copper complexes, synthesized in the group of Dr. Andreas Steffen at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Würzburg. In copper atoms, the d-orbitals are fully occupied, which prevents undesirable metal-centered d-d⋆ states, which tend to lie low in energy and recombine non-radiatively. Simultaneously, the copper atom provides a flexible coordination geometry, while complexes in their linear form are expected to exhibit the least amount of excited state distortions. Depending on the chosen ligands, these copper complexes can exhibit phosphorescence as well as temperature activated delayed fluorescence. In Section 4.3, a phosphorescent copper complex with a chlorine atom and a 1-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-3,3,5,5-tetramethyl-2-pyrrolidine-ylidene- ligand was tested for its suitability as an optically active material in an OLED. For this purpose, an OLED with a polyspirobifluorene-based copolymer matrix and the dopant at a concentration of 20 wt% was electrically excited. Deconvolution of the emission spectrum in contributions from the matrix and the dopant revealed that 60 % of the OLEDs emission was due to the copper complex. It was also shown that the shape of the emission spectrum of the copper complex remains unchanged upon incorporation into the OLED, but is red-shifted by about 233 meV. In Section 4.4, a second copper complex exhibiting thermally activated delayed fluorescence was analyzed. This complex comprised a carbazolate as well as a 2-(2,6- diisopropyl)-phenyl-1,1-diphenyl-isoindol-2-ium-3-ide ligand and was examined in the solid state and at the single-molecule level, where single photon emission was recorded up to an intensity of 78’000 counts per second. The evaluation of the second-order autocorrelation function of the emitted light proved an efficient transition between singlet and triplet excited states on the picosecond time scale. In the solid state, the temperature- dependent fluorescence decay of the complex was analyzed after pulsed photoexcitation in the temperature range between 300 K and 5 K. From these measurements, a small singlet-triplet energy gap of only 65 meV and a triplet sublevel splitting of 3.0 meV were derived. The transition rates between molecular states could also be determined. Here, the fast singlet decay time of τS1 = 9.8ns proved the efficient thermally activated delayed fluorescence process, which was demonstrated for the first time for this new class of copper(I) complexes thus. While the use of thermally activated delayed fluorescence is a potential way to harness otherwise long-living dark triplet states, radicals completely avoid dark triplet states. However, this usually comes with the huge drawback of the molecules being chemically unstable. Therefore, two chemically stable biradical species were synthesized in the framework of the DFG research training school GRK 2112 on Molecular biradicals: structure, properties and reactivity, by Yohei Hattori in the group of Prof. Dr. Christoph Lambert and Rodger Rausch in the group of Prof. Dr. Frank Würthner at the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Würzburg, respectively. In Section 4.5, it was investigated how these molecules can be used in OLEDs. In the first isoindigo based biradical (6,6’-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-phenoxyl)-1,1’-bis(2- ethylhexyl)-[3,3’-biindolinyl-idene]-2,2’-dione) two tert-butyl moieties kinetically block chemical reactions at the place of the lone electrons and an electron-withdrawing core shifts the electron density into the center of the chromophore. With these properties, it was possible to realize a poly(p-phenylene vinylene) copolymer based OLED doped with the biradical and to observe luminescence during optical as well as electrical excitation. Analyzing shapes of the photo- and electroluminescence spectra at different doping concentrations, Förster resonance energy transfer was determined to be the dominant transition mechanism for excitons from the matrix to the biradical dopants. Likewise, OLEDs could be realized with the second diphenylmethylpyridine based birad- ical (4-(5-(bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)methyl)-4,6-dichloropyridin-2-yl)-N-(4-(5-(bis(2,4,6- -trichlorophenyl)methyl)-4,6-dichloropyridin-2-yl)phenyl)-N-(4-methoxyphenyl)aniline) as dopant. In this biradical, chlorinated diphenylmethyl groups protect the two unpaired electrons. Photo- and electroluminescence spectra showed an emission in the near in- frared spectral range between 750 nm and 1000 nm. Also, Förster resonance energy trans- fer was the dominant energy transfer mechanism with an transfer efficiency close to 100 % even at doping concentrations of only 5 wt%. In addition to demonstrating the working OLEDs based in biradicals, the detection of luminescence of the two biradical species in devices also constitutes an important step toward making use of experimental techniques such as optically detected electron spin resonance, which could provide information about the electronic states of the emitter and their spin manifold during OLED operation. Another class of emitters studied are molecules in which several chromophores are co- valently linked to form a macrocyclic system. The properties of these multichromophores were highlighted in Section 4.6. Here, it was analyzed how the photophysical behavior of the molecules is affected by the covalent linking, which determines the interaction be- tween the chromophores. The first multichromophore, 2,2’-ditetracene, was synthesized by Lena Ross in the group of Prof. Dr. Anke Krüger at the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Würzburg and was analyzed in this work both at the single-molecule level and in its aggregated crystalline form. While the single crystals were purified and grown in a vertical sublimation oven, the samples for the single molecule studies were prepared in matrices of amorphous polymethyl methacrylate and crystalline anthracene. Tetracene was analyzed concurrently to evaluate the effects of covalent linking. In samples where the distance between two molecules is sufficiently large, tetracene and 2,2’-ditracene show matching emission profiles with the only difference in the Franck-Condon factors and a de- creased photoluminescence decay time constant from 14 ns for tetracene to 5 ns for 2,2’- ditracene, which can be attributed to the increased density of the vibrational modes in 2,2’-ditracene. Evaluation of the photon statistics of individual 2,2’-ditracene molecules however showed that the system does not behave as two individual chromophores but as a collective state, preserving the spectral properties of the two tetracene chromophores. Complementary calculations performed by Marian Deutsch in the group of Prof. Dr. Bernd Engels at the Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Würzburg helped to understand the processes in the materials and could show that the electronic and vibronic modes of 2,2’-ditracene are superpositions of the modes occurring in tetracene. In contrast, single-crystalline 2,2’-ditetracene behaves significantly different than tetracene, namely exhibiting a red shift in photoluminescence of 150 meV, caused by an altered crys- talline packing that lowers the S1-state energy level. Temperature-dependent photolu- minescence measurements revealed a rich emission pattern from 2,2’-ditetracene single crystals. The mechanisms behind this were unraveled using photoluminescence lifetime density analysis in different spectral regions of the emission spectrum and at different tem- peratures. An excimer state was identified that is located about 5 meV below the S1-state, separated by a 1 meV barrier, and which can decay to the ground state with a time constant of 9 ns. Also, as the S1-state energy level is lowered below the E(S1) ≥ 2 ×E(T1) threshold, singlet fission is suppressed in 2,2’-ditetracene in contrast to tetracene. Therefore, at low temperatures, photoluminescence is enhanced by a factor of 46, which could make 2,2’- ditetracene a useful material for future applications in devices such as OLEDs or lasers. The second multichromophore species, para-xylylene bridged perylene bisimide macrocycles, were synthesized by Peter Spenst in the group of Prof. Dr. Frank Würthner at the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Würzburg, by linking three and four perylene bisimides, respectively. To reveal the exciton dynamics in these macrocycles, highly diluted monomers as well as trimers and tetramers were doped into matrices of polymethyl methacrylate to create thin films in which individual macrocycles could be analyzed. The emission spectra of the macrocycles remained identical to those of the monomers, indicating weak coupling between the chromophores. Single photon emission could be verified for monomers as well as macrocycles, as exciton-exciton annihilation processes suppress the simultaneous emission of two photons from one macrocycle. Nevertheless, the proof of the occurrence of a doubly excited state was obtained by excitation power dependent photon statistics measurements. The formalism developed in the theory part of this thesis for calculating the photon statistics of multichromophore systems was used here to find a theoretical model that matches the experimental results. The main features of this model are a doubly excited state, fast singlet-singlet annihilation, and an efficient transition from the doubly excited state to a dark triplet state. The occurrence of triplet-triplet annihilation was demonstrated in a subsequent experiment in which the macrocycles were excited at a laser intensity well above the saturation intensity of the monomer species. In contrast to the monomers, the trimers and tetramers exhibited neither a complete dark state nor saturation of photoluminescence. Both processes, efficient singlet-singlet and triplet-triplet annihilation make perylene bisimide macrocycles exceptionally bright single photon emitters. These advantages were utilized to realize a room temperature electrically driven fluorescent single photon source. For this purpose, OLEDs were fabricated using polyvinylcarbazole and 2-tert-butylphenyl-5-biphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazol blends as a host material for perylene bisimide trimers. Photon antibunching could be observed in both optically and electrically driven devices, representing the first demonstration of electrically driven single photon sources using fluorescent emitters at room temperature. As expected from the previous optical experiments, the electroluminescence of the molecules was exceptionally bright, emitting about 105 photons per second, which could be seen even by eye under the microscope. Finally, in the last section 4.7 of this thesis, two additional measurement schemes were proposed as an alternative to the measurement of the second-order correlation function g (2)(t) of single molecules, which only provides information about the first two factorial moments of the molecules’ photon statistics. In the first scheme, the g (3)(t) function was measured with three photodiodes, which is a consequential extension of the Hanbury Brown and Twiss measurement with two photodiodes. It was demonstrated how measuring the g (3)(t) function is able to identify interfering emitters with non-Poisson statistics in the experiment. The second setup was designed with an electro-optic modulator that repeatedly gen- erates photoexcitation in the form of a step function. The recording of luminescence transients for different excitation intensities yields the same results as the correspond- ing g (2)-functions measured on single emitters, both in their shape and in their depen- dence on excitation power. To demonstrate this concept, the TADF emitter TXO-TPA (2- [4-(diphenylamino)phenyl]-10,10-dioxide-9H-thioxanthen-9-one) was doped at a concen- tration of 10−4 wt% in a mCP (1,3-Bis(N-carbazolyl)benzene) matrix. This concentration was low enough that TXO-TPA molecules did not interact with each other, but an ensem- ble of molecules was still present in the detection volume. The intramolecular transition rates between singlet and triplet states of TXO-TPA could be derived with an error of at most 5 %. Other experimental techniques designed to obtain this information require ei- ther lengthy measurements on single molecules, where sample preparation is also often a challenge, or temperature-dependent fluorescence lifetime measurements, which require a cryostat, which in turn places constraints on the sample design used. In future, this ap- proach could establish a powerful method to study external factors influencing molecular transition rates. Overall, this thesis has introduced new molecular materials, revealed their photophys- ical properties, and demonstrated how they can be used to fabricate efficient and even novel light sources.
Summary The nature of the chemical bond is a topic under constant debate. What is known about individual molecular properties and functional groups is often taught and rationalized by explaining Lewis structures, which, in turn, make extensive use of the valence concept. The valence concept distinguishes between electrons, which do not participate in chemical interactions (core electrons) and those, which do (single, double, triple bonds, lone-pair electrons, etc.). Additionally, individual electrons are assigned to atomic centers. The valence concept is of paramount success: It allows the successful planning of chemical syntheses and analyses, it explains the behavior of individual functional groups, and, moreover, it provides the “language” to think of and talk about molecular structure and chemical interactions. The resounding success of the valence concept may be misleading to forget its approximative character. On the other hand, quantum mechanics provide in principle a quantitative description of all chemical phenomena, but there is no discrimination between electrons in quantum mechanics. From the quantum mechanical point of view there are only indistinguishable electrons in the field of the nuclei, i.e., it is impossible to assign a given electron to a particular center or to ascribe a particular purpose to individual electrons. The concept of indistinguishability of micro particles is founded on the Heisenberg uncertainty relation, which states, that wavepackets diverge in the 6N dimensional phase space, such that individual trajectories can not be identified. Hence it is a deep-rooted and approved physical concept. As an introduction to the present work density partitioning schemes were discussed, which divide the total molecular density into chemically meaningful areas. These partitioning schemes are intimately related to either the concepts of bound atoms in a molecule (as in the Atoms In Molecules theory (AIM) according to Bader or as in the Hirshfeld partitioning scheme) or to the concept of chemical structure in the sense of Lewis structures, which divide the total molecular density into core and valence density, where the valence density is split up again into bonding and non-bonding electron densities. Examples are early and recent loge theories, the topological analysis by means of the Electron Localization Function (ELF), and the Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) approach. Of these partitioning schemes, the theories according to Bader (AIM), to Becke and Edgecomb (ELF) and according to Weinhold (NBO and Natural Resonance Theory, NRT), respectively, were reviewed in detail critically. Points of criticism were explicated for each of the mentioned theories. Since theoretically derived electron densities are to be compared to experimentally derived densities, a brief introduction into the theory of X-ray di®raction experiments was given and the multipole formalism was introduced. The procedure of density refinement was briefly discussed. Various suggestions for improvements were developed: One strategy would be the employment of model parameters, which are to a maximum degree mutually orthogonal, with the object of minimizing correlations among the model parameters, e.g., to introduce nodal planes into the radial functions of the multipole model. A further suggestion involves the guidance of the iterative refinement procedure by an extremum principle, which states, that when di®erent solutions to the least squares minimization problem are available with about the same statistical measures of quality and with about the same residual density, then the solution is to prefer, which yields a minimum density at the bond critical point (BCP) and a maximum polarity in terms of the ratio of distances between the BCP and the nuclei. This suggestion is based on the well known fact, that the bond polarity (in terms of the ratio of distances between the BCP and the respective nuclei) is underestimated in the experiment. Another suggestion for including physical constraints is the explicit consideration of the virial theorem, e.g., by evaluating the integration of the Laplacian over the entire atomic basins and comparing this value to zero and to the value obtained from the integration of the electron gradient field over the atomic surface. The next suggestion was to explicitly use the electrostatic theorem of Feynman (often also denoted as Hellmann-Feynman theorem), which states, that the forces onto the nuclei can be calculated from the purely classical electrostatic forces of the electron distribution and the nuclei distribution. For a stationary system, these forces must add to zero. This also provides an internal quality criterion of the density model. This can be performed in an iterative way during the refinement procedure or as a test of the final result. The use of the electrostatic theorem is expected to reduce significantly correlations among static density parameters and parameters describing vibrations, since it is a valuable tool to discriminate between physically reasonable and artificial static electron densities. All of these mentioned suggestions can be applied as internal quality criteria. The last suggestion is based on the idea to initiate the experimental refinement with a set of model parameters, which is, as much as possible close to the final solution. This can be achieved by performing periodic boundary conditions calculations, from which theoretically created files are obtained, which contain the Miller indices (h, k, l) and the respective intensity I. This file is used for a model parameter estimation (refinement), which excludes vibrations. The resulting parameters can be used for the experimental refinement, where, in a first step, the density parameters are fixed to determine the parameters describing vibrations. For a fine tuning, again the electrostatic theorem and the other above mentioned suggestions could be applied. Theoretical predictions should not be biased by the method of computation. Therefore the dependence of the density analyzing tools on the level of calculation (method of calculation/basis set) and on the substituents in complex chemical bonding situations were evaluated in the second part of the present work. A number of compounds containing formal single and double sulfur nitrogen bonds was investigated. For these compounds, experimental data were also available. The calculated data were compared internally and with the experimental results. The internal comparison was drawn with regard to questions of convergency as well as with regard to questions of consistency: The resulting molecular properties from NBO/NRT analyses were found to be very stable, when the geometries were optimized at the respective level of theory. This stability is valid for variations in the methods of calculation as well as for variations in the basis set. Only the individual resonance weights of the contributing Natural Lewis Structures differed considerably depending on the level of calculation and depending on the substituents. However, the deviations were in both cases to a large extent within a limit which preserves the descending order of the leading resonance structure weights. The resulting bond orders, i.e., the total, covalent and ionic bond order from NRT calculations, were not affected by the shift in the resonance weights. The analysis of the bond topological parameters resulted in a discrimination between insensitive parameters and sensitive parameters. The stable parameters do neither depend strongly on the method of calculation nor on the basis set. Only minor variation occurs in the numerical values of these parameters, when the level of calculation is changed or even when other functional groups (H, Me, or tBu) are employed, as long as the methods of calculation do not drop considerably below a standard level. The bond descriptors of the sulfur nitrogen bonds were found to be also stable with respect to the functional groups R = H, R = Me, and R = tBu. Stable parameters are the bond distance, the density at the bond critical point (BCP) and the ratio of distances between the BCP and the nuclei A and B, which varies clearly when considering the formal bond type. For very small basis sets like the 3-21G basis set, this characteristic stability collapses. The sensitive parameters are based on the second derivatives of the density with respect to the coordinates. This is in accordance with the well known fact, that the total second derivative of the density with respect to the coordinates is a strongly oscillating function with positive as well as negative values. A profound deviation has to be anticipated as a consequence of strong oscillations. lambda3, which describes the local charge depletion in the direction of the interaction line, is the most varying parameter. A detailed analysis revealed that the position of the BCP in the rampant edge of the Laplacian distribution is responsible for the sensitivity of the numerical value of lambda3 in formal double bonds. Since the slope of the Laplacian assumes very high values in its rampant edge, a tiny displacement of the BCP leads already to a considerable change in lambda3. This instability is not a failure of the underlying theory, but it yields de facto to a considerable dependence of sensitive bond topological properties on the method of calculation and on the applied basis sets. Since the total second derivative is important to judge on the nature of the bond in the AIM theory (closed shell interactions versus shared interactions), the changes in lambda3 can lead to differing chemical interpretations. The comparison of theoretically derived bond topological properties of various sulfur nitrogen bonds provides the possibility to measure the self consistency of this data set. All data sets clearly exhibit a linear correlation between the bond distances and the density at the BCP on one hand and between the bond distances and the Laplacian values at the BCP on the other hand. These correlations were almost independent of the basis set size. In this context, the linear regression has to be regarded exclusively as a descriptive statistics tool. There is no correlation anticipated a priori. The formal bond type was found to be readily deducible from the theoretically obtained bond topological descriptors of the model systems. In this sense, the bond topological properties are self consistent despite of the numerical sensitivity of the derivatives, as exemplified above. Often, calculations are performed with the experimentally derived equilibrium geometries and not with optimized ones. Applying this approach, the computationally costly geometry optimizations are saved. Following this approach the bond topological properties were calculated using very flexible basis sets and employing the fixed experimental geometry (which, of course, includes the application of tBu groups). Regression coe±cients similar to those from optimized geometries were obtained for correlations between bond distances and the densities at the BCP as well as for the correlation between bond distances and the Laplacian at the BCP, i.e. the approach is valid. However, the data points scattered less and the coe±cient of correlation was clearly increased when geometry optimizations were performed beforehand. The comparison between data obtained from theory and experiment revealed fundamental discrepancies: In the data set of bond topological parameters from the experiment, the behavior of only 2 out of 3 insensitive parameters was comparable to the behavior of the theoretically obtained values, i.e. theoretical and experimental bond distances as well as theoretical and experimental densities at the BCP correlate. From the theoretically obtained data it was easy to deduce the formal bond type from the position of the BCP, since it changed in a systematic manner. The respective experimentally obtained values were almost constant and did not change systematically. For the SN bonds containing compounds, the total second derivative assumes exclusively negative values in the experiment. Due to the different internal behavior, experimentally and theoretically sensitive bond topological values could not be compared directly. The qualitative agreement in the Laplacian distribution, however, was excellent. In the third and last part of this work, the application to chemical systems follows. Formal hypervalent molecules, i.e. molecules where some atoms are considered to hold more than 8 electrons in their valence shell, were investigated. These were compounds containing sulfur nitrogen bonds (H(NtBu)2SMe, H2C{S(NtBu)2(NHtBu)}2, S(NtBu)2 and S(NtBu)3) and a highly coordinated silicon compound. The set of sulfur nitrogen compounds also contained a textbook example for valence expansion, the sulfur triimide. For these molecules, experimental reference values were available from high resolution X-ray experiments. The experimental results were in the case of the sulfur triimide not unique. Furthermore, from the experimental bond topological data no definite conclusion about the formal bonding type could be drawn. The situation of sulfur nitrogen bonds in the above mentioned set of molecules was analyzed in terms of a geometry discussion and by means of a topological analysis. The methyl-substituted isolated molecules served as model compounds. For the interpretation of the bonding situation additional NBO/NRT calculations were preformed for the sulfur nitrogen compounds and an ELF calculation and analysis was performed for the silicon compound. The ELF analysis included not only the presentation and discussion of the ELF-isosurfaces (eta = 0.85), but also the investigation of populations of disynaptic valence basins and the percentage contributions to these populations of the individual atoms when the disynaptic valence basins are split into atomic contributions according to Bader’s partitioning scheme. The question of chemical interest was whether hypervalency is present in the set of molecules or not. In the first case the octet rule would be violated, in the second case Pauling’s verdict would be violated. While the concept of hypervalency is well established in chemistry, the violation of Pauling’s verdict is not. The quantitative numbers of the sensitive bond topological values from theory and experiment were not comparable, since no systematic relationship between the experimentally and theoretically determined sensitive bond descriptors was found. However, the insensitive parameters are in good agreement and the qualitative Laplacian distribution is, with few exceptions, in excellent agreement. The formal bonding type was deduced from experimental and theoretical topological data by considering the number and shape of valence shell charge concentrations in proximity to the sulfur and nitrogen centers. The results from NBO/NRT calculations confirmed the findings. All employed density analyzing tools AIM, ELF and NBO/NRT coincided in describing the bonding situation in the formally hypervalent molecules as highly polar. A comparison and analysis of experimentally and theoretically derived electron densities led consistently to the result, that regarding this set of molecules, hypervalency has to be excluded unequivocally.
Topological phenomena known from solid state physics have been transferred to a variety of other classical and quantum systems. Due to the equivalence of the Hamiltonian matrix describing tight binding models and the grounded circuit Laplacian describing an electrical circuit we can investigate such phenomena in circuits. By implementing different Hermitian topological models general suggestions on designing those types of circuit are worked out with the aim of minimizing unwanted coupling effects and parasitic admittances in the circuit. Here the existence and the spatial profile of topological states as well as the band structure of the model can be determined.
Due to the complex nature of electric admittance the investigations can be directly expanded to systems with broken Hermiticity. The particular advantages of the experimental investigation of non-exclusively topological phenomena by means of electric circuits come to light in the realization of non-Hermitian and non-linear models. Here we find limitation of the Hermitian bulk-boundary correspondence principle, purely real eigenvalues in non-Hermitian PT-symmetrical systems and edge localization of all eigenstates in non-Hermitian and non-reciprocal systems, which in literature is termed the non-Hermitian skin effect.
When systems obeying non-linear equations are studied, the grounded circuit Laplacian based on the Fourier-transform cannot be applied anymore. By combination of the connectivity of a topological system together with non-linear van der Pol oscillators self-activated and self-sustained topological edge oscillations can be found. These robust high frequency sinusoidal edge oscillations differ significantly from low frequency relaxation oscillations, which can be found in the bulk of the system.
Organic solar cells have great potential to become a low-cost and clean alternative to conventional photovoltaic technologies based on the inorganic bulk material silicon. As a highly promising concept in the field of organic photovoltaics, bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells consist of a mixture of an electron donating and an electron withdrawing component. Their degree of intermixing crucially affects the generation of photocurrent. In this work, the effect of an altered blend morphology on polaron pair dissociation, charge carrier transport, and nongeminate recombination is analyzed by the charge extraction techniques time delayed collection field (TDCF) and open circuit corrected transient charge extraction (OTRACE). Different comparative studies cover a broad range of material systems, including polymer and small-molecule donors in combination with different fullerene acceptors. The field dependence of polaron pair dissociation is analyzed in blends based on the polymer pBTTT-C16, allowing a systematic tuning of the blend morphology by varying the acceptor type and fraction. The effect of both excess photon energy and intercalated phases are minor compared to the influence of excess fullerene, which reduces the field dependence of photogeneration. The study demonstrates that the presence of neat fullerene domains is the major driving force for efficient polaron pair dissociation that is linked to the delocalization of charge carriers. Furthermore, the influence of the processing additive diiodooctane (DIO) is analyzed using the photovoltaic blends PBDTTT-C:PC71BM and PTB7:PC71BM. The study reveals amulti-tiered alteration of the blend morphology of PBDTTT-C based blends upon a systematic increase of the amount of DIO. Domains on the hundred nanometers length scale in the DIO-free blend are identified as neat fullerene agglomerates embedded in an intermixed matrix. With the addition of the additive, 0.6% and 1% DIO already substantially reduces the size of these domains until reaching the optimum 3% DIO mixture, where a 7.1% power conversion efficiency is obtained. It is brought into connection with the formation of interpenetrating polymer and fullerene phases. Similar to PBDTTT-C, the morphology of DIO-free PTB7:PC71BM blends is characterized by large fullerene domains being decreased in size upon the addition of 3% DIO. OTRACE measurements reveal a reduced Langevin-type, super-second order recombination in both blends. It is demonstrated that the deviation from bimolecular recombination kinetics cannot be fully attributed to the carrier density dependence of the mobility but is rather related to trapping in segregated PC71BM domains. Finally, with regard to small-molecule donors, a higher yield of photogeneration and balanced transport properties are identified as the dominant factors enhancing the efficiency of vacuum deposited MD376:C60 relative to its solution processed counterpart MD376:PC61BM. The finding is explained by a higher degree of dimerization of the merocyanine dye MD376 and a stronger donor-acceptor interaction at the interface in the case of the vacuum deposited blend.
Semiconductor Quantum Dots (QDs) have been attracting immense interest over the last decade from both basic and application-orientated research because of their envisioned use as fundamental building blocks in non-classical device architectures. Their presumable ease of integration into existing semiconductor technology has bought them the reputation of being cost-efficiently scalable and renders them a place among the top candidates in a wide range of proposed quantum logic and quantum information processing schemes. These include the highly acclaimed use of QD as triggered sources of single pairs of entangled photons, which is a key ingredient of most of the intensivly investigated optical quantum cryptography operations. A big obstacle towards these goals are the pronounced asymmetries that are intrinsically present in all currently availabe semiconductor QD systems. They are a natural by-product that stems from the employed self-assembled growth methods and manifest in various forms such as shape-asymmetry, inhomogeneous strain distribution within the QD and concomittant piezo-elecric fields. These asymmetries in return give rise to distinct anisotropies in the optical properties of QDs, which in fact render their optical response classic. For device oriented research these anisotropies are therefore typically considered unwanted and actively researched to be controlled. They are, however, interesting from a fundamental point of view, as anisotropic QDs basically provide a testbed system for fundamental atom-like quantum physics with non-centrosymmetric potentials. As shall be shown in the current work, this gives rise to novel and interesting physics in its own right. Employing photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) we investigate the optical anisotropy of the radiative recombination of excitons confined to CdSe/ZnSe QDs. This is done by angle-dependent polarization-resolved PL. We demonstrate experimentally that the electron-hole exchange interaction in asymmetric QDs gives rise to an effective conversion of the optical polarization from linear to circular and vice versa. The experiment is succesfully modeled in the frame of an exciton pseudospin-formalism that is based on the exchange induced finestructure splitting of the radiative excitonic states and unambiguously proves that the observed polarization conversion is the continuous-wave equivalent to quantum beats between the exchange split states in the time domain. These results indicate that QDs may offer extended functionality beyond non-classical light sources in highly integrated all-optical device schemes, such as polarization converters or modulators. In a further extension we apply the exciton pseudospin-formalism to optical alignment studies and demonstrate how these can be used to directly measure the otherwise hidden symmetry distribution over an ensemble of QDs. This kind of measurement may be used on future optical studies in order to link optical data more directly to structural investigations, as it yields valuable information on capped QDs that cannot be looked at directly by topological methods. In the last part of this work we study the influence of an in-plane magnetic field on the optical anisotropy. We find that the optical axis of the linear polarization component of the photoluminescence signal either rotates in the opposite direction to that of the magnetic field or remains fixed to a given crystalline direction. A qualitative theoretical analysis based on the exciton pseudospin Hamiltonian unambiguously demonstrates that these effects are induced by isotropic and anisotropic contributions to the heavy-hole Zeeman term, respectively. The latter is shown to be compensated by a built-in uniaxial anisotropy in a magnetic field B=0.4 T, resulting in an optical response that would be expected for highly symmetric QDs. For a comprehensive quantitative analysis the full heavy-hole exciton k.p-Hamiltonian is numerically calculated and the resulting optical polarization is modeled. The model is able to quantitatively describe all experimental results using a single set of parameters. From this model it is explicitly seen that a optical response characteristic for high symmetry QDs may be obtained from an ensemble of asymmetric QDs without a crossing of the zero-field bright exciton states, which was required for application of QDs in non-classical light sources. It is clearly demonstrated that any scheme using in-plane magnetic fields to symmetrize the optical response has to take into account at least four optically active states instead of the two observed in the absence of magnetic fields. These findings may explain some of the major disagreement on recent entanglement studies in asymmetric QDs, as models that do not take the above result into account cannot be a priori expected to provide reliable results on excitonic Bell states.
The role of elastic interactions, particularly for the self-organized formation of periodically faceted interfaces, was investigated in this thesis for archetype organic-metal interfaces. The cantilever bending technique was applied to study the change of surface stress upon formation of the interface between 3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylic-dianhydride (PTCDA) and Ag(111). This system is known to form a chemisorptive bonding. Indeed, the sign and the coverage-dependence of the surface stress change are in agreement to models and previous measurements of chemisorptive systems in literature. While the adsorption of molecules into the large domains is associated with a negative, i.e. compressive stress change, the formation of domain boundaries in the molecular layer induces a stress change of opposite sign, increasing the surface stress. The magnitude of the surface stress change of (-0.30 +- 0.10} N/m reflects a relatively weak binding of a PTCDA molecule to each individual single silver atom. It is emphasized, however, that if normalized to the surface stress change per molecule, this value corresponds to a stress change of (-2.2 +- 0.2) eV per molecule which is in the order of the suspected binding energy of this system. Therefore, these experiments reveal elastic interactions to be of significant order of magnitude for this system class. Thereby, they add a new point of view to the understanding of these interfaces. Besides, since the results are in agreement with the well-known properties of this interface, they establish the cantilever bending technique in the field of organic-metal interfaces. The mere existence of a bending of the sample implies an interesting detail for the PTCDA/Ag(111) interface in particular. It is the first experimental evidence for a structural change in the topmost substrate layers upon adsorption of PTCDA on Ag(111). Since such a modification has significant implications for the interpretation of other experimental results, a further investigation with more quantitative structural methods appears necessary. The main focus of this work, however, was on the investigation of the formation of the long-range ordered, self-organized faceted PTCDA/Ag(10 8 7) interface. Reciprocal space maps of this interface were recorded both by spot profile analysis low energy electron diffraction (SPA-LEED) and low energy electron microscopy (LEEM) in selected area LEED mode. Complementary to the reciprocal data, also microscopic real-space LEEM data were used to characterize the morphology of this interface. Six different facet faces ((111), (532), (743), (954), (13 9 5), and (542)) were observed for the preparation path of molecular adsorption on the substrate kept at 550 K. Facet-sensitive dark-field LEEM localized these facets to grow in homogeneous areas of microscopic extensions. If the pristine mesoscopic orientation locally deviates from the average orientation, e.g. in pristine step density, locally different facet types are formed, distorting the otherwise regular mesoscopic pattern. Hence, the original mesoscopic orientation of the substrate strongly determines the degree of order of the faceted surface and the facet species formed. The temperature-dependence of the interface formation was studied in a range between 418 K and 612 K in order to learn more about the kinetics of the process. Additional steeper facets of 27° inclination with respect to the (111) surface were observed in the low temperature regime. Furthermore, using facet-sensitive dark-field LEEM, spatial and size distributions of specific facets were studied for the different temperatures. The nucleation density of the facets did not depend on temperature and can therefore be concluded not to be limited by diffusion. Moreover, the facet dimensions were statistically analyzed. The total island size of the facets follows an exponential distribution, indicating a random growth mode in absence of any mutual facet interactions. While the length distribution of the facets also follows an exponential distribution, the width distribution is peaked, reflecting the high degree of lateral order. This anisotropy is temperature-dependent and occurs starting above 478 K substrate temperature during growth. The peaked distribution indicates the presence of a long-range interaction which leads to the structural order of the self-organized grating. The origin of this long-range interaction was investigated combining three complementary in-situ methods, all providing new insights into the formation of faceted organic-metal interfaces: the cantilever bending technique, high-resolution low energy electron diffraction (SPA-LEED), and microscopy (LEEM). The cantilever bending technique was applied for the first time to a faceting system at all. Below the faceting transition temperature the surface stress change associated with the formation of the PTCDA/Ag(10 8 7) interface resembles in shape and magnitude the one observed for the reference interface PTCDA/Ag(111). But above the transition temperature the absolute surface stress change of (-0.67 +- 0.10) N/m observed for the faceted PTCDA/Ag(10 8 7) interface is considerably larger than for the previous cases. Moreover, the stress change happens in distinguishable stages with a clearly resolvable fine structure of regimes of positive and negative stress changes. These different regimes of surface stress change can be correlated to different stages of the structural phase transition observed by the structural in-situ methods. Thereby, morphological objects (i.e. the facets) are assigned to a specific stress character. Thus, domains of different stress character can be identified on the surface. These stress domains are the prerequisite to apply continuum descriptions of the self-ordering process based on elastic interactions. Hence, the results are the first experimental verification that these continuum descriptions are indeed also applicable to the whole system class of faceting organic-metal interfaces. In conclusion, the results provide strong evidence for elastic interactions being the physical origin of long-range order for this system. In addition, the clear correlation of structural phase transition and surface stress change regimes suggests surface stress to play also an important role for the kinetics of the system. Indeed, the system seems to try to limit the overall stress change during the interface formation by forming facets of positive and negative stress character. Hence, the selection of specific facets could depend on the corresponding stress character. Furthermore, the system seems willing to re-facet at high coverages in order to prevent imperfect domain boundaries which are associated with an increase of surface stress. Finally, template-assisted growth of lateral, heterorganic nanostructures has been explored. Therefore, self-assembled monolayers as a second archetype class of molecules were grown on partially covered PTCDA/Ag(10 8 7) interfaces. Indeed, using standard surface science techniques, the basic principle of this growth scheme was confirmed to be successful.
The motivation for this work has been contributing a step to the advancement of technology. A next leap in technology would be the realization of a scalable quantum computer. One potential route is via topological quantum computing. A profound understanding of topological materials is thus essential. My work contributes by the investigation of the exemplary topological material HgTe. The focus lies on the understanding of the topological surface states (TSS) and new possibilities to manipulate them appropriately. Traditionally top gate electrodes are used to adjust the carrier density in such semi-conductor materials. We found that the electric field of the top gate can further alter the properties of the HgTe layer. The formation of additional massive Volkov-Pankratov states limits the accessibility of the TSS. The understanding of these states and their interplay with the TSS is necessary to appropriately design devices and to ensure their desired properties. Similarly, I observed the existence and stability of TSSs even without a bandgap in the bulk band structure in the inversion induced Dirac semi-metal phase of compressively strained HgTe. The finding of topological surface states in inversion-induced Dirac semi-metals provides a consistent and simple explanation for the observation reported for \(\text{Cd}_3\text{As}_2\).
These observations have only been possible due to the high quality of the MBE grown HgTe layers and the access of different phases of HgTe via strain engineering. As a starting point I performed Magneto-transport measurements on 67 nm thick tensilely strained HgTe layers grown on a CdTe substrate. We observed multiple transport channels in this three-dimensional topological insulator and successfully identified them. Not only do the expected topological surface states exist, but also additional massive surface states have been observed. These additional massive surface states are formed due to the electrical field applied at the top gate, which is routinely used to vary the carrier density in the HgTe layer. The additional massive surface states are called Volkov-Pankratov states after B. A. Volkov and O. A. Pankratov. They predicted the existence of similar massive surface states at the interface of materials with mutually inverted bands. We first found indications for such massive Volkov-Pankratov states in high-frequency compressibility measurements for very high electron densities in a fruitful collaboration with LPA in Paris. Magneto-transport measurements and \(k \cdot p\) calculations revealed that such Volkov-Pankratov states are also responsible for the observed whole transport. We also found indications for similar massive VPS in the electron regime, which coexist with the topological surface states. The topological surface states exist over the full investigated gate range including a regime of pure topological insulator transport. To increase the variability of the topological surface states we introduced a modulation doping layer in the buffer layer. This modulation doping layer also enabled us to separate and identify the top and bottom topological surface states.
We used the variability of the bulk band structure of HgTe with strain to engineer the band structure of choice using virtual substrates. The virtual substrates enable us to grow compressively strained HgTe layers that do not possess a bandgap, but instead linear crossing points. These layers are predicted to beDirac semi-metals. Indeed I observed also topological surface states and massive Volkov-Pankratov states in the compressively strained Dirac semi-metal phase. The observation of topological surfaces states also in the Dirac semi-metal phase has two consequences: First, it highlights that no bulk bandgap is necessary to observe topological surface states. Second, the observation of TSS also in the Dirac semi-metal phase emphasizes the importance of the underlying band inversion in this phase. I could not find any clear signatures of the predicted disjoint topological surface states, which are typically called Fermi-arcs. The presence of topological surface states and massive Volkov-Pankratov states offer a simple explanation for the observed quantum Hall effect and other two-dimensional transport phenomena in the class of inversion induced Dirac semi-metals, as \(\text{Cd}_3\text{As}_2\). This emphasizes the importance of the inherent bulk band inversion of different topological materials and provides a consistent and elegant explanation for the observed phenomena in these materials. Additionally, it offers a route to design further experiments, devices, and thus the foundation for the induction of superconductivity and thus topological quantum computing.
Another possible path towards quantum computing has been proposed based on the chiral anomaly. The chiral anomaly is an apparent transport anomaly that manifests itself as an additional magnetic field-driven current in three-dimensional topological semimetals with a linear crossing point in their bulk band structure. I observed the chiral anomaly in compressively strained HgTe samples and performed multiple control experiments to identify the observed reduction of the magnetoresistance with the chiral anomaly. First, the dependence of the so-called negative magnetoresistance on the angle and strength of the magnetic field has been shown to fit the expectation for the chiral anomaly. Second, extrinsic effects as scattering could be excluded as a source for the observed negative MR using samples with different mobilities and thus impurity concentrations. Third, the necessity of the linear crossing point has been shown by shifting the electrochemical potential away from the linear crossing points, which diminished the negative magnetoresistance. Fourth, I could not observe a negative magnetoresistance in the three-dimensional topological insulator phase of HgTe. These observations together prove the existence of the chiral anomaly and verify compressively strained HgTe as Dirac semi-metal. Surprisingly, the chiral anomaly is also present in unstrained HgTe samples, which constitute a semi-metal with a quadratic band touching point. This observation reveals the relevance of the Zeeman effect for the chiral anomaly due to the lifting of the spin-degeneracy in these samples. Additionally to the chiral anomaly, the Dirac semi-metal phase of compressively strained HgTe showed other interesting effects. For low magnetic fields, a strong weak-antilocalization has been observed. Such a strong weak-anti-localization correction in a three-dimensional layer is surprising and interesting. Additionally, non-trivial magnetic field strength and direction dependencies have been observed. These include a strong positive magnetoresistance for high magnetic fields, which could indicate a metal-insulator transition. On a more device-oriented note, the semi-metal phase of unstrained HgTe constitutes the lower limit of the by strain engineering adjustable minimal carrier density of the topological surface states and thus of very high mobility.
To sum up, topological surface states have been observed in the three-dimensional topological insulator phase and the Dirac semi-metal phase of HgTe. The existence and accessibility of topological surface states are thus independent of the existence of a bandgap in the bulk band structure. The topological surface states can be accompanied by massive Volkov-Pankratov states. These VPS are created by electric fields, which are routinely applied to adjust the carrier density in semiconductor devices. The theoretical predicted chiral anomaly has been observed in the Dirac semi-metal phase of HgTe. In contrast to theoretical predictions, no indications for the Fermi-arc called disjoint surface states have been observed, but instead the topological and massive Volkov-Pankratov surface states have been found. These states are thus expected for all inversion-induced topological materials.
Surface systems attract great scientific attention due to novel and exotic properties. The atomically structured surfaces lead to a reduced dimensionality which alters electronic correlations, vibrational properties, and their impact on each other. The emerging physical phenomena are not observed for related bulk materials. In this thesis, ordered (sub)monolayers of metal atoms (Au and Sn) on semiconductor substrates (Si(111) and Ge(111)) and ultrathin intermetallic films (CePt5 and LaPt5) on metal substrate (Pt(111)) are investigated by polarized in situ surface Raman spectroscopy. The surface Raman spectra exhibit features of specific elementary excitations like surface phonons and electronic excitations, which are suitable to gain fundamental insights into the surface systems.
The Au-induced surface reconstructions (5x2) and (r3xr3) constitute quasi-one- and two-dimensional Au structures on the Si(111) substrate, respectively. The new reconstruction-related Raman peaks are analyzed with respect to their polarization and temperature behavior. The Raman results are combined with firstprinciples calculations to decide between different proposed structural models. The Au-(5x2)/Si(111) reconstruction is best described by the model of Kwon and Kang, while for Au-(r3xr3)/Si(111) the conjugate honeycomb-chained-trimer model is favored. The Sn-induced reconstructions with 1/3 monolayer on Ge(111) and Si(111) are investigated to reveal their extraordinary temperature behavior. Specific surface phonon modes are identified that are predicted within the dynamical fluctuation model. Contrary to Sn/Si(111), the corresponding vibrational mode of Sn/Ge(111) exhibits a nearly harmonic character. The reversible structural phase transition of Sn/Ge(111) from (r3xr3) to (3x3) is observed, while no phase transition is apparent for Sn/Si(111). Moreover, Raman spectra of the closely related systems Sn-(2r3x2r3)/Si(111) and thin films of a-Sn as well as the clean semiconductor surfaces Si(111)-(7x7) and Ge(111)-c(2x8) are evaluated and compared.
The CePt5/Pt(111) system hosts 4f electrons whose energy levels are modified by the crystal field and are relevant for a description of the observed Kondo physics. In contrast, isostructural LaPt5/Pt(111) has no 4f electrons. For CePt5/Pt(111), distinct Raman features due to electronic Raman scattering can be unambiguously related to transitions between the crystal-field states which are depth-dependent. This assignment is supported by comparison to LaPt5/Pt(111) and group theoretical considerations. Furthermore, the vibrational properties of CePt5 and LaPt5 reveal interesting similarities but also striking differences like an unusual temperature shift of a vibration mode of CePt5, which is related to the influence of 4f electrons.
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.
Transition metal oxides (TMO) represent a highly interesting material class as
they exhibit a variety of different emergent phenomena including multiferroicity and
superconductivity. These effects result from a significant interplay of charge, spin
and orbital degrees of freedom within the correlated d-electrons. Oxygen vacancies
(OV) at the surface of certain d0 TMO release free charge carriers and prompt the
formation of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). Barium titanate (BaTiO3) is a
prototypical and promising d0 TMO. It displays ferroelectricity at room temperature
and features several structural phase transitions, from cubic over tetragonal (at
room temperature) and orthorhombic to rhombohedral. The spontaneous electric
polarization in BaTiO3 can be used to manipulate the physical properties of adjacent
materials, e.g. in thin films. Although the macroscopic properties of BaTiO3 are studied
in great detail, the microscopic electronic structure at the surface and interface of
BaTiO3 is not sufficiently understood yet due to the complex interplay of correlation
within the d states, oxygen vacancies at the surface, ferroelectricity in the bulk and
the structural phase transitions in BaTiO3.
This thesis investigates the electronic structure of different BaTiO3 systems by
means of angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES). The valence band of
BaTiO3 single crystals is systematically characterized and compared to theoretical
band structure calculations. A finite p-d hybridization of titanium and oxygen states
was inferred at the high binding energy side of the valence band. In BaTiO3 thin films,
the occurrence of spectral weight near the Fermi level could be linked to a certain
amount of OV at the surface which effectively dopes the host system. By a systematic
study of the metallic surface states as a function of temperature and partial oxygen
pressure, a model was established which reflects the depletion and accumulation of
charge carriers at the surface of BaTiO3. An instability at T ~ 285K assumes a volatile
behavior of these surface states.
The ferroelectricity in BaTiO3 allows a control of the electronic structure at the interface
of BaTiO3-based heterostructures. Therefore, the interface electronic structure
of Bi/BaTiO3 was studied with respect to the strongly spin-orit coupled states in Bi by
also including a thickness dependent characterization. The ARPES results, indeed,
confirm the presence of Rashba spin-split electronic states in the bulk band gap of the ferroelectric substrate. By varying the film thickness in Bi/BaTiO3, it was able to modify
the energy position and the Fermi vector of the spin-split states. This observation
is associated with the appearance of an interface state which was observed for very
low film thickness. Both spectral findings suggest a significant coupling between the
Bi films and BaTiO3.
This work consists of two parts. On the one hand, it describes simulation and
measurement of the effect of contaminations of the detector gas on the performance
of particle detectors, with special focus on Micromegas detectors. On the other
hand, it includes the setup of a production site for the finalization of drift panels
which are going to be used in the ATLAS NSW. The first part augments these
two parts to give an introduction into the theoretical foundations of gaseous particle
detectors.
For determination of structures and structural dynamics of proteins organic fluorophores are a standard instrument. Intra- and intermolecular contact of biomolecular structures are determined in time-resolved and stationary fluorescence microscopy experiments by quenching of organic fluorophores due to Photoinduced Electron Transfer (PET) and dimerization interactions. Using PET we show in this work that end-to-end contact dynamics of serine-glycine peptides are slowed down by glycosylation. This slow down is due to a change in reaction enthalpy for end-to-end contact and is partly compensated by entropic effects. In a second step we test how dimerization of MR121 fluorophore pairs reports on end-to-end contact dynamics. We show that in aqueous solutions containing strong denaturants MR121 dimerization reports advantageously on contact dynamics for glycine-serine oligopeptides compared to the previously used MR121/tryptophane PET reporters. Then we analyze dimer interactions and quenching properties of different commercially available fluorophores being standards in Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) measurements. Distances in biomolecules are determinable using FRET, but for very flexible biomolecules the analysis of masurement data can be distorted if contact of the two FRET fluorophores is likely. We quantify how strong the quenching of fluorophore pairs with two different or two identical fluorophores is. Dimer spectra and association constants are quantified to estimate if fluophores are applicable in various applications, e.g. in FRET measurements with unstructured peptides and proteins.
In Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), acquisition of dynamic data may be highly complex due to rapid changes occurred in the object to be imaged. For clinical diagnostic, dynamic MR images require both high spatial and temporal resolution. The speed in the acquisition is a crucial factor to capture optimally dynamics of the objects to obtain accurate diagnosis. In the 90’s, partially parallel MRI (pMRI) has been introduced to shorten scan times reducing the amount of acquired data. These approaches use multi-receiver coil arrays to acquire independently and simultaneously the data.
Reduction in the amount of acquired data results in images with aliasing artifacts. Dedicated methods as such Sensitivity Encoding (SENSE) and Generalized Autocalibrating Partially Parallel Acquisition (GRAPPA) were the basis of a series of algorithms in pMRI.
Nevertheless, pMRI methods require extra spatial or temporal information in order to optimally reconstruct the data. This information is typically obtained by an extra scan or embedded in the accelerated acquisition applying a variable density acquisition scheme.
In this work, we were able to reduce or totally eliminate the acquisition of the training data for kt-SENSE and kt-PCA algorithms obtaining accurate reconstructions with high temporal fidelity.
For dynamic data acquired in an interleaved fashion, the temporal average of accelerated data can generate an artifact-free image used to estimate the coil sensitivity maps avoiding the need of extra acquisitions. However, this temporal average contains errors from aliased components, which may lead to signal nulls along the spectra of reconstructions when methods like kt-SENSE are applied. The use of a GRAPPA filter applied to the temporal average reduces these errors and subsequently may reduce the null components in the reconstructed data. In this thesis the effect of using temporal averages from radial data was investigated. Non-periodic artifacts performed by undersampling radial data allow a more accurate estimation of the true temporal average and thereby avoiding undesirable temporal filtering in the reconstructed images. kt-SENSE exploits not only spatial coil sensitivity variations but also makes use of spatio-temporal correlations in order to separate the aliased signals. Spatio-temporal correlations in kt-SENSE are learnt using a training data set, which consists of several central k-space lines acquired in a separate scan. The scan of these extra lines results in longer acquisition times even for low resolution images. It was demonstrate that limited spatial resolution of training data set may lead to temporal filtering effects (or temporal blurring) in the reconstructed data.
In this thesis, the auto-calibration for kt-SENSE was proposed and its feasibility was tested in order to completely eliminate the acquisition of training data. The application of a prior TSENSE reconstruction produces the training data set for the kt-SENSE algorithm. These training data have full spatial resolution. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the proposed auto-calibrating method reduces significantly temporal filtering in the reconstructed images compared to conventional kt-SENSE reconstructions employing low resolution training images. However, the performance of auto-calibrating kt-SENSE is affected by the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of the first pass reconstructions that propagates to the final reconstructions.
Another dedicated method used in dynamic MRI applications is kt-PCA, that was first proposed for the reconstruction of MR cardiac data. In this thesis, kt-PCA was employed for the generation of spatially resolved M0, T1 and T2 maps from a single accelerated IRTrueFISP or IR-Snapshot FLASH measurement. In contrast to cardiac dynamic data, MR relaxometry experiments exhibit signal at all temporal frequencies, which makes their reconstruction more challenging. However, since relaxometry measurements can be represented by only few parameters, the use of few principal components (PC) in the kt-PCA algorithm can significantly simplify the reconstruction. Furthermore, it was found that due to high redundancy in relaxometry data, PCA can efficiently extract the required information from just a single line of training data.
It has been demonstrated in this thesis that auto-calibrating kt-SENSE is able to obtain high temporal fidelity dynamic cardiac reconstructions from moderate accelerated data avoiding the extra acquisition of training data. Additionally, kt-PCA has been proved to be a suitable method for the reconstruction of highly accelerated MR relaxometry data.
Furthermore, a single central training line is necessary to obtain accurate reconstructions. Both reconstruction methods are promising for the optimization of training data acquisition and seem to be feasible for several clinical applications.
The subject of this thesis is the control of strain in HgTe thin-film crystals. Such systems are members of the new class of topological insulator materials and therefore of special research interest. A major task was the experimental control of the strain in the HgTe films. This was achieved by a new epitaxial approach and confirmed by cristallographic analysis and magneto-transport measurements.
In this work, strain was induced in thin films by means of coherent epitaxy on substrate crystals. This means that the film adopts the lattice constant of the substrate in the plane of the substrate-epilayer interface. The level of strain is determined by the difference between the strain-free lattice constants of the substrate and epilayer material (the so-called lattice mismatch). The film responds to an in-plane strain with a change of its lattice constant perpendicular to the interface. This relationship is crucial for both the correct interpretation of high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) measurements, and the precise determination of the band dispersion. The lattice constant of HgTe is smaller than the lattice constant of CdTe. Therefore, strain in HgTe is tensile if it is grown on a CdTe substrate. In principle, compressive strain can be achieved by using an appropriate \(\text{Cd}_{1-x}\text{Zn}_{x}\text{Te}\) substrate. This concept was modified and applied in this work.
Epilayers have been fabricated by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE). The growth of thick buffer layers of CdTe on GaAs:Si was established as an alternative to commercial CdTe and \(text{Cd}_{0.96}\text{Zn}_{0.04}\text{Te}\) substrates. The growth conditions have been optimized by an analysis of atomic force microscopy and HRXRD studies. HRXRD measurements reveal a power-law increase of the crystal quality with increasing thickness. Residual strain was found in the buffer layers, and was attributed to a combination of finite layer thickness and mismatch of the thermal expansion coefficients of CdTe and GaAs. In order to control the strain in HgTe epilayers, we have developed a new type of substrate with freely adjustable lattice constant.
CdTe-\(\text{Cd}_{0.5}\text{Zn}_{0.5}\text{Te}\) strained-layer-superlattices have been grown by a combination of MBE and atomic-layer epitaxy (ALE), and have been analyzed by HRXRD. ALE of the \(\text{Cd}_{0.5}\text{Zn}_{0.5}\text{Te}\) layer is self-limiting to one monolayer, and the effective lattice constant can be controlled reproducibly and straightforward by adjusting the CdTe layer thickness. The crystal quality has been found to degrade with increasing Zn-fraction. However, the effect is less drastic compared to single layer \(\text{Cd}_{1-x}\text{Zn}_{x}\text{Te}\) solid solutions. HgTe quantum wells (QWs) sandwiched in between CdHgTe barriers have been fabricated in a similar fashion on superlattices and conventional CdTe and \(\text{Cd}_{0.96}\text{Zn}_{0.04}\text{Te}\) substrates. The lower critical thickness of the CdHgTe barrier material grown on superlattice substrates had to be considered regarding the sample design. The electronic properties of the QWs depend on the strain and thickness of the QW. We have determined the QW thickness with an accuracy of \(\pm\)0.5 nm by an analysis of the beating patterns in the thickness fringes of HRXRD measurements and X-ray reflectometry measurements. We have, for the first time, induced compressive strain in HgTe QWs by an epitaxial technique (i.e. the effective lattice constant of the superlattice is lower compared to the lattice constant of HgTe). The problem of the lattice mismatch between superlattice and barriers has been circumvented by using CdHgTe-ZnHgTe superlattices instead of CdHgTe as a barrier material. Furthermore, the growth of compressively strained HgTe bulk layers (with a thickness of at least 50 nm) was demonstrated as well.
The control of the state of strain adds a new degree of freedom to the design of HgTe epilayers, which has a major influence on the band structure of QWs and bulk layers. Strain in bulk layers lifts the degeneracy of the \(\Gamma_8\) bands at \(\mathbf{k}=0\). Tensile strain opens an energy gap, compressive strain shifts the touching points of the valence- and conduction band to positions in the Brillouin zone with finite \(\mathbf{k}\). Such a situation has been realized for the first time in the course of this work. For QWs in the inverted regime, it is demonstrated that compressive strain can be used to significantly enhance the thermal energy gap of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). In addition, semi-metallic and semiconducting behavior is expected in wide QWs, depending on the state of strain. An examination of the temperature dependence of the subband ordering in QWs revealed that the band gap is only temperature-stable for appropriate sample parameters and temperature regimes. The band inversion is always lifted for sufficiently high temperatures.
A large number of models investigate the influence of the band gap on the stability of the quantum-spin-Hall (QSH) effect. An enhancement of the stability of QSH edge state conductance is expected for enlarged band gaps. Furthermore, experimental studies on the temperature dependence of the QSH conductance are in contradiction to theoretical predictions. Systematic studies of these aspects have become feasible based on the new flexibility of the sample design.
Detailed low-temperature magnetotransport studies have been carried out on QWs and bulk layers. For this purpose, devices have been fabricated lithographically, which consist of two Hall-bar geometries with different dimensions. This allows to discriminate between conductance at the plane of the 2DEG and the edge of the sample. The Fermi energy in the 2DEG has been adjusted by means of a top gate electrode. The strain-induced transition from semi-metallic to semiconducting characteristics in wide QWs was shown. The magnitude of the semi-metallic overlap of valence- and conduction band was determined by an analysis of the two-carrier conductance and is in agreement with band structure calculations. The band gap of the semiconducting sample was determined by measurements of the temperature dependence of the conductance at the charge-neutrality point. Agreement with the value expected from theory has been achieved for the first time in this work. The influence of the band gap on the stability of QSH edge state conductance has been investigated on a set of six samples. The band gap of the set spans a range of 10 to 55 meV. The latter value has been achieved in a highly compressively strained QW, has been confirmed by temperature-dependent conductance measurements, and is the highest ever reported in the inverted regime. Studies of the carrier mobility reveal a degradation of the sample quality with increasing Zn-fraction in the superlattice, in agreement with HRXRD observations. The enhanced band gap does not suppress scattering mechanisms in QSH edge channels, but lowers the conductance in the plane of the 2DEG. Hence, edge state conductance is the dominant conducting process even at elevated temperatures. An increase in conductance with increasing temperature has been found, in agreement with reports from other groups. The increase follows a power-law dependency, the underlying physical mechanism remains open. A cause for the lack of an increase of the QSH edge state conductance with increasing energy gap has been discussed. Possibly, the sample remains insulating even at finite carrier densities, due to localization effects. The measurement does not probe the QSH edge state conductance at the situation where the Fermi energy is located in the center of the energy gap, but in the regime of maximized puddle-driven scattering. In a first set of measurements, it has been shown that the QSH edge state conductance can be influenced by hysteretic charging effects of trapped states in the insulating dielectric. A maximized conductance of \(1.6\ \text{e}^2/\text{h}\) was obtained in a \(58\ \mu\text{m}\) edge channel. Finally, measurements on three dimensional samples have been discussed. Recent theoretical works assign compressively strained HgTe bulk layers to the Weyl semi-metal class of materials. Such layers have been synthesized and studied in magnetotransport experiments for the first time. Pronounced quantum-Hall- and Shubnikov-de-Haas features in the Hall- and longitudinal resistance indicate two-dimensional conductance on the sample surface. However, this conductance cannot be assigned definitely to Weyl surface states, due to the inversion of \(\Gamma_6\) and \(\Gamma_8\) bands. If a magnetic field is aligned parallel to the current in the device, a decrease in the longitudinal resistance is observed with increasing magnetic field. This is a signature of the chiral anomaly, which is expected in Weyl semi-metals.
This work investigates the correlations between spin states and the light emission properties of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), which are based on the principle of thermally activated delayed fluorescence. The spin-spin interactions responsible for this mechanism are investigated in this work using methods based on spin-sensitive electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). In particular, this method has been applied to electrically driven OLEDs. The magnetic resonance has been detected by electroluminescence, giving this method its name: electroluminescence detected magnetic resonance (ELDMR).
Initial investigations on a novel deep blue TADF emitter were performed. Furthermore, the ELDMR method was used in this work to directly detect the spin states in the OLED. These measurements were further underlined by time-resolved experiments such as transient electro- and photoluminescence.
Within the scope of this thesis, spin related transport phenomena have been investigated in HgTe/HgCdTe quantum well structures. This material exhibits peculiar band structure properties, which result in a strong spin-orbit interaction of the Rashba type. An inverted band structure, i.e., a reversed ordering of the energy states in comparison to common semiconductors, is obtained for quantum well layers above a critical thickness. Furthermore, the band structure properties can be controlled in the experiments by moderate gate voltages. Most prominently, the type of carriers in HgTe quantum wells can be changed from n to p due to the narrow energy gap. Along with the inverted band structure, this unique transition is the basis for the demonstration of the Quantum Spin Hall state, which is characterized by the existence of two one-dimensional spin-polarized edge states propagating in opposite directions, while the Fermi level in the bulk is in the energy gap. Since elastic scattering is suppressed by time reversal symmetry, a quantized conductance for charge and spin transport is predicted. Our experiments provide the first experimental demonstration of the QSH state. For samples with characteristic dimensions below the inelastic mean free path, charge conductance close to the expected value of 2e^2/h has been observed. Strong indication for the edge state transport was found in the experiments as well. For large samples, potential fluctuations lead to the appearance of local n-conducting regions which are considered to be the dominant source of backscattering. When time reversal symmetry is broken in a magnetic field, elastic scattering becomes possible and conductance is significantly suppressed. The suppression relies on a dominant orbital effect in a perpendicular field and a smaller Zeeman-like effect present for any field direction. For large perpendicular fields, a re-entrant quantum Hall state appears. This unique property is directly related to the non-trivial QSH insulator state. While clear evidence for the properties of charge transport was provided, the spin properties could not be addressed. This might be the goal of future experiments. In another set of experiments, the intrinsic spin Hall effect was studied. Its investigation was motivated by the possibility to create and to detect pure spin currents and spin accumulation. A non-local charging attributed to the SHE has been observed in a p-type H-shaped structure with large SO interaction, providing the first purely electrical demonstration of the SHE in a semiconductor system. A possibly more direct way to study the spin Hall effects opens up when the spin properties of the QSH edge states are taken into account. Then, the QSH edge states can be used either as an injector or a detector of spin polarization, depending on the actual configuration of the device. The experimental results indicate the existence of both intrinsic SHE and the inverse SHE independently of each other. If a spin-polarized current is injected from the QSH states into a region with Rashba SO interaction, the precession of the spin can been observed via the SHE. Both the spin injection and precession might be used for the realization of a spin-FET similar to the one proposed by Datta and Das. Another approach for the realization of a spin-based FET relies on a spin-interference device, in which the transmission is controlled via the Aharonov-Casher phase and the Berry phase, both due to the SO interaction. In the presented experiments, ring structures with tuneable SO coupling were studied. A complex interference pattern is observed as a function of external magnetic field and gate voltage. The dependence on the Rashba splitting is attributed to the Aharonov-Casher phase, whereas effects due to the Berry phase remain unresolved. This interpretation is confirmed by theoretical calculations, where multi-channel transport through the device has been assumed in agreement with the experimental results. Thus, our experiments provide the first direct observation of the AC effect in semiconductor structures. In conclusion, HgTe quantum well structures have proven to be an excellent template for studying spin-related transport phenomena: The QSHE relies on the peculiar band structure of the material and the existence of both the SHE and the AC effect is a consequence of the substantial spin-orbit interaction. While convincing results have been obtained for the various effects, several questions can not be fully answered yet. Some of them may be addressed by more extensive studies on devices already available. Other issues, however, ask, e.g., for further advances in sample fabrication or new approaches by different measurements techniques. Thus, future experiments may provide new, compelling insights for both the effects discussed in this thesis and, more generally, other spin-orbit related transport properties.
Spin-Orbit Torques and Galvanomagnetic Effects Generated by the 3D Topological Insulator HgTe
(2021)
Nature shows us only the tail of the lion. But I have no doubt that the lion belongs with it even if he cannot reveal himself all at once. Albert Einstein
In my dissertation, I addressed the question of whether the 3D topological insulator mercury telluride (3D TI HgTe) is a suitable material for spintronics applications. This question was addressed by investigating the SOTs generated by the 3D TI HgTe in an adjacent ferromagnet (Permalloy) by using the ferromagnetic resonance technique (SOT-FMR).
In the first part of the dissertation, the reader was introduced to the mathematical description of the SOTs of a hybrid system consisting of a topological insulator (TI) and a ferromagnet (FM). Furthermore, the sample preparation and the measurement setup for the SOT-FMR measurements were discussed. Our SOT-FMR measurements showed that at low temperatures (T = 4.2 K) the out-of-plane component of the torque is dominant. At room temperature, both in-plane and out-of-plane components of the torque could be observed. From the symmetry of the mixing voltage (Figs. 3.14 and 3.15) we could conclude that the 3D TI HgTe may be efficient for the generation of spin torques in the permalloy [1]. The investigations reported here showed that the SOT efficiencies generated by the 3D TI HgTe are comparable with other existent topological insulators (see Fig. 3.17). We also discussed in detail the parasitic effects (such as thermovoltages) that can contribute to the correct interpretation of the spin torque efficiencies.
Although the results reported here provide several indications that the 3D TI HgTe might be efficient in exerting spin-torques in adjacent ferromagnets [2], the reader was repeatedly made aware that parasitic effects might contaminate the correct writing and reading of the information in the ferromagnet. These effects should be taken into consideration when interpreting results in the published literature claiming high spin-orbit torque efficiencies [2–4]. The drawbacks of the SOT-FMR measurement method led to a further development of our measurement concept, in which the ferromagnet on top of the 3D TI HgTe was replaced by a
spin-valve structure. In contrast with our measurements, in this measurement setup, the current flowing through the HgTe is known and changes in the spin-valve resistance can be read via the GMR effect.
Moreover, the SOT-FMR experiments required the application of an in-plane magnetic field up to 300 mT to define the magnetization direction in the ferromagnet. Motivated by this fact, we investigated the influence of an in-plane magnetic field in the magnetoresistance of the 3D TI HgTe. The surprising results of these measurements are described in the second part of the dissertation. Although the TI studied here is non-magnetic, its transversal MR (Rxy) showed an oscillating behavior that depended on the angle between the in-plane magnetic field and the electrical current. This effect is a typical property of ferromagnetic materials and is called planar Hall effect (PHE) [5, 6]. Moreover, it was also shown that the PHE amplitude (Rxy) and the longitudinal resistance (Rxx) oscillate as a function of the in-plane magnetic field amplitude for a wide range of carrier densities of the topological insulator.
The PHE was already described in another TI material (Bi2−xSbxTe3) [7]. The authors suggested as a possible mechanism the scattering of the electron off impurities that are polarized by an in-plane magnetic field. We critically discussed this and other theoretical proposed mechanisms existent in the literature [8, 9].
In this thesis, we attempted to explain the origin of the PHE in the 3D TI HgTe by anisotropies in the band structure of this material. The k.p calculations based on 6-orbitals were able to demonstrate that an interplay between Rashba, Dresselhaus, and in-plane magnetic field deforms the Fermi contours of the camel back band of the 3D TI HgTe, which could lead to anisotropies in its conductivity. However, the magnetic fields needed to experimentally observe this effect are as
high as 40 T, i.e., one order of magnitude higher than reported in our experiments. Additionally, calculations of the DoS to assess if there is a difference in the states for Bin parallel and Bin perpendicular to the current were, so far, inconclusive. Moreover, the complicated dependence of Rashba in the p-conducting
regime of HgTe [10] makes it not straightforward the inclusion of this term in the band structure calculations.
Despite the extensive efforts to understand the origin of the galvanomagnetic effects in the 3D TI HgTe, we could not determine a clear mechanism for the origin of the PHE and the MR oscillations studied in this thesis. However, our work clarifies and excludes a few mechanisms reported in the literature as the origin of these effects in the 3D TI HgTe. The major challenge, which still needs to be overcome, is to find a model that simultaneously explains the PHE, the gate dependence, and the oscillations in the magnetoresistance of the 3D TI HgTe as a function of the in-plane magnetic field.
To conclude, the author would like to express her hope to have brought the reader closer to the complexity of the questions addressed in this thesis and to have initiated them into the art of properly conducting electrical transport measurements on topological insulators with in-plane magnetic fields.
The contribution of the present thesis consists of three parts. They are centered around investigating certain semiconductor heterointerfaces relevant to spin injection, exploring novel, diluted magnetic single barrier tunneling structures, and further developing diluted magnetic II-VI resonant tunneling diodes.
Spin- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy is the prime method to investigate
spin polarized electronic states at solid state surfaces. In how far the spin polarization
of an emitted photoelectron reflects the intrinsic spin character of an electronic state is
the main question in the work at hand. It turns out that the measured spin polarization
is strongly influenced by experimental conditions, namely by the polarization of the
incoming radiation and the excitation energy. The photoemission process thus plays a
non-negligible role in a spin-sensitive measurement. This work is dedicated to unravel
the relation between the result of a spin-resolved measurement and the spin character
in the ground state and, therefore, to gain a deep understanding of the spin-dependent
photoemission process.
Materials that exhibit significant spin-splittings in their electronic structure,
owing to a strong spin-orbit coupling, serve as model systems for the investigations in
this work. Therefore, systems with large Rashba-type spin-splittings as BiTeI(0001)
and the surface alloys BiAg2/Ag(111) and PbAg2/Ag(111) are investigated. Likewise,
the surface electronic structure of the topological insulators Bi2Te2Se(0001) and
Bi2Te3(0001) are analyzed.
Light polarization dependent photoemission experiments serve as a probe of the
orbital composition of electronic states. The knowledge of the orbital structure helps
to disentangle the spin-orbital texture inherent to the different surface states, when
in addition the spin-polarization is probed. It turns out that the topological surface
state of Bi2Te2Se(0001) as well as the Rashba-type surface state of BiTeI(0001) exhibit
chiral spin-textures associated with the p-like in-plane orbitals. In particular, opposite
chiralities are coupled to either tangentially or radially aligned p-like orbitals,
respectively. The results presented here are thus evidence that a coupling between
spin- and orbital part of the wave function occurs under the influence of spin-orbit
coupling, independent of the materials topology.
Systematic photon energy dependent measurements of the out-of-plane spin polarization
of the topological surface state of Bi2Te3(0001) reveal a strong dependence and
even a reversal of the sign of the photoelectron spin polarization with photon energy.
Similarly, the measured spin component perpendicular to the wave vector of the surface
state of BiAg2/Ag(111) shows strong modulations and sign reversals when the photon energy is changed. In BiAg2/Ag(111) the variations in the photoelectron spin
polarization are accompanied by significant changes and even a complete suppression
of the photoemission intensity from the surface state, indicating that the variations of
the spin polarization are strongly related to the photoemission cross section.
This relation is finally analyzed in detail by employing a simple model, which is
based on an evaluation of the transition matrix elements that describe the presented
experiments. The model shows that the underlying cause for the observed photoelectron
spin reversals can be found in the coupling of the spin structure to the spatial part
of the initial state wave function, revealing the crucial role of spin-orbit interaction
in the initial state wave function. The model is supported by ab initio photoemission
calculations, which show strong agreement with the experimental results.
This thesis addresses the identification and characterization of spin states in optoelectronic materials and devices using multiple spin-sensitive techniques. For this purpose, a systematic study focussing on triplet states as well as associated loss pathways and excited state kinetics was carried out. The research was based on comparing a range of donor:acceptor systems, reaching from organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) to organic photovoltaics (OPV) employing fullerene and multiple non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs). By developing new strategies, e.g., appropriate modeling, new magnetic resonance techniques and experimental frameworks, the influence of spin states in the fundamental processes of organic semiconductors has been investigated. Thereby, the combination of techniques based on the principle of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), in particular transient EPR (trEPR) and optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR), with all-optical methods, such as transient electroluminescence (trEL) and transient absorption (TA), has been employed. As a result, excited spin states, especially molecular and charge transfer (CT) states, were investigated in terms of kinetic behavior and associated pathways, which revealed a significant impact of triplet states on efficiency-limiting processes in both optoelectronic applications.
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.
In this dissertation the electronic and high-energy optical properties of thin nanoscale
films of the magnetic topological insulator (MTI) (V,Cr)y(BixSb1-x)2-yTe3 are studied
by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electron energy-loss
spectroscopy (EELS). Magnetic topological insulators are presently of broad interest
as the combination of ferromagnetism and spin-orbit coupling in these materials
leads to a new topological phase, the quantum anomalous Hall state (QAHS), with
dissipation less conduction channels. Determining and controlling the physical
properties of these complex materials is therefore desirable for a fundamental understanding
of the QAHS and for their possible application in spintronics. EELS can
directly probe the electron energy-loss function of a material from which one can
obtain the complex dynamic dielectric function by means of the Kramers-Kronig
transformation and the Drude-Lindhard model of plasmon oscillations.
The XPS core-level spectra in (V,Cr)y(BixSb1-x)2-yTe3 are analyzed in detail with
regards to inelastic background contributions. It is shown that the spectra can be
accurately described based on the electron energy-loss function obtained from an
independent EELS measurement. This allows for a comprehensive and quantitative
analysis of the XPS data, which will facilitate future core-level spectroscopy studies
in this class of topological materials. From the EELS data, furthermore, the bulk and
surface optical properties were estimated, and compared to ab initio calculations
based on density functional theory (DFT) performed in the GW approximation
for Sb2Te3. The experimental results show a good agreement with the calculated
complex dielectric function and the calculated energy-loss function. The positions of
the main plasmon modes reported here are expected to be generally similar in other
materials in this class of nanoscale TI films. Hence, the present work introduces
EELS as a powerful method to access the high-energy optical properties of TI
thin films. Based on the presented results it will be interesting to explore more
systematically the effects of stoichiometry, magnetic doping, film thickness and
surface morphology on the electron-loss function, potentially leading to a better
understanding of the complex interplay of structural, electronic, magnetic and
optical properties in MTI nanostructures.
The present thesis is devoted to the spectroscopic study of rare earth manganites RMnO3 (R = Gd, Dy, Tb, Eu(1 - x)Y(x)) in the submillimeter frequency range. A dynamic manifestation of a strong magnetoelectric coupling in these systems is the existence of electromagnons - spin waves excited by the electric component of the electromagnetic wave. The exact analytical solution of the Landau-Lifshitz equations obtained for cycloidal antiferromagnets builds the bridge between the inelastic neutron scattering and the optical experiments. A semi-quantitative agreement is achieved between the theory and the results by these two experimental techniques. Two suggested mechanisms of the magnetoelectric coupling, the inverse Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (IDM) interaction and the symmetric Heisenberg exchange (HE) striction, are introduced in a perturbative manner. The qualitative conclusions regarding both static and dynamic electric properties are also in agreement with the experiment. GdMnO3 is the system in which the electromagnons were first detected at low frequencies. Far infrared measurements in GdMnO3 presented here have confirmed the existence of a second high frequency electromagnon at 75 reciprocal centimeter. The detection of an additional mode suggests the existence of at least short range ferroelectric order. Such order has not been observed in static experiments so far. The electromagnons in Eu(1 - x)Y(x)MnO3 helped to clarify the role of the rare earth magnetism. As the Y(3+) ions are diamagnetic and Eu(3+) ions possess Van Vleck paramagnetism only, it is the Mn subsystem that is primarily responsible for the magnetoelectric properties of rare earth manganites. The electromagnons in DyMnO3 and TbMnO3 do not change their excitation conditions upon the flop of the spin cycloid in external magnetic fields. This fact still lacks consistent theoretical explanation. Detailed measurements on TbMnO3 of different orientations have allowed to prove the existence of the IDM electromagnon. The study of DyMnO3 in external magnetic fields has shown that, depending on the Dy ordering, the electromagnons and static electric polarization can be either enhanced or suppressed. Thus, the magnetic order of rare earth moments still plays an important role. As a general result of the present work, the IDM interaction is capable to describe the static electric polarization and the weak electro-active excitation in the high-field phase of TbMnO3. The HE model is successful in explaining the high frequency electromagnon, including its excitation conditions and the spectral weight. However, both models are still unable to describe the energy and the spectral weight of the low frequency electromagnon. Further theoretical and experimental efforts are required in this direction.
In this thesis the electronic and magnetic structure of the transition metal oxyhalides TiOCl, TiOBr and VOCl is investigated. The main experimental methods are photoemission (PES) and x-ray absorption (XAS) spectroscopy as well as resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS). The results are compared to density-functional theory, and spectral functions from dynamical mean-field theory and different kinds of model calculations. Questions addressed here are those of the dimensionality of the magnetic and electronic interactions, the suitability of the oxyhalides as prototypical strongly correlated model systems, and the possibility to induce a filling-controlled insulator-metal transition. It turns out that TiOCl is a quasi-one-dimensional system with non-negligible two-dimensional coupling, while the one-dimensional character is already quite suppressed in TiOBr. In VOCl no signatures of such one-dimensional behavior remain, and it is two-dimensional. In all cases, frustrations induced by the crystal lattice govern the magnetic and electronic properties. As it turns out, although the applied theoretical approaches display improvements compared to previous studies, the differences to the experimental data still are at least partially of qualitative instead of quantitative nature. Notably, using RIXS, it is possible for the first time in TiOCl to unambiguously identify a two-spinon excitation, and the previously assumed energy scale of magnetic excitations can be confirmed. By intercalation of alkali metal atoms (Na, K) the oxyhalides can be doped with electrons, which can be evidenced and even quantified using x-ray PES. In these experiments, also a particular vertical arrangement of dopants is observed, which can be explained, at least within experimental accuracy, using the model of a so-called "polar catastrophe". However, no transition into a metallic phase can be observed upon doping, but this can be understood qualitatively and quantitatively within an alloy Hubbard model due to the impurity potential of the dopants. Furthermore, in a canonical way a transfer of spectral weight can be observed, which is a characteristic feature of strongly correlated electron systems. Overall, it can be stated that the transition metal oxyhalides actually can be regarded as prototypical Mott insulators, yet with a rich phase diagram which is far from being fully understood.
This thesis is aimed at establishing modalities of time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (tr-PES) conducted at a free-electron laser (FEL) source and at a high harmonic generation (HHG) source for imaging the motion of atoms, charge and energy at photoexcited hybrid organic/inorganic interfaces. Transfer of charge and energy across interfaces lies at the heart of surface science and device physics and involves a complex interplay between the motion of electrons and atoms. At hybrid organic/inorganic interfaces involving planar molecules, such as pentacene and copper(II)-phthalocyanine (CuPc), atomic motions in out-of-plane direction are particularly apparent. Such hybrid interfaces are of importance to, e.g., next-generation functional devices, smart catalytic surfaces and molecular machines. In this work, two hybrid interfaces – pentacene atop Ag(110) and copper(II)-phthalocyanine (CuPc) atop titanium disulfide (1T-TiSe2) – are characterized by means of modalities of tr-PES. The experiments were conducted at a HHG source and at the FEL source FLASH at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY (Hamburg, Germany). Both sources provide photon pulses with temporal widths of ∼ 100 fs and thus allow for resolving the non-equilibrium dynamics at hybrid interfaces involving both electronic and atomic motion on their intrinsic time scales. While the photon energy at this HHG source is limited to the UV-range, photon energies can be tuned from the UV-range to the soft x-ray-range at FLASH. With this increased energy range, not only macroscopic electronic information can be accessed from the sample’s valence and conduction states, but also site-specific structural and chemical information encoded in the core-level signatures becomes accessible. Here, the combined information from the valence band and core-level dynamics is obtained by performing time- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (tr-ARPES) in the UV-range and subsequently performing time-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (tr-XPS) and time-resolved photoelectron diffraction (tr-XPD) in the soft x-ray regime in the same experimental setup. The sample’s bandstructure in energy-momentum space and time is captured by a time-of-flight momentum microscope with femtosecond temporal and sub-Ångström spatial resolutions. In the investigated systems, out-of-equilibrium dynamics are traced that are connected to the transfer of charge and energy across the hybrid interfaces. While energetic shifts and complementary population dynamics are observed for molecular and substrate states, the shapes of involved molecular orbitals change in energy-momentum space on a subpicosecond time scale. In combination with theory support, these changes are attributed to iiiatomic reorganizations at the interface and transient molecular structures are reconstructed with sub-Ångström precision. Unique to the material combination of CuPc/TiSe2, a structural rearrangement on the macroscopic scale is traced simultaneously: ∼ 60 % of the molecules undergo a concerted, unidirectional in-plane rotation. This surprising observation and its origin are detailed in this thesis and connected to a particularly efficient charge transfer across the CuPc/TiSe2 interface, resulting in a charging of ∼ 45 % of CuPc molecules.
This thesis examines the electronic properties of two materials that promise the realization and observation of novel exotic quantum phenomena. For this purpose, angle-resolved photoemission forms the experimental basis for the investigation of the electronic properties. Furthermore, the magnetic order is investigated utilizing X-ray dichroism measurements.
First, the bulk and surface electronic structure of epitaxially grown HgTe in its three-dimensional topological insulator phase is investigated. In this study, synchrotron radiation is used to address the three-dimensional band structure and orbital composition of the bulk states by employing photon-energy-dependent and polarization-dependent measurements, respectively. In addition, the topological surface state is examined on in situ grown samples using a laboratory photon source. The resulting data provide a means to experimentally localize the bulk band inversion in momentum space and to evidence the momentum-dependent change in the orbital character of the inverted bulk states.
Furthermore, a rather new series of van der Waals compounds, (MnBi\(_2\)Te\(_4\))(Bi\(_2\)Te\(_3\))\(_n\), is investigated. First, the magnetic properties of the first two members of the series, MnBi\(_2\)Te\(_4\) and MnBi\(_4\)Te\(_7\), are studied via X-ray absorption-based techniques. The topological surface state on the two terminations of MnBi\(_4\)Te\(_7\) is analyzed using circular dichroic, photon-energy-dependent, and spin-resolved photoemission. The topological state on the (MnBi\(_2\)Te\(_4\))-layer termination shows a free-standing Dirac cone with its Dirac point located in the bulk band gap. In contrast, on the (Bi\(_2\)Te\(_3\))-layer termination the surface state hybridizes with the bulk valences states, forming a spectral weight gap, and exhibits a Dirac point that is buried within the bulk continuum. Lastly, the lack of unambiguous evidence in the literature showing a temperature-dependent mass gap opening in these magnetic topological insulators is discussed through MnBi\(_2\)Te\(_4\).
Within the framework of this thesis the mechanisms of growth and reorganisation of surfaces within the first few layers were investigated that are the basis for the fabrication of high quality thin films and interfaces. Two model systems, PTCDA/Ag(111) and CdSe/ZnSe quantum dots (QD), were chosen to study such processes in detail and to demonstrate the power and improvements of the aberration corrected spectromicroscope SMART [1] simultaneously. The measurements benefit especially from the enhanced transmission of the microscope and also from its improved resolution. SMART, the first double–aberration corrected instrument of its kind [2], provided comprehensive methods (LEEM/PEEM, μ–LEED, μ–XPS) to study in–situ and in real time the surface reorganisation and to determine morphology, local structure and local chemical composition of the resulting thin film. Complementarily, a commercial AFM [3] was used ex–situ. XPEEM and μ–XPS measurements were made possible by attaching SMART to the high flux density beamline of the soft–X–ray source BESSY–II [4]. PTCDA/Ag(111) – Growth and structure of the first two layers Although PTCDA/Ag(111) is one of the most intensely studied model systems for the growth of organic semiconductor thin films, it still offers new insights into a complex growth behaviour. This study enlightens the temperature dependant influence of morphological features as small as monatomic Ag steps on the growth process of the first two layers. At low temperatures, single Ag steps act as diffusion barriers. But interdiffusion was observed already for the 2nd layer whereas domain boundaries in the 1st PTCDA–layer persist for crystallite growth in the 2nd layer. 1st layer islands are more compact and the more dendritic development of the 2nd layer indicates reduced interaction strength between 2nd and 1st layer. These findings were explained by a model consisting of structural and potential barriers. The second part of the PTCDA study reveals a variety of phases that appears only if at least two layers are deposited. Besides the six known rotational domains of the interface system PTCDA/Ag(111) [5], a further manifold of structures was discovered. It does not only show a surprising striped image contrast, but the 2nd layer also grows in an elongated way along these so–called ’ripples’. The latter show a rather large period and were found in a wide temperature range. Additionally the μ-LEED pattern of such a domain shows a new super–superstructure as well. This phase is explained by a structural model that introduces a rotated, more relaxed domain in the 2nd layer that does not exist in the first layer. Its structural parameters are similar to those of the bulk unitcells of PTCDA. The model is confirmed by the observation of two different rotational domains that grow on top of one single ’substrate’ domain in the 1st layer. The orientations of the ripple phases fit as well to the predictions of the model. The growth direction along the ripples corresponds to the short diagonal of the super–superstructure unitcell with diamond–like shape. CdSe/ZnSe – Inverse structuring by sublimation of an α-Te cap With the second model system the formation of CdSe quantum dots (QD) from strained epi-layers was investigated. In this case the structures do not form during deposition, but rather during sublimation of the so–called ‘ignition cap’. For these pilot experiments not only the process of QD formation itself was of interest, but also the portability of the preparation and the prevention of contaminations. It was found that the α-Se is well suited for capping and the last step of the QD preparation, the sublimation of the α-Te cap, needs a sufficiently high rate in rise of temperature. Subsequently the cap, the process of desorption and the final surface with the quantum structures were investigated in detail. The cap was deposited by the MBE-group in Würzburg as an amorphous Te layer but was found to contain a variety of structures. Holes, cracks, and micro–crystallites within an α-Te matrix were identified. Sublimation of the “ignition cap” was observed in real–time. Thus the discovered cap-structures could be correlated with the newly formed features as, e.g., QDs on the bare CdSe surface. Since CdSe/ZnSe QDs prefer to form in the neighbourhood of the Te μ–crystallites, Te was found to play a major role in their formation process. Different explanations as the impact of Te as a surfactant, an enhanced mobility of adatoms or as stressor nuclei are discussed. The spectromicroscopic characterisation of the CdSe surface with QDs revealed the crystallographic directions. An increased Cd signal of the film was found at positions of former holes. Several possibilities as segregation or surface termination are reviewed, that might explain this slight Cd variation. Therewith, an important step to a detailed understanding of the complex reorganisation process in coating systems could be achieved.
In this thesis, soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) studies of the electronic structure of selected organic molecules and liquids were carried out. The first part focuses on the used experimental techniques and the development of the instrumentation necessary for these studies, namely a soft x-ray spectrometer, and a temperature-controlled flow-through liquid cell. The former was optimized by a special analytical ray tracing method developed exclusively for this purpose. Due to its high transmission, the spectrometer facilitates a novel experimental approach of recording comprehensive 'RIXS maps', which are 2-dimensional plots of x-ray scattering intensities as a function of both, excitation and emission photon energy. The liquid cell extends these possibilities to the study of liquids, especially the interaction of molecules in liquids and their chemical reactions under well-controlled conditions. Organic molecules have attracted considerable attention in the last decade. The intense research activities related to these materials have two main motivations: on the one hand, organic molecules have a technological application as building blocks of organic semiconductors, while, on the other hand, organic molecules are the functional elements in biological systems. In order to cost-effectively produce optimized organic electronic devices, a fundamental knowledge of the electronic properties of the organic molecules interface is necessary. Therefore, many studies of the electronic structure of potential candidates for organic electronics exist. Two of these candidates, namely C60 and well-ordered multilayers PTCDA on a Ag(111) surface are investigated in this thesis. For the study of C60 molecules, a comprehensive 'RIXS map' was recorded and analyzed. The RIXS map taken in only 25 minutes allows a quantitative analysis of energy losses, yielding for example the HOMO-LUMO distance. It also identifies a core-excitonic state and facilitates a quantitative comparison of its binding energy with that of valence excitons in C60. Furthermore, decay channel-selective partial fluorescence yield XAS spectra can be extracted from the RIXS map, yielding information on the population of the core-excitonic state as a function of excitation energy. As a second model system of organic molecules relevant for organic electronics, PTCDA was chosen. The complex electronic structure of the occupied states of a highly ordered, flat-lying PTCDA multilayer on a Ag(111) surface was investigated by symmetry-resolved resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy. The rapidly occurring beam damage effects were characterized on the basis of irradiation-time dependent series of C and O x-ray emission spectra. Upon varying the excitation energy and emission geometry, atom- and symmetry-specific carbon K emission spectra with negligible beam damage effects were obtained that allow to distinguish between electronic states with sigma and pi symmetry. A density functional theory calculation of the PTCDA molecule reproduces the energy positions of the most prominent emission features remarkably well. In addition, the energy positions of the sigma and pi emissions agree well with the calculated energies of the respective orbitals. In order to shed light on the second aspect of organic molecules, namely their role in biological systems, first a detailed investigation of the electronic structure and proton dynamics of liquid water as the medium of most chemical and biochemical reactions was carried out. Therefore, a comprehensive oxygen K RIXS map of liquid water was recorded and analyzed in great detail. A temperature-dependent comparison with XAS and RIXS data of D2O, NaOH, and NaOD leads to the conclusion, that ultra-fast dissociation takes place in liquid water on the timescale of the oxygen 1s core hole lifetime, resulting in a characteristic spectral contribution in the RIXS spectra. The dissociation is promoted by intact hydrogen bonds with neighboring molecules. In consequence, the rate of dissociation directly depends on the initial hydrogen bond configuration. In the next step towards biologically relevant systems, the nitrogen K edges of the amino acids glycine and histidine were investigated in powderous form as well as in their native environment, namely in aqueous solution. X-ray absorption and emission spectra of the aqueous solutions were analyzed at pH-values of 6 and for glycine also at pH 12 and compared to the spectra of powders. A pH-value of 12 causes deprotonation of the amino group, leading to significant changes in the nitrogen spectra as compared to pH 6. The results from these four examples demonstrate that a wealth of novel information can be obtained by using the new experimental tools developed in this thesis, namely a highly sensitive x-ray spectrometer and a flow-through liquid cell.
Soft x-ray spectroscopic study of methanol and glycine peptides in different physical environments
(2017)
Ion-specific effects occur in a huge variety of aqueous solutions of electrolytes and larger molecules like peptides, altering properties such as viscosity, enzyme activity, protein stability, and salting-in and salting-out behavior of proteins. Typically, these type of effects are rationalized in terms of the Hofmeister series, which originally orders cations and anions according to their ability to enhance or suppress the solubility of proteins in water. This empirical order, however, is still not understood yet. Quite some effort was made to gain a molecular level understanding of this phenomenon, yet no consensus has been found about the underlying mechanisms and the determination and localization of the interaction sites.
Resonant inelastic soft x-ray scattering (RIXS) combines x-ray emission (XES) and absorption spectroscopies (XAS), probing the partial local density of states of both occupied and unoccupied electronic states and is thus a promising candidate to shed more light onto the issue. The studies presented in this work are directed towards an improved understanding of the interaction between salts and peptides. In order to address this topic, the impact of different physical environments on the electronic structure of small molecules (i.e., methanol and glycine derived peptides) is investigated systematically using soft x-ray spectroscopic methods, corroborated with density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
In a first step, molecules without any interactions to the surrounding are investigated, using gas-phase methanol as a model system. Thereby, the local and element specific character of RIXS is demonstrated and used to separately probe the local electronic structure of methanol’s hydroxyl and methyl group, respectively. The attribution of the observed emission features to distinct molecular orbitals is confirmed by DFT calculations, which also quantitatively explain the different relative intensities of the emission features. For resonant excitation of the O K pre-edge absorption resonance, strong isotope effects are found that are explained by dynamical processes at the hydroxyl group. This serves as an excellent example for possible consequences of a local change in the geometric structure or symmetry of a molecule on its electronic structure.
In the following, the sample system is expanded to the amino acid glycine and its smallest derived peptides diglycine and triglycine. As a first step, they are studied in their crystalline form in solid state. Again, a comprehensive picture of the electronic structure is developed by measuring RIXS maps at the oxygen and nitrogen K absorption edge, corroborated by DFT calculations. Similar to the case of methanol, dynamic processes at the protonated amino group of the molecules after exciting the nitrogen atom have a strong influence on the emission spectra. Furthermore, it is shown that RIXS can be used to selectively excite the peptide nitrogen to probe the electronic structure around it. A simple building block approach for XES spectra is applied to separate the contribution of the emission attributed to transitions into core holes at the peptide and the amino nitrogen, respectively.
In the aqueous solution, the surrounding water molecules slightly change the electronic structure, probably via interactions with the charged functional groups. The effects on the x-ray emission spectra, however, are rather small. Much bigger changes are observed when manipulating the protonation state of the functional groups by adjusting the pH value of the solution. A protonation of the carboxyl group at low pH values, as well as a deprotonation of the amino group at high pH values lead to striking changes in the shape of the RIXS maps. In a comprehensive study of glycine’s XES spectra at varying pH values, changes in the local electronic structure are not only observed in the immediate surrounding of the manipulated functional groups but also in more distant moieties of the molecule.
Finally, the study is extended to mixed aqueous solutions of diglycine and a variety of different salts as examples for systems where Hofmeister effects are observed. To investigate the influence of different cations and anions on the electronic structure of diglycine, two series of chlorine and potassium salts are used. Ion-specific effects are identified for both cases. Some of the changes in the x-ray emission spectra of diglycine in the mixed solutions qualitatively follow the Hofmeister series as a function of the used salt. The observed trends thereby indicate an increased interaction between the electron density around the peptide oxygen with the cations, whereas anions seem to interact with the amino group of the peptide.
After the discovery of three-dimensional topological insulators (TIs), such as tetradymite chalcogenides Bi$_2$Se$_3$, Bi$_2$Te$_3$ and Sb$_2$Te$_3$ – a new class of quantum materials characterized by their unique surface electronic properties – the solid state community got focused on topological states that are driven by strong electronic correlations and magnetism. An important material class is the magnetic TI (MTI) exhibiting the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect, i.e. a dissipationless quantized edge-state transport in the absence of external magnetic field, originating from the interplay between ferromagnetism and a topologically non-trivial band structure. The unprecedented opportunities offered by these new exotic materials open a new avenue for the development of low-dissipation electronics, spintronics, and quantum computation. However, the major concern with QAH effect is its extremely low onset temperature, limiting its practical application. To resolve this problem, a comprehensive understanding of the microscopic origin of the underlying ferromagnetism is necessary.
V- and Cr-doped (Bi,Sb)$_2$Te$_3$ are the two prototypical systems that have been widely studied as realizations of the QAH state. Finding microscopic differences between the strongly correlated V and Cr impurities would help finding a relevant model of ferromagnetic coupling and eventually provide better control of the QAH effect in these systems. Therefore, this thesis first focuses on the V- and Cr-doped (Bi,Sb)$_2$Te$_3$ systems, to better understand these differences. Exploiting the unique capabilities of x-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic circular dichroism (XAS/XMCD), combined with advanced modeling based on multiplet ligand-field theory (MLFT), we provide a detailed microscopic insight into the local electronic and magnetic properties of these systems and determine microscopic parameters crucial for the comparison with theoretical models, which include the $d$-shell filling, spin and orbital magnetic moments. We find a strongly covalent ground state, dominated by the superposition of one and two Te-ligand-hole configurations, with a negligible contribution from a purely ionic 3+ configuration. Our findings indicate the importance of the Te $5p$ states for the ferromagnetism in (Bi, Sb)$_2$Te$_3$ and favor magnetic coupling mechanisms involving $pd$-exchange. Using state-of-the-art density functional theory (DFT) calculations in combination with XMCD and resonant photoelectron spectroscopy (resPES), we reveal the important role of the $3d$ impurity states in mediating magnetic exchange coupling. Our calculations illustrate that the kind and strength of the exchange coupling varies with the impurity $3d$-shell occupation. We find a weakening of ferromagnetic properties upon the increase of doping concentration, as well as with the substitution of Bi at the Sb site. Finally, we qualitatively describe the origin of the induced magnetic moments at the Te and Sb sites in the host lattice and discuss their role in mediating a robust ferromagnetism based on a $pd$-exchange interaction scenario. Our findings reveal important clues to designing higher $T_{\text{C}}$ MTIs.
Rare-earth ions typically exhibit larger magnetic moments than transition-metal ions and thus promise the opening of a wider exchange gap in the Dirac surface states of TIs, which is favorable for the realization of the high-temperature QAH effect. Therefore, we have further focused on Eu-doped Bi$_2$Te$_3$ and scrutinized whether the conditions for formation of a substantial gap in this system are present by combining spectroscopic and bulk characterization methods with theoretical calculations. For all studied Eu doping concentrations, our atomic multiplet analysis of the $M_{4,5}$ x-ray absorption and magnetic circular dichroism spectra reveals a Eu$^{2+}$ valence, unlike most other rare earth elements, and confirms a large magnetic moment. At temperatures below 10 K, bulk magnetometry indicates the onset of antiferromagnetic ordering. This is in good agreement with DFT results, which predict AFM interactions between the Eu impurities due to the direct overlap of the impurity wave functions. Our results support the notion of antiferromagnetism coexisting with topological surface states in rare-earth doped Bi$_2$Te$_3$ and corroborate the potential of such doping to result in an antiferromagnetic TI with exotic quantum properties.
The doping with impurities introduces disorder detrimental for the QAH effect, which may be avoided in stoichiometric, well-ordered magnetic compounds. In the last part of the thesis we have investigated the recently discovered intrinsic magnetic TI (IMTI) MnBi$_6$Te$_{10}$, where we have uncovered robust ferromagnetism with $T_{\text{C}} \approx 12$ K and connected its origin to the Mn/Bi intermixing. Our measurements reveal a magnetically intact surface with a large moment, and with FM properties similar to the bulk, which makes MnBi$_6$Te$_{10}$ a promising candidate for the QAH effect at elevated temperatures. Moreover, using an advanced ab initio MLFT approach we have determined the ground-state properties of Mn and revealed a predominant contribution of the $d^5$ configuration to the ground state, resulting in a $d$-shell electron occupation $n_d = 5.31$ and a large magnetic moment, in excellent agreement with our DFT calculations and the bulk magnetometry data. Our results together with first principle calculations based on the DFT-GGA$+U$, performed by our collaborators, suggest that carefully engineered intermixing plays a crucial role in achieving a robust long-range FM order and therefore could be the key for achieving enhanced QAH effect properties.
We expect our findings to aid better understanding of MTIs, which is essential to help increasing the temperature of the QAH effect, thus facilitating the realization of low-power electronics in the future.
This thesis focuses on the investigation of the electronic structure of amino acids and
salts in aqueous solution using X-ray spectroscopic methods. Both material groups are
of fundamental importance with regards to many physiological reactions, especially
for the Hofmeister effect which describes the solubility of proteins in salt solutions.
Hence, the investigation of the electronic structure of amino acids and the influence of
ions on the hydrogen bonding network of liquid water are important milestones to a
deeper understanding of the Hofmeister series.
Besides investigating the electronic structure of amino acids in aqueous solution,
the spectra were used to develop a building block model of the spectral fingerprints of
the functional groups and were compared to spectral signatures of suitable reference
molecules. In the framework of this thesis, it is shown that the building block approach
is a useful tool with allows the interpretation of spectral signatures of considerably
more complex molecules
In this work, the focus lies on the investigation of the occupied and unoccupied
electronic states of molecules in solid state, as well as in aqueous solution. Hereby,
different X-ray spectroscopic methods were applied. X-ray emission spectroscopy
(XES) was used to probe the occupied electronic structure of the solution, while the
unoccupied electronic structure was addressed by using X-ray absorption spectroscopy
(XAS). Finally, resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) as a combination of XAS
and XES measurements provides the combined information about the unoccupied and
occupied molecular levels. The element specific character of the three measurement
methods is a feature which allows the investigation of the local electronic structure of
a single functional group. With RIXS, also non-equivalent atoms of the same element
can be addressed separately.
Within this thesis firstly, a library of the XE spectra of all 20 proteinogenic amino
acids in zwitterionic form is presented. From this sample-set XES fingerprints of
the protonated alpha-amino group NH3+ and the deprotonated carboxylic group COO- were evaluated and used to identify the XES fingerprints of the nitrogen and oxygen
containing functional groups of the side chains of the amino acids. The data is discussed
based on a building block approach. Furthermore, the XE spectra of the functional
groups of lysine and histidine, namely the NH2 group and the C3N2H4 ring structure,
are both compared to XE spectra of suitable reference molecules (imidazole, ammonia
and methylamine). It is found that the XE and RIXS spectra of the side chains of lysine
and histidine show large similarities to the XE spectra of the reference molecules. This
agreement in the XE and RIXS spectra allows a qualitative investigation of XE and
RIXS spectra of more complex amino acids using the XE and RIXS spectra of suitable
reference molecules.
The chemical structure of histidine and proline is quite different from the structures
of the other proteinogenic amino acids. Due to the unique chemical structure of
the side chain which in both cases consists of a heterocyclic ring structure, these two
amino acids were investigated in more detail. Zubavichus et al. [1] have shown that
amino acids are decomposing while exposed to X-ray radiation of the experiment. The
damage is irreversible and molecular fragments can adsorb on the membrane of the
experimental setup. This contamination can also create a spectral signature which
then overlaps with the signal of the solution and which complicates the interpretation
of the data. To record spectra which are free from contributions of adsorbed molecular
fragments on the membrane, the adsorption behavior was investigated.
In contrast to the solid phase in which the amino acids are present as salts in one
electronic conformation, the charge state of the amino acids can be manipulated in
aqueous solution by tuning the pH-value. By doing this, all possible charge states are
accessible (cation, anion, zwitterion). In this work it is shown that also the spectra
of the different charge states can be modeled by the spectra of suitable reference
molecules using the building block approach. The spectral changes occurring upon
protonation and deprotonation of the functional groups are explored and verified by
comparing them to theoretical calculations.
The comparison with measurements of pyrrolidine show that the electronic structure
which surrounds the nitrogen atom of proline is strongly influenced by the
ring structure of the side chain. Furthermore, the proline, pyrrolidine, and histidine
molecules are also degrading during the liquid sample measurements. This can be
observed by the detection of a new spectral component which increases with the
measurement time originating from the window membrane. In all cases, the speed of
the agglomeration of molecular fragments at the membrane was observed to be highly
sensitive to the pH value of the solution.
To understand the Hofmeister series, also the impact of the salt ions have to be
investigated. In this study the influence of potassium chloride (KCl) on the hydrogen
bond network of water was studied by using non-resonantly excited XES as well as
RIXS. A decreased dissociation of hydrogen molecules and changes in the molecular
vibrations could be detected. These changes were interpreted with a molecular
reorganization of the water molecules and a decreased number of hydrogen bonds.
In this thesis two main projects are presented, both aiming at the overall goal
of particle detector development. In the first part of the thesis detailed shielding
studies are discussed, focused on the shielding section of the planned New Small
Wheel as part of the ATLAS detector upgrade. Those studies supported the discussions
within the upgrade community and decisions made on the final design of
the New Small Wheel. The second part of the thesis covers the design, construction
and functional demonstration of a test facility for gaseous detectors at the
University of Würzburg. Additional studies on the trigger system of the facility are
presented. Especially the precision and reliability of reference timing signals were
investigated.
The present thesis deals with the fabrication, optimization of growth process and characterization of silicon based materials with molecular beam epitaxy. Two material systems are investigated in the course of this work: silicon/silicon suboxide multilayer structures and mono manganese silicide thin films. Mono manganese silicide (MnSi) is grown on Si(111) substrates with an hydrogen passivated surface, that is prepared by wet chemical processes. The growth start is performed by deposition of an amorphous Mn wetting layer that is subsequently annealed to form a MnSi seed layer on which the MnSi molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is achieved. An amorphous or a crystalline Si cap layer is deposited onto the MnSi film to finalize the growth process and protect the sample from oxidation. With Raman spectroscopy it is shown that the crystalline cap layer is in fact single crystalline silicon. Results of x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy confirm the growth of mono manganese silicide in contrast to other existing manganese silicide phases. In addition, in-plane and out-of-plane residual strain, and twinning of the MnSi thin film is detected with x-ray diffraction of symmetric and asymmetric reflections. Orientation between the Si substrate and the MnSi film is determined with the parallel lattice planes MnSi(210) and Si(511). Transport measurements show a T^2 dependence of the resistivity below 30K and metallic behavior above, a magneto resistance of 0.9% and an unusual memory like effect of the resistance for an in-plane magnetic field sweep measurement. Silicon/Silicon suboxide (SiOx) multilayer structures are grown on Si(100) by interrupting the Si growth and oxidizing the surface with molecular oxygen. During oxidation the RHEED pattern changes from the Si(2x1) reconstruction to an amorphous pattern. When silicon growth is resumed a spotty RHEED pattern emerges, indicating a rough, three dimensional surface. The rough surface can be smoothed out with Si growth at substrate temperatures between 600°C and 700°C. Measurements with transmission electron microscopy show that a silicon suboxide layer of about 1nm embedded in single crystalline silicon is formed with the procedure. Multilayer structures are achieved by repeating the oxidation procedure when the Si spacer layer has a smooth and flat surface. The oxygen content of the suboxide layers can be varied between 7.6% and 26.8%, as determined with secondary ion mass spectrometry and custom-built simulations models for the x-ray diffraction. Structural stability of the multilayer structures is investigated by x-ray diffraction before and after rapid thermal annealing. For temperatures up to 1000°C the multilayer structures show no modification of the SiOx layer in x-ray diffraction.
The Micromegas technology is one of the most successful modern gaseous detector concepts and widely utilized in nuclear and particle physics experiments. Twenty years of R & D rendered the technology sufficiently mature to be selected as precision tracking detector for the New Small Wheel (NSW) upgrade of the ATLAS Muon spectrometer. This will be the first large scale application of Micromegas in one of the major LHC experiments. However, many of the fundamental microscopic processes in these gaseous detectors are still not fully understood and studies on several detector aspects, like the micromesh geometry, have never been addressed systematically.
The studies on signal formation in Micromegas, presented in the first part of this thesis, focuses on the microscopic signal electron loss mechanisms and the amplification processes in electron gas interaction. Based on a detailed model of detector parameter dependencies, these processes are scrutinized in an iterating comparison between exper- imental results, theory prediction of the macroscopic observables and process simulation on the microscopic level. Utilizing the specialized detectors developed in the scope of this thesis as well as refined simulation algorithms, an unprecedented level of accuracy in the description of the microscopic processes is reached, deepening the understanding of the fundamental process in gaseous detectors.
The second part is dedicated to the challenges arising with the large scale Micro- megas production for the ATLAS NSW. A selection of technological choices, partially influenced or determined by the herein presented studies, are discussed alongside a final report on two production related tasks addressing the detectors’ core components: For the industrial production of resistive anode PCBs a detailed quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) scheme as well as the therefore required testing tools have been developed. In parallel the study on micromesh parameter optimization and production feasibility resulted in the selection of the proposed mesh by the NSW community and its full scale industrial manufacturing. The successful completion of both tasks were im- portant milestones towards the construction of large size Micromegas detectors clearing the path for NSW series production.