Electronic properties of cesium ultrathin coatings on the Ga-rich GaAs(100) surface

Abstract

The cesium submonolayer coatings on the Ga-rich GaAs(100) surface at different coverages have been investigated by threshold photoemission spectroscopy. The electronic spectra of surface states and the ion-ization energies are analyzed. At a cesium coverage of about one-half the monolayer, the spectrum exhibits two narrow adsorption-induced bands below the Fermi level. This indicates that cesium atoms interacting with gallium dimers occupy two nonequivalent positions. It is found that the gallium broken bonds are saturated at the cesium coverage of ∼0.7 monolayer, and the adsorption bonding is predominantly covalent in character. At the coverages close to the monolayer, broad bands with energies of 1.9, 2.05, and 2.4 eV have been observed for the first time. These bands can be associated with the excitation of cesium islands, cesium clusters, and surface cesium plasmon, respectively. The results obtained suggest two adsorption stages characterized by the formation of strong and weak bonds.