Image potential states at metal-dielectric interfaces

Abstract

Angle-resolved two-photon laser photoemission was used to observe the image potential electronic states on the (111) face of a silver single crystal. The transient image potential states were excited from the occupied bulk bands with photons whose energy was tunable around 4 eV. Photoemission of the image potential states was accomplished with photons of energy tunable around 2 eV. Image potential states were found to persist in the presence of physisorbed adlayers of xenon and cyclohexane. On clean Ag(111), the effective mass of the n=1 image potential state was found to be 1.4±0.1 times the mass of a free electron (me). A binding energy of 0.77 eV, measured by earlier workers, was assumed in analysis of the data for the clean surface. On Ag(111), at 75 K covered by one monolayer of xenon, the binding energy of the n=1 image potential state was unchanged relative to its value on the clean surface. An effective mass of (1.00±0.05) • me was obtained. On Ag(111) at 167 K, covered by one monolayer of cyclohexane, the binding energy of the n=2 member of the image potential series was 0.30±0.05 eV. The energy of the n=1 state was again unchanged by deposition of the adsorbate. The effective masses of both states were (0.90±0.1) • me.