Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy on c(3√2×√2)R45°-C-Reconstructed Cr(001) Thin-Film Surfaces

Abstract

We investigate the electronic properties of c(3√2×√2)R45°-C-reconstructed Cr(001) thin-film surfaces by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS). We previously observed that c(3√2×√2)R45°-C/Cr(001) thin-film surfaces yield two types of STM image, line structures along the Cr<110> direction and an atomically resolved image, and discussed interpretations of the STM images in detail in a previous paper [Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 46 (2007) 5602]. Here, STM measurements reveal that the top and bottom sites of the line structures correspond to the Cr atoms within and between C zig-zag chains in the atomically resolved STM image, respectively. An STS study indicates that dI/dV spectra taken on the top and bottom sites show a single peak at +0.15 eV and a main peak at +0.15 eV with a shoulder at +0.32 eV, respectively.