Scanning tunneling microscopy of charge density wave structure in 1T- TaS sub 2

Abstract

I have used a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to image simultaneously the atomic lattice and the charge density wave (CDW) superstructure in tantalum disulfide (1T-TaS{sub 2}) over the temperature range of 370-77K. In the lowest temperature (commensurate) phase, present below 180K, the CDW is at an angle of 13.9{degrees} relative to the lattice and is uniformly commensurate. In the incommensurate phase, present above 353K, the CDW is aligned with the lattice. 1T-TaS{sub 2} exhibits two other phases; the triclinic (T) phase which is present between 223K and 283K upon warming the sample, and the nearly-commensurate (NC) phase which is present between 353K and 180K upon cooling the sample and between 283K and 353K upon warming the sample. In both of these phases, discommensurate models where the CDW is arranged in small commensurate domains have been proposed. In the NC phase the CDW is rotated between 10{degrees} and 12.5{degrees} relative to the atomic lattice. Such a rotated CDW would create an interference pattern with the underlying atomic lattice regardless of the existence of a true domain superstructure. Previous work on 1T-TaS{sub 2} has not adequately accounted for the possibility of this moire pattern. However, around each fundamental CDW peak in the Fourier transform of the real space STM images, several satellite spots are visible, which conclusively prove the existence of domains in the NC phase.