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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

X-ray photoemission analysis of clean and carbon monoxide-chemisorbed platinum(111) stepped surfaces using a curved crystal

Surface chemistry and catalysis studies could significantly gain from the systematic variation of surface active sites, tested under the very same conditions. Curved crystals are excellent platforms to perform such systematics, which may in turn allow to better resolve fundamental properties and reveal new phenomena. This is demonstrated here for the carbon monoxide/platinum system. We curve a platinum crystal around the high-symmetry (111) direction and carry out photoemission scans on top. This renders the spatial core-level imaging of carbon monoxide adsorbed on a 'tunable' vicinal surface, allowing a straightforward visualization of the rich chemisorption phenomenology at steps and terraces. Through such photoemission images we probe a characteristic elastic strain variation at stepped surfaces, and unveil subtle stress-release effects on clean and covered vicinal surfaces. Lastly, these results offer the prospect of applying the curved surface approach to rationally investigate the chemical activity of surfaces under real pressure conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Hidden relationship between the electrical conductivity and the Mn 2p core-level photoemission spectra in La{sub 1-x}Sr{sub x}MnO{sub 3}

Core-level electronic structure of La{sub 1-x}Sr{sub x}MnO{sub 3} has been studied by x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). We first report, by the conventional XPS, the well-screened shoulder structure in Mn 2p{sub 3/2} peak, which had been observed only by hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy so far. Multiple-peak analysis revealed that the Mn{sup 4+} spectral weight was not proportional to the nominal hole concentration x, indicating that a simple Mn{sup 3+}/Mn{sup 4+} intensity ratio analysis may result in a wrong quantitative elemental analysis. Considerable weight of the shoulder at x = 0.0 and the fact that the shoulder weight was even slightly going down from x = 0.2 to 0.4 were not compatible with the idea that this weight simply represents the metallic behavior. Further analysis found that the whole Mn 2p{sub 3/2} peak can be decomposed into four portions, the Mn{sup 4+}, the (nominal) Mn{sup 3+}, the shoulder, and the other spectral weight located almost at the Mn{sup 3+} location. We concluded that this weight represents the well-screened final state at Mn{sup 4+} sites, whereas the shoulder is known as that of the Mn{sup 3+} states. We found that the sum of these two spectral weight has an empirical relationship to the conductivity evolution with x.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

The impact of inverse photoemission spectroscopy measurements on regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) films

Inverse photoemission spectroscopy (IPES) enables the characterization of the density of states of unoccupied energy states above the Fermi level. However, due to the relatively high electron currents required to achieve useful signal to noise ratios, sample damage is a concern. Regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (rr-P3HT) was used to systematically study the influence of electron radiation during IPES measurements on a prototypical conductive polymer. A series of IPES measurements exposing the samples to a range of electron fluxes was performed. An analysis of the electronic structure and the morphology showed that significant changes occurred in the investigated samples depending on the electron flux. X-ray diffraction results revealed that the root cause of the spectral changes is most likely related to crystallization of the film in an edge-on orientation. This was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy where both the C-C and C=C stretch modes shifted to lower frequencies after 5 IPES scans indicating a more ordered molecular structure. The observation of these stretch modes even after exposure to higher electron flux indicates that the main chemical structure of the P3HT molecules remains mostly intact during the IPES measurements. The absence of significant changes in C 1s and S 2p photoemission core level lines also confirmed this conclusion.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Rotatable spin-polarized electron source for inverse-photoemission experiments

We present a ROtatable Spin-polarized Electron source (ROSE) for the use in spin- and angle-resolved inverse-photoemission (SR-IPE) experiments. A key feature of the ROSE is a variable direction of the transversal electron beam polarization. As a result, the inverse-photoemission experiment becomes sensitive to two orthogonal in-plane polarization directions, and, for nonnormal electron incidence, to the out-of-plane polarization component. We characterize the ROSE and test its performance on the basis of SR-IPE experiments. Measurements on magnetized Ni films on W(110) serve as a reference to demonstrate the variable spin sensitivity. Moreover, investigations of the unoccupied spin-dependent surface electronic structure of Tl/Si(111) highlight the capability to analyze complex phenomena like spin rotations in momentum space. Essentially, the ROSE opens the way to further studies on complex spin-dependent effects in the field of surface magnetism and spin-orbit interaction at surfaces.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Solar energy conversion via hot electron internal photoemission in metallic nanostructures: Efficiency estimates

Collection of hot electrons generated by the efficient absorption of light in metallic nanostructures, in contact with semiconductor substrates can provide a basis for the construction of solar energy-conversion devices. Herein, we evaluate theoretically the energy-conversion efficiency of systems that rely on internal photoemission processes at metal-semiconductor Schottky-barrier diodes. In this theory, the current-voltage characteristics are given by the internal photoemission yield as well as by the thermionic dark current over a varied-energy barrier height. The Fowler model, in all cases, predicts solar energy-conversion efficiencies of <1% for such systems. However, relaxation of the assumptions regarding constraints on the escape cone and momentum conservation at the interface yields solar energy-conversion efficiencies as high as 1%–10%, under some assumed (albeit optimistic) operating conditions. Under these conditions, the energy-conversion efficiency is mainly limited by the thermionic dark current, the distribution of hot electron energies, and hot-electron momentum considerations.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Electronic study of Al substituted La{sub 0.7}Ca{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} using photoemission spectroscopy

Polycrystalline samples of La{sub 0.7}Ca{sub 0.3}Mn{sub 1−X}Al{sub X}O{sub 3} (X=0, 0.05, 0.15) are prepared using solid state reaction route. Photoemission spectroscopy measurements were performed on these samples to investigate their electronic properties. Al shows 3+ oxidation state in both Al doped samples while no effect of Al doping is found on the core level spectrum of La 4d and Ca 2p orbitals and they were found in 3{sup +} and 2{sup +} oxidation state respectively in all the samples . Mn 2p core level photoemission measurements indicates that for 5% Al doped sample (lower doping) Al ions replaces the Mn{sup 3+} ions while they substitute Mn{sup 4+} in 15 % Al doped sample ((higher doping)

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Chemical potential shift and gap-state formation in SrTiO{sub 3−δ} revealed by photoemission spectroscopy

In this study, we report on investigations of the electronic structure of SrTiO{sub 3} annealed at temperature ranging between 550 and 840 °C in an ultrahigh vacuum. Annealing induced oxygen vacancies (O{sub vac}) impart considerable changes in the electronic structure of SrTiO{sub 3}. Using core-level photoemission spectroscopy, we have studied the chemical potential shift (Δμ) as a function of annealing temperature. The result shows that the chemical potential monotonously increases with electron doping in SrTiO{sub 3−δ}. The monotonous increase of the chemical potential rules out the existence of electronic phase separation in the sample. Using valence band photoemission, we have demonstrated the formation of a low density of states at the near Fermi level electronic spectrum of SrTiO{sub 3−δ}. The gap-states were observed by spectral weight transfer over a large energy scale of the stoichiometric band gap of SrTiO{sub 3} system leading finally to an insulator-metal transition. We have interpreted our results from the point of structural distortions induced by oxygen vacancies.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Femtosecond time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy for spatiotemporal imaging of photogenerated carrier dynamics in semiconductors

We constructed an instrument for time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy (TR-PEEM) utilizing femtosecond (fs) laser pulses to visualize the dynamics of photogenerated electrons in semiconductors on ultrasmall and ultrafast scales. The spatial distribution of the excited electrons and their relaxation and/or recombination processes were imaged by the proposed TR-PEEM method with a spatial resolution about 100 nm and an ultrafast temporal resolution defined by the cross-correlation of the fs laser pulses (240 fs). A direct observation of the dynamical behavior of electrons on higher resistivity samples, such as semiconductors, by TR-PEEM has still been facing difficulties because of space and/or sample charging effects originating from the high photon flux of the ultrashort pulsed laser utilized for the photoemission process. Here, a regenerative amplified fs laser with a widely tunable repetition rate has been utilized, and with careful optimization of laser parameters, such as fluence and repetition rate, and consideration for carrier lifetimes, the electron dynamics in semiconductors were visualized. For demonstrating our newly developed TR-PEEM method, the photogenerated carrier lifetimes around a nanoscale defect on a GaAs surface were observed. The obtained lifetimes were on a sub-picosecond time scale, which is much shorter than the lifetimes of carriers observed in the non-defective surrounding regions. Our findings are consistent with the fact that structural defects induce mid-gap states in the forbidden band, and that the electrons captured in these states promptly relax into the ground state.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Momentum resolution in inverse photoemission

We present a method to determine the electron beam divergence, and thus the momentum resolution, of an inverse-photoemission setup directly from a series of spectra measured on Cu(111). Simulating these spectra with different beam divergences shows a distinct influence of the divergence on the appearance of the Shockley surface state. Upon crossing the Fermi level, its rise in intensity can be directly linked with the beam divergence. A comparison of measurement and simulation enables us to quantify the momentum resolution independent of surface quality, energy resolution, and experimental geometry. With spin resolution, a single spectrum taken around the Fermi momentum of a spin-split surface state, e.g., on Au(111), is sufficient to derive the momentum resolution of an inverse-photoemission setup.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Ultrahigh-spatial-resolution chemical and magnetic imaging by laser-based photoemission electron microscopy

We report the first experiments carried out on a new chemical and magnetic imaging system, which combines the high spatial resolution of a photoemission electron microscope (PEEM) with a continuous-wave deep-ultraviolet laser. Threshold photoemission is sensitive to the chemical and magnetic structures of the surface of materials. The spatial resolution of PEEM is limited by space charging when using pulsed photon sources as well as aberrations in the electron optics. We show that the use of a continuous-wave laser enabled us to overcome such a limit by suppressing the space-charge effect, allowing us to obtain a resolution of approximately 2.6 nm. With this system, we demonstrated the imaging of surface reconstruction domains on Si(001) by linear dichroism with normal incidence of the laser beam. We also succeeded in magnetic imaging of thin films with the use of magnetic circular dichroism near the Fermi level. The unique features of the ultraviolet laser will give us fast switching of the incident angles and polarizations of the photon source, which will be useful for the characterization of antiferromagnetic materials as well as ferromagnetic materials.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Measurements of Schottky barrier at the low-k SiOC:H/Cu interface using vacuum ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy

The band alignment between copper interconnects and their low-k interlayer dielectrics is critical to understanding the fundamental mechanisms involved in electrical leakage in low-k/Cu interconnects. In this work, vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) photoemission spectroscopy is utilized to determine the potential of the Schottky barrier present at low-k a-SiOC:H/Cu interfaces. By examining the photoemission spectra before and after VUV exposure of a low-k a-SiOC:H (k = 3.3) thin film fabricated by plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition on a polished Cu substrate, it was found that photons with energies of 4.9 eV or greater can deplete accumulated charge in a-SiOC:H films, while VUV photons with energies of 4.7 eV or less, did not have this effect. These critical values were identified to relate the electric potential of the interface barrier between the a-SiOC:H and the Cu layers. Using this method, the Schottky barrier at the low-k a-SiOC:H (k = 3.3)/Cu interface was determined to be 4.8 ± 0.1 eV.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Structural and electronic properties of V{sub 2}O{sub 3} ultrathin film on Ag(001): LEED and photoemission study

V{sub 2}O{sub 3} ultrathin films were grown on Ag(001) substrate by reactive evaporation of vanadium (V) metal in presence of oxygen and their structural and electronic properties were studied by Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED), X-ray Photo Electron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopic (ARPES) techniques, respectively. On top of square symmetry substrate Ag(001), hexagonal surface of V{sub 2}O{sub 3} (0001) is stabilized in the form of two domain structure, rotated by 30°(or 90°)to each other, has been observed by LEED. Rather than epitaxial flat monolayer, formation of well-ordered V{sub 2}O{sub 3} (0001) island has been confirmed from the LEED and the Photoemission Spectroscopic (PES) study. Stoichiometry of the grown film was confirmed by the XPS study. Evolution of valance band electronic structure of V{sub 2}O{sub 3} (0001) surface has been studied as a function of film thickness by ARPES.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Thickness-dependent change in the valence band offset of the SiO{sub 2}/Si interface studied using synchrotron-radiation photoemission spectroscopy

We have studied the thickness-dependent change in the valence band offset (VBO) of the SiO{sub 2}/Si(001) interface using synchrotron-radiation photoemission spectroscopy with soft and hard X-rays. The SiO{sub 2}-film thickness (T{sub ox}) and X-ray irradiation time (t{sub irrad}) were systematically parameterized to distinguish between the “intrinsic” T{sub ox} effects in the VBOs and the “extrinsic” differential charging phenomena in SiO{sub 2} films on Si substrates. The results revealed that at a spontaneous time (t{sub irrad} ≈ 5 s) that suppresses the differential charging phenomena as much as possible, the experimental VBO abruptly increases as a function of T{sub ox} and gradually saturates to the traditional VBO value range determined by the internal photoemission and photoconduction measurements. This effect is not attributed to the differential charging phenomena, but rather it is attributed to the “intrinsic” T{sub ox}-dependent change in the VBO. The two possible physical behaviors include electronic polarization and image charge. We have derived the electronic polarization contribution from experimental data by carefully describing the effects of the long-range image charges based on the classical dielectric-screening model.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Femtosecond photoemission electron microscopy of surface plasmon polariton beam steering via nanohole arrays

Directional control over surface plasmon polariton (SPP) waves is a prerequisite for the development of miniaturized optical circuitry. Here, the efficacy of single and dual component SPP steering elements is explored through photoemission electron microscopy. Our imaging scheme relies on two-color photoemission and counter-propagating SPP generation, which collectively allow SPPs to be visualized in real space. Wave-vector difference mixing between two-dimensional arrays of nanoholes and photon momenta enables SPP steering with directionality governed by the array lattice constant. The magnitude of grating momentum required to achieve counter-propagation guarantees efficient steering over the full range of the negative half-space. In our dual component configuration, separate SPP generation and Bragg diffraction based steering optics are employed. We find that array Bragg planes principally influence the SPP angles through the array band structure, which allows us to visualize both positive and negative refractory waves.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Polarization dependent photoemission as a probe of the magnetic ground state in the van der Waals ferromagnet VI 3

Van der Waals ferromagnets are thrilling materials from both a fundamental and technological point of view. VI 3 is an interesting example, with a complex magnetism that differentiates it from the first reported Cr based layered ferromagnets. In this work, we show in an indirect way through angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy experiments, the importance of spin–orbit coupling setting the electronic properties of this material. Our light polarized photoemission measurements point to a ground state with a half-filled $\mathcal{e}_{±}^{'}$ doublet, where a gap opening is triggered by spin–orbit coupling enhanced by electronic correlations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Modifications in the charge trap landscape in Hf 0.5 Zr 0.5 O 2 as a function of oxygen vacancy concentration observed with photoemission electron microscopy

Oxygen vacancies in Hf x Zr (1-x) O 2 (HZO) both contribute to stabilization of the ferroelectric orthorhombic phase and promote leakage pathways that limit the endurance of devices based on the material. Here, for this reason, the defect states of oxygen vacancies were investigated using photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), as their concentration was varied via ex situ laser exposure. Following a controlled oxygen vacancy reduction via visible (2.54 eV) laser dosing of HZO, deep-ultraviolet (DUV, 5.82 eV) PEEM was used to spatially probe the resulting mid-gap defect states and work function. Work function was found to increase monotonically with the laser-induced reduction in oxygen vacancy concentration culminating in a total increase near 70 meV. The change implies a Fermi level shift toward the valence band as the total available electron-filled charge states are reduced with the removal of oxygen vacancies. A reduction in charge states is corroborated by the observed lessening of both photoemission and photoluminescence intensities after laser dosing. The deduced position of the Fermi level is within a band of near-conduction band defect states produced by oxygen vacancies that are linked to endurance limiting leakage currents. Together, these results directly identify the primary role of oxygen vacancies on the defect states in HZO while demonstrating that laser exposure can be used for their modification.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Bulk photoemission from metal films and nanoparticles

Internal emission of photoelectrons from metal films and nanoparticles (nanowires and nanospheres) into a semiconductor matrix is studied theoretically by taking into account the jump of the effective electron mass at the metal – semiconductor interface and the cooling effect of hot electrons due to electron – electron collisions in the metal. The internal quantum efficiency of photoemission for the film and nanoparticles of two types (nanospheres and nanowires) is calculated. It is shown that the reduction of the effective mass of the electron during its transition from metal to semiconductor may lead to a significant (orders of magnitude and higher) decrease in the internal quantum efficiency of bulk photoemission. (nanostructures)

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Near-Threshold Photoemission from Graphene-Coated Cu(110)

In this article, the brightness of electron beams emitted from photocathode sources plays a critical role in determining the performance of x-ray free-electron lasers and ultrafast electron-diffraction applications. In order to achieve the maximum brightness, the electrons need to be emitted from a photocathode with the lowest-possible mean transverse energy (MTE). Recent investigations have shown that capping a Cu(110) photocathode with a monolayer of graphene can protect the quantum efficiency (QE) from long-term exposure to varying vacuum conditions. However, there have been no studies that investigate the effects that a monolayer of graphene has on the MTE. Here, we report on measurements of a graphene-coated Cu(110) single crystal near the photoemission threshold for room and liquid-nitrogen temperatures. At room temperature, a minimum MTE of 25 meV is measured at 295 nm. At liquid-nitrogen temperatures, a minimum MTE of 9 meV is measured at the photoemission threshold of 290 nm.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗