We present a study on the growth and characterization of high-quality single-layer MoS 2 with a single orientation, i.e. without the presence of mirror domains. This single orientation of the MoS 2 layer is established by means of x-ray photoelectron diffraction. The high quality is evidenced by combining scanning tunneling microscopy with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements.Spin-and angle-resolved photoemission experiments performed on the sample revealed complete spin-polarization of the valence band states near the K and -K points of the Brillouin zone. These findings open up the possibility to exploit the spin and valley degrees of freedom for encoding and processing information in devices that are based on epitaxially grown materials.
VS 2 is a challenging material to prepare stoichiometrically in the bulk, and the single layer has not been successfully isolated before now. Here we report the first realization of single-layer VS 2 , which we have prepared epitaxially with high quality on Au(111) in the octahedral (1T) structure. We find that we can deplete the VS 2 lattice of S by annealing in vacuum so as to create an entirely new twodimensional compound that has no bulk analogue. The transition is reversible upon annealing in an H 2 S gas atmosphere. We report the structural properties of both the stoichiometric and S-depleted compounds on the basis of low-energy electron diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and diffraction, and scanning tunneling microscopy experiments.
We present a complete characterization at the nanoscale of the growth and structure of singlelayer tungsten disulfide (WS 2 ) epitaxially grown on Au(111). Following the growth process in real time with fast x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we obtain a singly-oriented layer by choosing the proper W evaporation rate and substrate temperature during the growth. Information about the morphology, size and layer stacking of the WS 2 layer were achieved by employing x-ray photoelectron diffraction and low-energy electron microscopy. The strong spin splitting in the valence band of WS 2 coupled with the single-orientation character of the layer make this material the ideal candidate for the exploitation of the spin and valley degrees of freedom.
The adsorption of Si atoms on a metal surface might proceed through complex surface processes, whose rate is determined differently by factors such as temperature, Si coverage, and metal cohesive energy. Among other transition metals, iridium is a special case since the Ir(111) surface was reported first, in addition to Ag(111), as being suitable for the epitaxy of silicene monolayers. In this study we followed the adsorption of Si on the Ir(111) surface via high resolution core level photoelectron spectroscopy, starting from the clean metal surface up to a coverage exceeding one monolayer, in a temperature range between 300 and 670 K. Density functional theory calculations were carried out in order to evaluate the stability of the different Si adsorption configurations as a function of the coverage. Results indicate that, at low coverage, the Si adatoms tend to occupy the hollow Ir sites, although a small fraction of them penetrates the first Ir layer. Si penetration of the Ir surface can take place if the energy gained upon Si adsorption is used to displace the Ir surface atoms, rather then being dissipated differently. At a Si coverage of ∼1 monolayer, the Ir 4f spectrum indicates that not only the metal surface but also the layers underneath are perturbed. Our results point out that the Si/Ir(111) interface is unstable towards Si-Ir intermixing, in agreement with the silicide phase formation reported in the literature for the reverted interface.
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