Low coverages of C 60 on Cu͑111͒ and K/Cu͑111͒ have been investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy at 10 K. By combining topographic imaging and mapping of the spectral intensity (dI/dV), we have analyzed the evolution of the t 1u -derived ͓lowest-unoccupied molecular orbital ͑LUMO͔͒ electronic states resulting from the difference in adsorption geometry on Cu͑111͒ as well as the difference in bonding when the substrate is precovered by a K monolayer. The spatial distribution and the spectral width of the LUMO-derived states are observed to be particularly sensitive to the adsorbate-substrate interaction.

A scanning tunneling microscope was used to probe electron transport through an alkali doped C(60) monolayer crystal on Al(2)O(3) grown by the oxidation of NiAl(110). Each individual alkali atom forms a localized complex with the neighboring C(60) molecules. Charging of the complex induces a substantial rise in the current that persists outside the physical dimensions of the complex. This induction of the current rise is characterized by spatially resolved spectroscopy and mapping of the differential conductance (dI/dV) in the vicinity of the complex.

A scanning tunneling microscope is used to study the differential conductance (dI/dV) of single C(60) molecules in isolation and in monolayers adsorbed on NiAl(110) and on an ultrathin alumina film grown on the NiAl(110) surface. On the oxide layer, the electronic bands in the dI/dV spectra display a series of equally spaced features, attributed to the vibronic states of the molecules, which are absent when the molecules are adsorbed on the metal. A comparison between the molecular spectra measured on the oxide film reveals the effect of adsorption temperature and geometry, as well as intermolecular interactions on the vibronic features.

Vibronic states are observed in single C(60) and C(70) molecules by scanning tunneling microscopy. When single fullerene molecules are adsorbed on a thin layer of Al(2)O(3) grown on a NiAl(110) substrate, equally spaced features are observed in the differential conductance (dI/dV), which are clearly resolved in d(2)I/dV(2) spectra. These features are attributed to the vibronic states of the molecule. The vibronic progressions are sensitive to the molecular orientations and can have different spacings in different electronic bands of the same molecule. For C(60,) these vibronic states are associated with the intramolecular A(g) and H(g) vibrational modes. Vibronic states are not resolved in molecules adsorbed on the metal surface. However, inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy exhibits a vibrational mode at 64 meV for C(60) and 61 meV for C(70) adsorbed on NiAl(110).

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