Charge accumulation layer in Cs,Ba/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaN(0001) ultrathin interfaces: Electronic and photoemission properties

Experimental studies and theoretical calculations of the photoemission from Cs/n-GaN(0001) and Ba/n-GaN(0001) ultrathin interfaces were carried out. The electronic properties of the interfaces were studied in situ using threshold photoemission spectroscopy under vacuum at a residual pressure of P ～ 5 × 10^?11 Torr. A new effect was revealed, namely, photoemission with a high quantum yield under excitation with light in the transparency region of GaN. It was shown that adsorption of Cs or Ba on n-GaN brings about the formation of a quasi-two-dimensional electron channel, i.e., a charge accumulation layer directly near the surface. The dependences of the photoemission spectra and work function on the thickness of Cs and Ba coatings were investigated. It was established that adsorption of Cs and Ba leads to a sharp decrease in the work function by ～1.45 and ～1.95 eV, respectively. The photoemission spectra were calculated, and parameters of the accumulation layer, such as the energy position of the layer below the Fermi level for different Cs and Ba coverages, were determined. It was demonstrated that the energy parameters of the accumulation layer on the n-GaN(0001) surface can be controlled by properly varying the Cs or Ba coverage. The layer thickness was found to reach a maximum for a cesium coverage of ～0.5 monolayer.     

Modification of the electronic structure and formation of an accumulation layer in ultrathin Ba/n-GaN and Ba/n-AlGaN interfaces

The electronic structure of the n-GaN(0001) and Al _x Ga_{1 ? x} N(0001) (x = 0.16, 0.42) surfaces and the Ba/n-GaN and Ba/AlGaN interfaces is subjected to in situ photoemission investigations in the submonolayer Ba coverage range. The photoemission spectra of the valence band and the spectra of the surface states and the core 3d level of Ga, the 2p level of Al, and the 4d and 5p levels of Ba are studied during synchrotron excitation in the photon energy range 50–400 eV. A spectrum of the surface states in Al _x Ga_{1 ? x} N (x = 0.16, 0.42) is found. The electronic structure of the surface and the near-surface region is found to undergo substantial changes during the formation of the Ba/n-GaN and Ba/AlGaN interfaces. The effect of narrowing the photoemission spectrum in the valence band region from 10 to 2 eV is detected, and surface eigenstates are suppressed. The Ba adsorption is found to induce the appearance of a new photoemission peak in the bandgap at the Fermi level in the Ba/n-GaN and Ba/n-Al_0.16Ga_0.84N interfaces. The nature of this peak is found to be related to the creation of an accumulation layer due to a change in the near-surface potential and enriching band bending. The energy parameters of the potential well of the accumulation layer are shown to be controlled by the Ba coverage.     

Charge accumulation layer on the <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaN (0001) surface with ultrathin Ba coatings

The adsorption of Ba on the n-type GaN(0001) surface is studied. It is found that submonolayer Ba coatings induce cardinal changes in the electronic properties of the surface with the formation of a charge accumulation layer in the region of the near-surface band bending. The excitation of the Ba/n-GaN system by light from the region of GaN transparency results in photoemission. The lowest value of the work function corresponds to ～1.90 eV at a Ba coverage of ～0.4 ML. Two surface bands induced by Ba adsorption are found in the surface photoemission spectra.     

Charge accumulation in ultrathin Cs / n - GaN and Cs / n - InGaN interfaces

We report on the observation of new phenomena that arise under Cs adsorption on n-GaN(0001) and n-InGaN(0001) surfaces. First, an extremely highly quantum efficient photoemission has been found by excitation with visible light in the transparency region of GaN and InGaN. The photoemission is revealed to appear due to the formation of an electron accumulation layer in the vicinity of the surfaces. Second, a large variety of band bending and potential wells are provided by the Cs coverages. The accumulated charge density at the n-InGaN surface is much stronger than that at the n-GaN surface. Third, a new effect is revealed, namely, the appearance of an oscillation structure in the spectral dependences of the threshold photoemission. A model concept is proposed for photocurrent oscillations that takes into account the formation of an accumulation layer and the multiple-beam interference in parallel-sided GaN or InGaN samples.     

2D degenerate electron gas at Ba/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-AlGaN and Ba/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaN interfaces

Ba/n-GaN(0001) and Ba/n-AlGaN(0001) interfaces were investigated for the first time by means of ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. The spectra of the photoemission from a valence band along with the spectra of the core levels of Ga 3d, Al 2p, and Ba 4d were studied. The formation of a 2D degenerate electron gas (an accumulated layer on the n-GaN and n-AlGaN surfaces during adsorption of Ba atoms) was revealed.     

Self-organization of nanostructures on the n-GaN(0001) surface in the Cs and Ba adsorption

A regular self-organized 2D nanostructure of a new type of nanocombs has been created in situ in an ultrahigh vacuum on the n-GaN(0001) surface. The nanostructure is formed as a result of multilayer adsorptions of Cs and Ba. The structure is highly regular in the microrange, arranged in the form of combs 60–70 nm in diameter with a wall height of about 7 nm. It has been revealed that the nanostructure has a quasi-metallic conduction, a low work function of about 1.4 eV, and a high quantum yield of photoemission under light excitation in the GaN transparency region. A self-organization model is proposed, which implies the formation of a surface 2D longperiod incommensurate phase interacting with the superstructure of the Cs⁺ and Ba²⁺ ion clusters with allowance for the polaron compensation on the GaN surface.     

Accumulation nanolayer and surface states of ultrathin Cs,Ba/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaN interfaces

It is found that Cs and Ba ultrathin coatings induce formation of a charge accumulation layer (2D electron channel) on the n-GaN(0001) surface. Photoemission of conduction electrons from the accumulation layer under excitation by light in the range of GaN transparency is revealed. It is established that the depth of the potential well of the accumulation layer can be deliberately controlled.     

Surface states and accumulation nanolayer induced by Ba and Cs adsorption on the n-GaN(0 0 0 1) surface

The Ba and Cs adsorption on the n-GaN(0 0 0 1) surface has been studied in situ by the threshold photoemission spectroscopy using s- and p-polarized light excitation. Two surface bands induced by Ba (Cs) adsorption are revealed in surface photoemission spectra below the Fermi level. The surface-Fermi level position is found to be changed from significantly below the conduction band minimum (CBM) at clean n-GaN surface to high above the CBM at Ba, Cs/n-GaN interfaces, with the transition from depletion to electron accumulation occurring at low coverages. Photoemission from the accumulation nanolayer is found to excite by visible light in the transparency region of GaN. Appearance of an oscillation structure in threshold photoemission spectra of the Ba, Cs/n-GaN interfaces with existing the accumulation layer is found to originate from Fabry–Perot interference in the transparency region of GaN.     

Oscillations in the threshold photoemission spectra of GaN(0001) with submonolayer Cs coverages

It is found that Cs adsorption on the n-type GaN(0001) surface generates an unusual change in the electronic properties of the surface and the near-surface space-charge layer, which leads to the appearance of photoelectron emission upon excitation in the transparent region of GaN. It is established that the photoemission is due to the formation of quasimetallic states induced by Cs adsorption in the band-bending region near the surface. The behavior of the photoemission threshold upon excitation by s-polarized light is studied as a function of the Cs coverage. It is found that the minimum value of the threshold corresponds to ～1.4 eV at a concentration of Cs atoms of ～4.5×10¹⁴ atom/cm² in the submonolayer coverage. A new effect is revealed, namely, the appearance of oscillations in the spectral curves of threshold photoemission. A model is proposed for photocurrent oscillations that takes into account the formation of quasimetallic states in the near-surface layer of GaN band bending and the occurrence of interference in the GaN slab upon light irradiation in the transparent region.     

Electronic structure of a Ba/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-AlGaN(0001) interface and the formation of a degenerate 2D electron gas

The electronic structure of ultrathin Ba/n-AlGaN(0001) interfaces has been investigated in situ in an ultra-high vacuum by the ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy method. The photoemission spectra from the n-AlGaN valence band and the spectra of the core levels Ga 3d, Al 2p, and Ba 4d have been studied under synchrotron excitation with photon energies of 60–400 eV. The modification of the spectra in the process of the formation of the Ba/n-AlGaN interface in the mode of the Ba submonolayer coverages has been revealed. It has been found that a decrease in the intensity in some spectral regions of the valence band is attributed to the interaction of the surface states of the AlGaN substrate with the Ba adatoms. It has been revealed that the interface formation results in the appearance of a new photoemission peak of the quasimetallic character at the Fermi level in the AlGaN bandgap. It has been established that the peak is due to the formation of the degenerate electron gas in the accumulation nanolayer induced by adsorption near the n-AlGaN surface.     

Atomic Rearrangements and Photoemission Processes at a <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-GaN(Cs)–Vacuum Interface

Spontaneous changes in photoemission properties of a р-GaN(Cs)–vacuum interface with effective negative electronic affinity induced by rearrangements of its atomic structure have been studied for the first time. The optimum Сs coating that ensures both the maximum photoelectron escape probability and its stability has been found. A thermodynamic model has been proposed to escape the relation of the photoemission properties of the р-GaN(Cs)–vacuum interface to its free energy and entropy.     

Energy distributions of photoelectrons emitted from <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-GaN(Cs,O) with effective negative electron affinity

Energy distributions of photoelectrons emitted into vacuum from the valence band and the localized states in the energy gap of p-GaN(Cs, O) with effective negative electron affinity were studied. It is shown that the photothermal electron excitation from the localized states lying below the Fermi level in the energy gap of p-GaN(Cs, O) is the dominant photoemission mechanism at the low-energy photoemission threshold.     

Charge accumulation nanolayer: A 2D electronic channel in Cs/n-InGaN ultrathin interfaces

This paper reports on the formation of a 2D electronic channel, i.e., a charge accumulation layer on the n-InGaN(0001) surface observed under adsorption of submonolayer Cs coatings. It is found that photoemission from the accumulation layer is excited by light in the InGaN transparency region. It is established that the potential well depth and the density of electronic states in the accumulation layer can be controlled by properly varying the Cs coverage. It is shown that the accumulation layer exhibits quantum-well effects. The photoemission matrix element is calculated, and the energy parameters of the accumulation layer are obtained. An oscillatory structure originating from the Fabry-Perot interference is revealed in the spectra of photoemission from the accumulation layer.     

Low-temperature method of cleaning <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-GaN(0001) surfaces for photoemitters with effective negative electron affinity

The changes in the chemical composition, atomic structure, and electronic properties of the p-GaN(0001) surface upon chemical treatment in an HCl-isopropanol solution and vacuum annealing are investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy, and low-energy electron diffraction. It is demonstrated that a considerable part of the surface gallium oxide is removed upon chemical treatment of the GaN surface. Subsequent annealing of the surface under vacuum at temperatures of 400–450°C leads to a decrease in the residual carbon and oxygen contamination to 3–5% of the monolayer. The preparation of a clean p-GaN(0001) surface with a (1×1) structure identical to that of the bulk unit cells is confirmed by the low-energy electron diffraction data. The cesium adsorption on the clean p-GaN surface results in a decrease in the work function by ～2.5 eV and the appearance of an effective negative electron affinity on the surface. The quantum efficiency of the GaN photocathode at a wavelength of 250 nm is equal to 26%.     

Generation and removal of adatom-induced electronic states on the Cs/GaAs(001) surface

A nonmonotonic behavior of band bending φ _S as a function of cesium coverage ? on the Cs/GaAs(001) surface is observed in the form of several maxima and minima. This behavior indicates the formation of the quasi-discrete spectrum of the adatom-induced electronic surface states. The hysteresis of the φ _S (?) dependence under adsorption and subsequent thermodesorption of cesium indicates the metastability of the Cs/GaAs(001) system.     

Electronic structure and adsorption properties of the system Cs/O/W(110)

Comparative studies are carried out of the Cs/O/W(110) and Cs/W(110) adsorption systems. The method of threshold photoemission spectroscopy is used to study the work function and electronic structure in the energy region near the Fermi level as functions of the sub-monolayer cesium coverage. A significant increase of the saturation cesium coverage is observed on the O/W(110) surface. A new adsorption-induced surface band is observed in the electronic spectrum of the system Cs/O/W(110) with a binding energy ∼0.7 eV. For coverages of about one monolayer metallization of the adsorbed layer is observed. It is shown that the electronic structures of the systems Cs/O/W(110) and Cs/W(110) are similar for low coverages. A difference in the adsorption properties for these two systems occurs for coverages close to one monolayer, which is explained by the creation of new interaction centers of the Cs adatoms on the W(110) surface in the presence of oxygen. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1683–1686 (September 1997)     

Photoemission from laser excited semiconductors: Dynamic response of the electronic structure in Si

Using angle-resolved photoemission in coincidence with a pulsed Nd:Yag laser beam (hν_L = 2.33 eV), we have studied the dynamic rearrangement of the electronic states in Si in the presence of a large number of electron hole pairs created by laser photon excitation. We observed considerable changes in the valence band structure, a renormalization of the bandgap, and a satellite peak in the 2p core level emission due to more effective core hole screening.     

Delayed onset of 4d photoemission relative to the giant 4d photoabsorption of La

For the giant 4d photoabsorption of La, both the total photoabsorption spectrum and the N_4.5-derived Auger emission intensity spectrum increase significantly above hν ? 112 eV, with spectral peaks at hν = 118 and 119 eV, respectively. However, the predominant 4d photoemission partial cross section shows a delayed onset of ～ 4 eV, with a peak at hν = 121 eV, while the 5s, 5p, and 5d partial cross sections all show a strong resonant enhancement at lower energies, with spectral peaks at hν = 116.6 eV. These results are compared with a recent many-body calculation for Ce. The photon energy dependence of the La 4d_{$\text{5}\text{2}$}/4d_{$\text{3}\text{2}$} photo-emission branching ratio is consistent with a “final-state model.”     

Photoemission studies of ultrathin Cs,Ba/InN interfaces

Cs/InN and Ba/InN interfaces were studied by UV photoelectron spectroscopy in the submonolayer coverage range for the first time. Normal photoemission spectra from the valence band and spectra from In 4d, Ba 5p, Ba 4d, and Cs 5p core levels were investigated in the excitation energy range of 60–800 eV. It was found that metallization of the interface and narrowing of the valence band is observed upon increasing coverage.