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LaAgSb 2 is a Dirac semimetal showing charge density wave (CDW) order. Previous angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) results suggest the existence of the Dirac-cone-like structure in the vicinity of the Fermi level along the Γ –M direction. This paper is devoted to a complex analysis of the electronic band structure of LaAgSb 2 by means of ARPES and theoretical studies within the ab initio method as well as tight binding model formulation. To investigate the possible surface states, we performed the direct DFT slab calculation and the surface Green function calculation for the (001) surface. The appearance of the surface states, which depends strongly on the surface, points to the conclusion that LaSb termination is realized in the cleaved crystals. Moreover, the surface states predicted by our calculations at the Γ and X points are found by ARPES. Nodal lines, which exist along the X–R and M–A paths due to crystal symmetry, are also observed experimentally. The calculations reveal other nodal lines, which originate from the vanishing of spin–orbit splitting and are located at the X–M–A–R plane at the Brillouin zone boundary. In addition, we analyze the band structure along the Γ –M path to verify whether Dirac surface states can be expected. Their appearance in this region is not confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LaCuSb 2 is a superconductor with a transition temperature of about T c = 0.9 K and is a potential platform where Dirac fermions can be experimentally observed. In this paper, we report systematic high-resolution studies of its electronic structure using the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) technique supported by the DFT calculation. The Fermi surface consists of four branches, of which the two inner ones are more 3-dimensional and the theoretical calculations reproduce well the experiment. We observe several linear dispersions forming Dirac-like structures. The nodal lines are present in the system along the M–A and X–R and Dirac crossings along the X–R are observed by ARPES. Finally, the nesting between external Fermi surface pockets, which corresponds to charge density wave (CDW) modulation vector is enhanced in LaCuSb 2 as compared to LaAgSb 2 , while CDW appears in the latter system. • Band structure and Fermi surface of LaCuSb 2 superconductor mapped using ARPES and DFT calculations. • Fermi surface consists of four branches and two inner-ones are more 3-dimensional. • A presence of Dirac fermions is manifested by several Dirac crossings, which are found by ARPES and DFT. • A presence of nodal lines along M-A and X-R directions is found theoretically and the latter line is studied by ARPES. • Enhanced Fermi surface nesting is observed in LaCuSb 2 as compared to LaAgSb 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the properties of the InSb (001) surface covered with ultrathin KBr films, with a thickness of 1–4 ML. KBr deposition does not strongly perturb the crystallographic structure of the InSb surface and the electronic structure of the substrate also remains unaffected by the overlayer. A simple model of the studied system is proposed, in which a thin KBr layer is treated as a dielectric film, modifying potential barrier for the electrons tunneling to/from the InSb substrate. Apparent step heights on the KBr film, measured using scanning tunneling microscope (STM), agree well with the predictions of the model and the atomically-resolved STM images show the structure of the InSb-KBr interface. Our results demonstrate that STM may be used as a tool for investigations of the semiconductor–insulator interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the properties of the InSb (100) surface passivated with sulfur dimers emitted by the solid-state electrochemical cell in ultra-high vacuum. Annealing the passivated surface in the temperature equal to T = 326 °C led to the formation of the c(4 × 8) surface reconstruction, while increasing the temperature to T = 348 °C resulted in the transition to c(4 × 12) reconstruction. To the best of our knowledge these reconstructions have not been reported to date and are characterized by the exceptionally good crystallographic order. XPS studies revealed that there are at least 4 different chemical species of sulfur present on the surface and the estimated thickness of the sulfur layers is equal to around 4 Å. The surface reconstructions are characterized by the lowered intensity of the surface electronic states and resonances near the Fermi level, compared to the clean InSb surface, making them potentially very useful for the fabrication of InSb-based electronic and optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) band structures of indium- and arsenic-terminated InAs(001) surfaces are investigated. These surfaces are highly reconstructed, elementary cells of their lattices contain many atoms in different chemical configurations, and moreover, they are composed of domains having related but different reconstructions. These domain-type surface reconstructions result in the reciprocal spaces containing regions with well-defined k → ∥ -vector and regions with not-well-defined one. In the ARPES spectra most of the surface related features appear as straight lines in the indeterminate k → ∥ -vector space. It is shown that, thanks to differences in crystal and surface symmetries, the single photon energy ARPES may be successfully used for classification of surface and bulk bands of electronic states on complex, highly reconstructed surfaces instead of the most often used variable photon energy studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] α -Sn is an elemental topological material, whose topological phases can be tuned by strain and magnetic field. Such tunability offers a substantial potential for topological electronics. However, InSb substrates, commonly used to stabilize α -Sn allotrope, suffer from parallel conduction, restricting transport investigations and potential applications. Here, the successful MBE growth of high-quality α -Sn layers on insulating, hybrid (001) CdTe/GaAs substrates, with bulk electron mobility approaching 20000 cm2V−1s−1 is reported. The electronic properties of the samples are systematically investigated by independent complementary techniques, enabling thorough characterization of the 3D Dirac (DSM) and Weyl (WSM) semimetal phases induced by the strains and magnetic field, respectively. Magneto-optical experiments, corroborated with band structure modelling, provide an exhaustive description of the bulk states in the DSM phase. The modelled electronic structure is directly observed in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, which reveals linearly dispersing bands near the Fermi level. The first detailed study of negative longitudinal magnetoresistance relates this effect to the chiral anomaly and, consequently, to the presence of WSM. Observation of the π Berry phase in Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations agrees with the topologically non-trivial nature of the investigated samples. Our findings establish α -Sn as an attractive topological material for exploring relativistic physics and future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group IV‐VI van der Waals crystals (MX, where M = Ge, Sn, and X = S, Se) are receiving increasing attention as semiconducting thermoelectric materials with nontoxic, earth‐abundant composition. Among them, SnSe is considered the most promising as it exhibits a remarkably high thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT), initially attributed to its low lattice thermal conductivity. However, it has been shown that the electronic band structure plays an equally important role in thermoelectric performance. A certain band shape, described as a "pudding mold" and characteristic for all MXs, has been predicted to significantly improve ZT by combining good electrical conductivity with high Seebeck coefficient. This subtle feature is explored experimentally for GeS, SnS, and SnSe by means of angle‐resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The technique also allows for the determination of the effective mass and Fermi level position of as‐grown undoped crystals. The findings are supported by ab initio calculations of the electronic band structure. The results greatly contribute to the general understanding of the valence band dispersion of MXs and reinforce their potential as high‐performance thermoelectric materials, additionally giving prospects for designing systems consisting of van der Waals heterostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) at surfaces and interfaces of semiconductors are described straightforwardly with a one-dimensional (1D) self-consistent Poisson-Schrödinger scheme. However, their band energies have not been modeled correctly in this way. Using angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy we study the band structures of 2DEGs formed at sulfur-passivated surfaces of InAs(001) as a model system. Electronic properties of these surfaces are tuned by changing the S coverage, while keeping a high-quality interface, free of defects and with a constant doping density. In contrast to earlier studies we show that the Poisson-Schrödinger scheme predicts the 2DEG band energies correctly but it is indispensable to take into account the existence of the physical surface. The surface substantially influences the band energies beyond simple electrostatics, by setting nontrivial boundary conditions for 2DEG wave functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Reversibility of SiC (0001) graphitization is discovered. • New process allows for the synthesis of few-layers, ABC-stacked graphene. • Surface of SiC underneath graphene remains minimally step-bunched. • Flat bands near Fermi energy are observed for multi-layer graphene. We show that the thermal decomposition of SiC (0001) surface is reversible, if carried out in near-equilibrium conditions, with an external Si atomic beam applied to the substrate. Taking advantage of this observation we design a novel process, allowing for the growth of uniform, few-layers, ABC-stacked graphene. This process is composed of two phases; the first is a graphene film growth and the second is its reduction to the desired thickness. We find that, when using this scheme instead of the conventional ones the heavy step bunching on the substrate is avoided, and the step heights remain below 2.75 nm. Since the step bunching is one of the most important factors prohibiting the use of epitaxial graphene on SiC in certain application areas, such as analog electronics or sensing, our method has the potential to be applied in future wafer-scale graphene technologies and processes. Moreover, the results obtained in this work exemplify general near-equilibrium phenomena and therefore they may be also relevant for growth methods of other 2D materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • 2DEG at InAs surfaces is described with the Poisson-Schroedinger model. • Surface is important and it have to be accounted for the model. • IBA treatment may lead to the loss of the 2D character of the surface electron gas. Using angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy we study band structures of two dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) formed at surfaces of InAs(001) due to the band bending effect. We find that, for surfaces prepared by nondestructive methods very clear, model 2DEG bands are obtained. In contrast, for ion bombarded surfaces features looking as if 2DEG band contours were uniformly filled with signal are seen. We show that these observations may be explained within the one-electron Poisson-Schrödinger scheme, however, it is necessary to relax the standard boundary conditions with adding a transition zone in which the crystal potential may interpolate between its vacuum and bulk values in nontrivial way. In reality such a zones do exist and correspond to non zero thick surface/interface layers. For ion bombarded surfaces it is also necessary to take into account diffusion and complex reactions of point defects induced with an ion beam. These observations are discussed in the context of electronics devices that often contain similar 2DEGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]