Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, Vol.12, No.3, 1988-1991, 1994
Scanning Probe Microscopy and Spectroscopy Study of the Organic Salt (Et)2Khg(SCN)4
The surfaces of cleaved single crystals of (ET)2KHg(SCN)4 [where ET is bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene] were imaged by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Two distinct surfaces are observed with STM : a complete (ET)2+ layer and a complete KHg(SCN)4- layer STM images of the cation layer are independent of scanning tip polarity, which is consistent with its metallic character. By contrast, images of the anion layer are strongly dependent upon the polarity of the tip and thus provide information about occupied and unoccupied molecular orbitals in the KHg(SCN)4- surface. The AFM images were obtained at ambient conditions and correlate well with STM images of the (ET)2+ layer. Preliminary spectroscopy measurements on cleaved crystals at low temperature indicate that the insulating ground state phase contains a 3 meV gap in the density of states, which has a value of 2DELTA/kT(c)=8.
Keywords:TUNNELING-MICROSCOPY;SURFACE-STRUCTURE;BEDT-TTF;SUPERCONDUCTOR KAPPA-(BEDT-TTF)2CU(NCS)2;CONDUCTOR;(BEDT-TTF)2CU(NCS)2;CRYSTAL;STM