AVS 64th International Symposium & Exhibition
    Scanning Probe Microscopy Focus Topic Tuesday Sessions
       Session SP+AS+MI+NS+SS-TuA

Paper SP+AS+MI+NS+SS-TuA10
Atomic Scale Proximity Effect at a Molecular Superconductor-Metal Boundary

Tuesday, October 31, 2017, 5:20 pm, Room 10

Session: Probe-Sample Interactions
Presenter: KyawZin Latt, Ohio University
Authors: K.Z. Latt, Ohio University
S. Khan, Ohio University
A. Ngo, Argonne National Laboratory
H. Chang, Ohio University
A. Hassanien, J. Stefan Inst., Slovenia
L. Curtiss, Argonne National Laboratory
S.W. Hla, Ohio University and Argonne National Laboratory
Correspondent: Click to Email
How a superconductor interacts with metal at a superconductor-metal boundary is vital for fundamental understanding of important phenomena such as Andreev reflection, and proximity effect. Here we investigate how the cooper pairs from a charged transfer based molecular superconducting cluster interact with 2-D surface state electrons from Ag(111) surface at the atomic scale using tunneling microscopy, tunneling spectroscopy, and atomic/molecular manipulation schemes at low temperatures in an ultrahigh vacuum environment. The superconducting molecular clusters here are composed of a few molecular chains formed by BETS (donors) and GaCl4 (acceptor). In STM images, these molecular clusters appear as ordered parallel chains resembling the ‘rafts’. Using scanning tunneling microscope (STM) manipulation, small molecular clusters are repositioned on the surface at desired locations. From the tip height signals, the dynamics of molecular clusters during their movements across the surface has been unveiled. Repeated manipulation experiments reveal that the rafts move only along [211] surface directions with single atomic site hops. Tunneling spectroscopy measurements across metal superconductor boundary provides variation of electron structures highlighting how surface state electrons interact with the superconducting clusters.