Thesis advisor: Vidya Madhavan / It has been long established that the phenomenon of superconductivity is administered by lattice deformations (phonons) which act to pair electrons into spinless bosons free to condense into a coherent ground state. This superconducting phase is protected up to a critical temperature above which thermal fluctuations are potent enough to destroy the resistance free phase. The strength of this phonon mediation has been calculated by strong coupling theory and found to be capable of accommodating pairing up to near 40 K. So with the advent of copper-oxide (cuprate) superconductors boasting transitions temperatures exceeding 90 K it was clear that these material represented a new breed of superconducting physics. More than twenty years after the initial discovery of these high-transition temperatures the most basic questions are yet to be answered, the most fundamental of which is by what mechanism does pairing occur? The field splits between those who feel that a boson mediator is still necessary to act as the virtual glue which binds electrons into cooper pairs while others insist that really the Coulomb force alone is enough to induce pairing physics. Even within the boson-seeker community there is no consensus on what particular type of boson is contained in this system whether it be a lattice excitation or spin excitation. This answer has been clouded by previous experimental results on the hole-doped cuprates which have made strong cases for every scenario rendering them largely inconclusive. For this answer though it is possible to explore materials that have not yet been clouded by conflicting results by performing the first high resolution ultra-high-vacuum low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) study of an electron-doped cuprate. A distinct and unambiguous bosonic mode is found at energy near 10.5 meV. Through comparison with other experimental data it is found that this mode does not fit the characteristics of a phonon. It is found, through comparison with neutron scattering experiments on the same sample, that this mode is consistent with a spin collective mode. Further more it is found that this mode is linked with the strength of superconductivity nominating it as the possible electron pairing mechanism. Doping and temperature dependence studies are performed to investigate this possibility. Finally the same procedures developed can be applied to the newly discovered iron based superconductors which may represent yet another type of new superconductor physics. Initial results on the first bosonic mode STM study of SrFe$_{2-x}$Co$_{x}$As$_{2}$ and BaFe$_{2-x}$Co$_{x}$As$_{2}$ are presented. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Physics.

Thesis advisor: Hong Ding / Thesis advisor: Vidya Madhavan / High temperature superconductivity has been one of the most challenging problems in condensed matter physics since its discovery. This dissertation presents systematic studies on the single layer high temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2-xLaxCuO6+delta by scanning tunneling microscopy. The STM results have been compared to Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) data. Using STM spectroscopy and ARPES we observed two distinct gaps that coexist both in real space and in the antinodal region of momentum space, below the superconducting transition temperature. By looking at the energy scale of these two gaps along with the temperature dependence data, we fnd that the small gap is associated with superconductivity. The large gap persists above Tc, and seems linked to observed charge ordering. We also find a strong correlation between the large and small gaps suggesting that they are affected by similar physical processes. This is the first time that two coexisting and competing energy scales have been directly observed in STM spectroscopy. Combining this with ARPES data, we show that the pseudogap may be a diffferent order parameter from the superconducting phase. This provides support to the recently proposed "two gaps scenario" and should lead to more experimental discovery and theoretical discussions. In this dissertation we also discuss the spatial properties of the scanning tunneling microscopy conductance maps, as well as the charge ordering pattern at high energies. We observe interesting periodic patterns at low energies which can not be explained by a simple charge density wave picture. We also fnd the surprising bias dependence in terms of the contrast reversal. We propose a model of STM measuring effect to explain these phenomena. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Physics.

L'élaboration d'auto-assemblages constitués par des molécules conjuguées, sur des surfaces semi-conductrices et stables à température ambiante, est l'un des défis majeurs qui doit être résolu pour permettre l'avènement de l'électronique moléculaire. Au cours de ma thèse, j'ai développé de nouveaux concepts permettant d'aboutir à ce type d'assemblage en évitant une trop forte interaction molécule/silicium. Pour cela, j'ai adopté trois stratégies distinctes en fonction de la dimensionnalité des édifices supramoléculaires recherchés : 1) minimiser l'interaction molécule/silicium en utilisant une surface de silicium très dopée en atomes de bore, 2) utiliser l'effet « template » d'une reconstruction 1D semi-métallique de l'interface SmSi pour créer et auto-aligner des molécules, 3) et protéger le squelette conjugué des molécules organiques et guider un assemblage bidimensionnel en utilisant des molécules zwitterioniques. Les images STM à très haute résolution sous ultravide et à température ambiante ont été obtenues. Tous les résultats expérimentaux sont confortés par des calculs de type « théorie de la fonctionnelle densité ».

<p>In this diploma work I present the first experimental investigations</p><p>of carbon nanotubes at Karlstads University. Raw nanotube powder</p><p>of single walled carbon nanotubes have been dispersed primarily in</p><p>1,2-dichloroethane. The solutions have been spincoated on Au(111)</p><p>substrates. In order to determine the solubility of carbon nanotubes</p><p>in the solution the samples have been investigated in an atomic force</p><p>microscope.</p><p>Single walled carbon nanotubes deposited on a Au(111) substrate</p><p>have been investigated in a scanning tunneling microscope. Atomically</p><p>resolved STM images of single walled carbon nanotubes were obtained.</p><p>Scanning tunneling spectroscopy spectra was taken on a tube revealing</p><p>its chirality. The measured data from the nanotubes was compared to</p><p>calculations and confirmed their properties.</p><p>Dry direct contact transfers of individual single walled carbon nanotubes</p><p>have been done as a first step when trying to deposit carbon</p><p>nanotubes on reactive surfaces in ultra-high vacuum. Individual nanotubes</p><p>were found, confirming the success of dry direct contact transfer.</p>

In this diploma work I present the first experimental investigations of carbon nanotubes at Karlstads University. Raw nanotube powder of single walled carbon nanotubes have been dispersed primarily in 1,2-dichloroethane. The solutions have been spincoated on Au(111) substrates. In order to determine the solubility of carbon nanotubes in the solution the samples have been investigated in an atomic force microscope. Single walled carbon nanotubes deposited on a Au(111) substrate have been investigated in a scanning tunneling microscope. Atomically resolved STM images of single walled carbon nanotubes were obtained. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy spectra was taken on a tube revealing its chirality. The measured data from the nanotubes was compared to calculations and confirmed their properties. Dry direct contact transfers of individual single walled carbon nanotubes have been done as a first step when trying to deposit carbon nanotubes on reactive surfaces in ultra-high vacuum. Individual nanotubes were found, confirming the success of dry direct contact transfer.

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The discovery of high-\(T_c\) superconductivity in 1986 generated tremendous excitement. However, despite over 25 years of intense research efforts, many properties of these complex materials are still poorly understood. For example, the cuprate phase diagram is dominated by a mysterious "pseudogap" state, a depletion in the Fermi level density of states which persists above the superconducting critical temperature \(T_c\). Furthermore, these materials are typically electronically inhomogeneous at the atomic scale, but to what extent the intrinsic chemical or structural disorder is responsible for electronic inhomogeneity, and whether the inhomogeneity is relevant to pseudogap or superconductivity, are unresolved questions. In this thesis, I will describe scanning tunneling microscopy experiments which probe the interplay of structural, chemical and electronic disorder in high-\(T_c\) superconductors. First, I will present the imaging of a picoscale orthorhombic structural distortion in Bi-based cuprates. Based on insensitivity of this structural distortion to temperature, magnetic field, and doping level we conclude that it is an omnipresent background not related to the pseudogap state. I will also present the discovery of three types of oxygen disorder in the high-\(T_c\) superconductor \(Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+x}\) two different interstitials as well as vacancies at the apical oxygen site. We find a strong correlation between the positions of these defects and the nanoscale inhomogeneity in the pseudogap phase, which highlights the importance of chemical disorder in these compounds. Furthermore, I will show the determination of the exact intra-unit-cell positions of these dopants and the effect of different types of intrinsic strain on their placement. I will also describe the identification of chemical disorder in another cuprate \(Y_{1−x}Ca_xBa_2Cu_3O_{7−x}\), and the first observation of electronic inhomogeneity of the spectral gap in this material. Finally, I will present definitive identification of the cleavage surfaces in \(Pr_xCa_{1−x}Fe_2As_2\), and imaging of Pr dopants which exhibit lack of clustering, thus ruling out Pr inhomogeneity as the likely source of the high-\(T_c\) volume fraction. To achieve the aforementioned results, we employ novel analytical and experimental tools such as an average supercell algorithm, high-bias dI/dV dopant mapping, and local barrier height mapping. / Physics

The understanding of nucleation and growth of metals on a planar support at the atomic level is critical for both surface science research and heterogeneous catalysis studies. In this dissertation, two planar substrates, including graphene and ultra-thin silica film were employed for supported model catalysts studies. The structure and stability of several catalytically important metals supported on these two substrates were thoroughly investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) coupled with other traditional surface science techniques. In the study of the graphene/Ru(0001) system, the key factors that govern the growth and distribution of metals on the graphene have been studied based on different behaviors of five transition metals, namely Pt, Rh, Pd, Co, and Au supported on the template of a graphene moire pattern formed on Ru(0001). Both metal-carbon (M-C) bond strength and metal cohesive energies play significant roles in the cluster formation process and the M-C bond strength is the most important factor that affects the morphology of clusters at the initial stages of growth. Interestingly, Au exhibits two-dimensional (2-D) structures that span several moire unit cells. Preliminary data obtained by dosing molecular oxygen onto CO pre-covered Au islands suggest that the 2-D Au islands catalyze the oxidation of CO. Moreover, graphene/Ru(0001) system was modified by introducing transition metals, oxygen or carbon at the interface between the graphene and Ru(0001). Our STM results reveal that the geometric and/or electronic structure of graphene can be adjusted correspondingly. In the study of the silica thin film system, the structure of silica was carefully investigated and our STM images favor for the [SiO4] cluster model rather than the network structure. The nucleation and adsorption of three metals, namely Rh, Pt and Pd show that the bond strength between the metal atom and Si is the key factor that determines the nucleation sites at the initial stages of metal deposition. The annealing effect studies reveal that Rh and Pt atoms diffuse beneath the silica film and form the 2-D islands that are covered with a silica thin film. In contrast, the formation of Pd silicide was observed upon annealing to high temperatures.

This diploma thesis deals with the design of a precise multi-channel pulse generator for the synchronization of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrumentation. The thesis reflects current state-of-the-art solutions in communication and trends in the field of laser spectroscopy. Moreover, the device is based on the modern implementation of embedded devices using C and C++ programming languages using the Ethernet for communication. The communication with the control software is provided via the SDD protocol; designed at CEITEC BUT. Finally, the data of the SDD protocol are sent by the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) protocol in native file format (JSON). This thesis brings the synchronization of the 10 devices by precision timing.

This thesis deals with the development of scanning probe microscopes. Mechanical requirements for microscopes using measuring methods of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) under enviroments of an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) and variable temperatures are specified. Mechanical designs of two microscopes are discussed and their control electronics described. A special chapter is devoted to description of linear piezo manipulators and mechanical design of these prototypes.