Confined Ge-Pt states in self-organized Pt nanowire arrays on Ge(001)

TL;DR

This study uses density functional theory to analyze the electronic structure of self-organized Pt nanowires on Ge(001), revealing a novel hybrid Ge-Pt surface state confined within the nanowire array.

Contribution

It identifies and characterizes a new mixed Ge-Pt hybrid surface state in Pt nanowires on Ge(001), clarifying its origin through theoretical calculations.

Findings

Discovery of a novel hybrid Ge-Pt surface state

The state is confined within the nanowire array

Comparison with STM data supports the theoretical results

Abstract

By means of band structure calculations within the density functional theory and the generalized gradient approximation, we investigate the electronic structure of self-organized Pt nanowires on the Ge(001) surface. In particular, we deal with a novel one-dimensional surface state confined in the nanowire array and clarify its origin. Due to large Pt contributions, the novel state is rather a mixed Ge-Pt hybrid state than a confined Ge surface state. Moreover, we compare our results to data from scanning tunneling microscopy.