C₆₀ Grown on the Cu(111)1×1 Surface

Abstract

C 60 molecules adsorbed on the Cu(111)1×1 surface have been investigated by the field ion-scanning tunneling microscope (FI-STM). C 60 molecules initially segregate to the terrace edges and grow, with increasing coverages, into a monolayer film with the close-packing fcc(111) configuration which results in a 4×4 overlayer phase. Highly featured STM images of C 60 adsorbate have been observed and interpreted for the first time based on the local density of the states of C 60 adsorbed on the surface. Based on various STM images as a function of the bias voltage, four possible C 60 adsorption geometries are determined.