Detection of Surface States in Quantum Materials ZrTe2 and TmB4 by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy (STM/S), with its exceptional surface sensitivity and exquisite energy resolution, is well suited for the investigation of surface states down to atomic length scales. As such, it became an essential tool to probe the surface states of materials, including those with non-trivial topology. One challenge, however, can be the preparation of clean surfaces which allow the study of preferably unchanged surface properties with respect to the bulk amount. Here, we report on the STM/S of two materials, ZrTe2 and TmB4. The former cleaves easily and defects can be examined in detail. However, our STS data can only qualitatively be compared to the results of band structure calculations. In the case of TmB4, the preparation of suitable surfaces is highly challenging, and atomically flat surfaces (likely of B-termination) were only encountered rarely. We found a large density of states (DOS) at the Fermi level EF and a mostly featureless differential conductance near EF. Further efforts are required to relate our results to the electronic structure predicted by ab initio calculations.

Automated summary

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy (STM/S) is a powerful technique for studying surface states at atomic length scales. This article focuses on the STM/S investigation of two materials, ZrTe2 and TmB4. While ZrTe2 is relatively easy to prepare and study, TmB4 poses significant challenges in obtaining suitable surfaces for analysis. Further efforts are needed to establish a connection between the experimental results and the predicted electronic structure.