Electronic structure of the molecular switch tetra-tert-butyl-azobenzene adsorbed on Ag(111)

Occupied and unoccupied electronic states in tetra-tert-butyl-azobenzene (TBA) absorbed on Ag(111) have been investigated by one-photon and two-photon photoemission spectroscopy. These measurements allow the quantitative determination of energetic positions of the highest occupied (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) as well as the n=1 image potential state. The assignment of the electronic states are supported by quantum chemical calculations. Experimentally a HOMO-LUMO gap of 2.85 eV is observed, whereas the gap obtained from the calculated molecular orbital energies is 0.92 eV larger. This discrepancy can be explained by image charge screening. Furthermore, two unoccupied final states located 0.18 and 0.43 eV above the vacuum level, respectively, have been identified.