Intensity-voltage low-energy electron microscopy for functional materials characterization

Dynamic I(V)-LEEM, i.e., the continuous recording of low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) images upon cycling the electron kinetic energy, enables time-resolved characterization of surface structure on the nanometer scale. When combined with state-of-the-art theoretical calculations, detailed information on geometric and electronic structure as well as chemical composition can be gained. Here, we present a contemporary review of the experimental and theoretical methodology and provide a survey of the application of I(V)-LEEM to the study of functional materials, particularly focusing on structural phenomena in oxide heteroepitaxy and chemical redox reactions. Time-dependent intensity-voltage curves demonstrate the transformation from the (1 x 1)-O adlayer phase to RuO2(110) during Ru(0001) oxidation on the nanometer scale. [GRAPHICS] . (C) 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim