Welcome

UC Davis STM and LEEM Group

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) and Low Energy Electron Microscopy (LEEM) are high resolution microscropy techniques for studying the surface structure of a wide variety of materials, finding applications in the fields of physics, chemistry, engineering, and biology. STM is capable of atomic resolution, while LEEM can provide real-time movies of nucleation and growth phenomena on surfaces. The STM and LEEM group at UC Davis, supervised by Professor Shirley Chiang, utilizes high resolution images from these microscopes, in combination with other more standard surface science techniques, such as low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), to investigate a broad range of problems relating to condensed matter physics and chemistry. Recent research has focused on systems of metals (Pb, Ag, Ir, Au) on semiconductors, particularly low-index faces of single-crystal germanium. We have recently begun studying quantum materials using a low temperature STM (330mK, 11 T magnetic field). Much earlier work from the group described high resolution imaging of small molecules on metal surfacces. Professor Chiang also studied graphene on SiC while on sabbatical leave in France in 2008-2009. These pages will describe the research activities, equipment, publications, and people in this research group.