paper

Comparative Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Study on Hexaborides

arXiv:2003.03224 · doi:10.1002/pssb.202000022

Abstract

We compare STM investigations on two hexaboride compounds, SmB $_{6}$ and EuB $_{6}$ , in an effort to provide a comprehensive picture of their surface structural properties. The latter is of particular importance for studying the nature of the surface states in SmB $_{6}$ by surface-sensitive tools. Beyond the often encountered atomically rough surface topographies of {\it in situ}, low-temperature cleaved samples, differently reconstructed as well as B-terminated and, more rarely, rare-earth terminated areas could be found. With all the different surface topographies observed on both hexaborides, a reliable assignment of the surface terminations can be brought forward.

8 pages, 10 figures