Palestrante: Dr. Shadi Fatayer (IBM Research - Zurich, 8803 Rüschlikon, Switzerland)

Abstract: Charge-state investigations of single adsorbates on ultrathin insulating films has revealed fundamental charging properties. Some examples are the charge-state determination and control of adatoms (1) and molecules (2,3) on bilayer NaCl as well as the charge-distribution mapping within a molecule (4). However, multilayered insulating films are necessary to efficiently confine charges at the surface – requiring better understanding of adsorbate charging and their quantification on thicker films [5].

Here, we demonstrate essential steps towards exploring charge state transitions of single molecules on insulators. Our novel approach is based on single-electron detection using an atomic force microscope that allows tunneling spectroscopy measurements of a single molecule on an insulator to be performed. This culminates in the characterization of a fundamental property of the molecule/surrounding system, the reorganization energy.

[1] J. Repp et al, Science 305, 493 (2004)
[2] T. Leoni et al, Physical Review Letters 106, 216103 (2011)
[3] I. Swart et al, Nano Letters 11, 1580 (2011)
[4] F. Mohn et al, Nature Nanotechnology 7, 227 (2012)
[5] W. Steurer et al, Nature Communications 6, 8353 (2015)