Local electronic states of ordered and disordered Kondo insulator (001) surfaces
Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 054202 – Published 15 May, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/5dn7-8z6d
Abstract
Local atomic and electronic structures of the (001) surfaces are studied by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy at low temperatures for revealing the hybridized surface electronic states. The surface was prepared by annealing in an ultrahigh vacuum at for one hour. The annealing process preferentially removed the surface Yb atoms, and the surface exhibits a homogeneous ) structure. On the inhomogeneous surface prepared by annealing for several seconds, there are three types of local ) structures. The local tunneling spectra at 5 K near the Fermi energy on the surfaces exhibit characteristic features consisting of a co-tunneling lineshape due to the Kondo lattice formation and an additional central peak. On the homogeneous surface, the shape of the central peak depends on the tip-surface distance, suggesting the hybridized nature of the surface electronic states.