New findings on multilayer silicene on Si(111)√3×√3R30°-Ag template

Abstract

We report new findings on multilayer silicene grown on Si(111)√3 × √3 R30°-Ag template, after the recent first compelling experimental evidence of its synthesis. Low-energy electron diffraction, reflection high-energy electron diffraction, and energy-dispersive grazing incidence X-ray diffraction measurements were performed to show up the fingerprints of √3 × √3 multilayer silicene. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy displayed new features in the second surface Brillouin zone, attributed to the multilayer silicene on Si(111)√3 × √3 R30°-Ag. Band-structure dispersion theoretical calculations performed on a model of three honeycomb stacked layers, silicene grown on Si(111)√3 × √3 R30°-Ag surface confirm the experimental results.