Surface Electronic Properties and Atomic Images of the As-prepared Nd1Ba2Cu3Oy Single Crystals

Recently, high quality single crystals of Nd1Ba2Cu3Oy (Nd123) high temperature superconductors (HTSC) have been successfully fabricated in our laboratory. In this paper, parts of the results of surface characterization of Nd123 single crystals employing an ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope/spectroscopy (UHV-STM/STS) are reported. Atomic images are shown. The surface natural termination layer is unambiguously determined. It is demonstrated that the surfaces of the as-prepared single crystals of Nd123 HTSC are stable and clean in air. The effect of surface defect structures on the surface electronic properties is also investigated.