Time-resolved measurements of electron transfer processes at the PTCDA/Ag(111) interface

The electron transfer processes at the interface between 3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (PTCDA) and Ag(111) have been studied using time- and angle-resolved two-photon photo-emission (2PPE). For this system a dispersing unoccupied interface state can be identified that is located 0.6 eV above the Fermi level with an effective electron mass of 0.39 me at the \(\overline{\Gamma}\)-point. The lifetime of 54 fs for the interface state is relatively short indicating a large penetration of the wavefunction into the metal. Supported by model calculations this interface state is interpreted as predominantly arising from an upshift of the occupied Shockley surface state of the clean metal substrate due to the interaction with the PTCDA overlayer. Coverage dependent measurements show a second long-lived component in the time-resolved measurements for higher PTCDA coverages that can be associated to charge transfer processes from the PTCDA multilayers into the metal substrate. Additionally the influence of the PTCDA adlayers on the image-potential states is studied indicating that the n = 1 image-potential state is localized in the first two monolayers of the PTCDA film.