Single and double In atomic layers grown on top of a single atomic NiSi2 layer on Si(111)

Atomic sandwiches consisting of In layers with coverages ranging from similar to 0.5 to similar to 2.5 monolayers atop a single-atomic-layer NiSi2 have been grown on Si(111) and have been explored using a set of experimental techniques, i.e., scanning tunneling microscopy, angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, and in situ low-temperature transport measurements, accompanied by the density functional theory calculations. It has been found that each of the three In phases forming on the NiSi2/Si(111) substrate has its definite counterpart among the In phases forming on the bare Si(111) surface. Structural, electronic, and transport properties of the single-and double-atomic In layers have been elucidated in detail.