Band structure and oscillatory electron-phonon coupling of Pb thin films determined by atomic-layer-resolved quantum-well states.

Using a low temperature growth method, we have prepared atomically flat Pb thin films over a wide range of film thickness on a Si-(111)-7 x 7 surface. The Pb film morphology and electronic structure are investigated in situ by scanning tunneling microscopy and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Well-defined and atomic-layer-resolved quantum-well states of the Pb films are used to determine the band structure and the electron-phonon coupling constant (lambda) of the films. We found an oscillatory behavior of lambda with an oscillation periodicity of two atomic layers. Almost all essential features in the Pb/Si(111) system, such as the growth mode, the oscillatory film stability, and the 9 monolayer envelope beating pattern, can be explained by our results in terms of the electron confinement in Pb films.