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Surface states
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<p>Surface states are <a href="/facts/Electronic_state/66x51Khc">electronic states</a> found at the <a href="/facts/Surface_(topology)/jK1b1KIG">surface</a> of materials. They are formed due to the sharp transition from solid material that ends with a surface and are found only at the atom layers closest to the surface. The termination of a material with a surface leads to a change of the <a href="/facts/Electronic_band_structure/W5o7oE2R">electronic band structure</a> from the bulk material to the <a href="/facts/Vacuum/BTk3goyV">vacuum</a>. In the weakened potential at the surface, new electronic states can be formed, so called surface states. </p>