A mechanism for cutting carbon nanotubes with a scanning tunneling microscope

We discuss the local cutting of single-walled carbon nanotubes by a voltage pulse to the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. The tip voltage ( V) is the key physical quantity in the cutting process. After reviewing several possible physical mechanisms we conclude that the cutting process relies on the weakening of the carbon-carbon bonds through a combination of localized particle-hole excitations induced by inelastically tunneling electrons and elastic deformation due to the electric field between tip and sample. The carbon network releases part of the induced mechanical stress by forming topological defects that act as nucleation centers for the formation of dislocations that dynamically propagate towards bond-breaking. Received 6 April 2000     

Electroelastic field of a sphere located in the vicinity of a plane piezoelectric surface

The electric field generated by a scanning probe microscope is determined. Analytical expressions for the electroelastic field in a piezoelectric sample and the external electric field are derived for a spherical probe. It is demonstrated that the coupling of elastic and electrostatic fields in the piezoelectric material leads to energy redistribution between such fields. This circumstance causes variations in the normal component of the electric field strength at the interface and the capacitance of a probe.     

Time-resolved current response of a nanosecond laser pulse illuminated STM tip

Time-resolved dependence of the transient current through a ns laser pulse illuminated scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip/sample gap in tunneling mode and out of tunneling range is presented. A self-designed fast STM-preamplifier (bandwidth 35 MHz) allows one to resolve the fine structure of the transient signal as well as the observation of some effects that are undetectable by using conventional low-band preamplifiers. The dependence of the threshold laser pulse intensity, which corresponds to the beginning of electron emission from tip (in non-tunneling mode), as a function of the tip/sample distance was investigated. At tip/sample distances from tunnel contact up to approximately 1 μm a linear dependence is found. This behavior is in good agreement with the theory for field enhancement in a STM tip/sample system. In tunneling mode a ns (fast component) as well as a μs (slow component) current response was found as a result of the laser pulse illumination. These data suggest the tip bending to be an important factor in clarifying the thermal/mechanical mechanism of laser-assisted surface nanomodification. Received: 4 May 1998 / Accepted: 29 January 1999 / Published online: 28 April 1999     

Magnetic force microscopy study of magnetic stray-field effects due to mechanical surface modifications of patterned Permalloy thin films

The domain structure of magnetic thin films is strongly influenced by the presence of surface defects. We have used a scanning tunneling microscope for local surface modifications of thin Permalloy films by mechanical interaction between tip and sample. The changes of the magnetic stray-field distribution due to local topographic modifications have been probed by magnetic force microscopy. The relationship between the surface morphology and the micromagnetic structure is studied for different types of surface modifications.     

Contrast mechanisms in photothermal scanning tunneling microscopy

By irradiation of the tunneling junction of a scanning tunneling microscope with intensity-modulated laser light a gap-width modulation due to thermal expansion of tip and sample was produced. Photothermal images were obtained by spatial mapping of the resulting modulation of the tunneling current or its logarithm. The various mechanisms responsible for the observed contrast are discussed quantitatively. In case of a highly corrugated gold film on mica the contrast arises mainly from either the current variations caused by the non-zero reaction time of the current control loop or from a geometry factor. In both cases the images reflect certain properties of the sample topography. On the other hand, for a liquid-crystal film adsorbed on graphite a contrast on a molecular scale was found which is attributed to variations of the effective barrier height.     

电场下用扫描隧道显微镜对针尖原子扩散的观察

用扫描隧道显微镜（STM）研究了在金针尖和金样品间施加大偏压时所发生的各种不同的现象．在缓变大偏压的作用下，观察到针尖原子会发生场致扩散，导致针尖形状发生变化，并且还观察到了场发射和共振隧穿现象．提出了针尖原子的场致扩散是偏压电场使针尖表面极化引起的这一机理，并且指出了这种场致扩散在用大脉冲偏压作表面加工中起着重要的作用 关键词：     

Optical selection rules in light emission from the scanning tunneling microscope

It is reported that optical selection rules still apply in light emission from the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Linear polarization of isochromat light emitted from the tunneling gap between a STM tip made of tungsten (W) and a silicon (Si) sample with a (001) clean surface strongly depends on the bias voltage between tip and sample. The results show that pi* and sigma* surface states, for example, of the Si(001) sample contribute to emission of p- and s-polarized light, respectively, in accordance with optical selection rules.     

Au表面等离子体激元激发的扫描探针电子能谱

结合扫描隧道显微镜（STM）与电子能谱仪是实现表面微区元素分析的途径之一．我们将环形电子能量分析器和三维扫描探针系统相结合,建立了一台扫描探针电子能谱仪(SPEES)．通过测量针尖近场发射束流激发的Au表面能量损失谱,我们用研究了Au原子的等离子体激元激发现象．进一步通过改变针尖－样品距离,我们研究了Au等离子体激元峰与弹性散射峰的强度比随针尖－样品距离变化的关系．研究结果发现该强度比与针尖－样品距离的关系并不是单调变化,而是在一个特定位置存在极大．     

Controlled charge switching on a single donor with a scanning tunneling microscope

The charge state of individually addressable impurities in semiconductor material was manipulated with a scanning tunneling microscope. The manipulation was fully controlled by the position of the tip and the voltage applied between tip and sample. The experiments were performed at low temperature on the (110) surface of silicon doped GaAs. Silicon donors up to 1 nm below the surface can be reversibly switched between their neutral and ionized state by the local potential induced by the tip. By using ultrasharp tips, the switching process occurs close enough to the impurity to be observed as a sharp circular feature surrounding the donor. By utilizing the controlled manipulation, we were able to map the Coulomb potential of a single donor at the semiconductor-vacuum interface.     

Photon emission from polycrystalline Ag induced by scanning tunneling microscopy: comparison of different tip materials

Photon emission from polycrystalline silver induced by scanning tunneling microscopy is studied for three different tip materials (Au, PtIr and W). Photon emission intensity curves as a function of the tip voltage are observed to be almost identical for platinum-iridium alloy and gold tips (and more than 10 times enhanced as compared with the tungsten tip). An evolution in topography and photon map for different applied voltages is investigated along with the study of the spatial distribution of photon emission in dependence upon the surface local differential height. It turns out that no clear correlation between a local curvature and enhancement of light emission can be found. Simultaneous measurements of tunneling current and photon intensity as a function of vertical tip displacement confirm the earlier observation, namely, that similar apparent barrier heights exist for both elastic and inelastic tunneling channels. The role of the tip material as well as its shape is discussed.     

High-resolution magnetic imaging by local tunneling magnetoresistance

We give an overview over our recent efforts of high-resolution magnetic imaging using scanning tunneling microscopy with a ferromagnetic tip. Magnetic sensitivity is obtained on the basis of local tunneling magnetoresistance between a soft magnetic tip and the sample. The magnetisation of the tip is switched periodically with a small coil, leading to variations of the tunneling current due to the tunneling magnetoresistance effect. These variations are detected with a lock-in amplifier to separate spin-dependent parts from the topographic parts of the tunneling current such that the topography and the magnetic structure of the sample can be recorded simultaneously. Crucial for this method is to avoid mechanical vibrations of the tip, that may also lead to variations in the tunneling current. Exemplary studies of polycrystalline Ni and the closure domain pattern of Co(0001) are presented, showing high contrast at acquisition times as low as 3 ms/pixel and a lateral resolution of the order of 1 nm. Further it is demonstrated that besides topography and magnetisation, also local information about the magnetic susceptibility can be obtained. Received: 28 April 2000 / Accepted: 15 May 2000 / Published online: 7 March 2001     

Graphene on Ru(0001): contact formation and chemical reactivity on the atomic scale

Graphene on Ru(0001) is contacted with Au tips of a cryogenic scanning tunneling microscope. The formation and conductance of single-atom contacts vary within the moiré unit cell. Density functional calculations reveal that elastic distortions of the graphene lattice occur at contact due to a selectively enhanced chemical reactivity of C atoms at hollow sites of Ru(0001). Concomitant quantum transport calculations indicate that the graphene-Ru distance determines the conductance variations.     

0.5Ba(Ti0.8Zr0.2)O3-0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3压电薄膜的摩擦、磨损性能

具有准同型相界组分的0.5Ba(Ti_0.8Zr_0.2)O₃-0.5(Ba_0.7Ca_0.3)TiO₃ (BZT-0.5BCT)陶瓷, 表现出优异的铁电、压电性能, 作为一种具有潜在应用前景的无铅压电材料得到广泛关注. 本文采用溶胶-凝胶方法在Si(100)基底上制备了BZT-0.5BCT压电薄膜. 使用原子力显微镜和扫描电子显微镜测量得到样品的形貌图, 形貌图表明该方法制备的无铅压电薄膜表面光滑, 晶粒大小均匀、呈半球形, 直径为80–100 nm, 厚度为1.7 μm, 膜的内部有气孔.摩擦力实验表明, 压电薄膜样品与硅针尖之间存在静电力的作用, 导致其摩擦力远大于硅针尖与SiO₂之间的摩擦力, 但是两者的摩擦系数基本相同.划痕实验表明, BZT-0.5BC薄膜具有很强的法向承载能力, 但是切向抗磨损能力差, 样品的平均弹性模量为23.64 GPa± 5 GPa, 其硬度为2.7–4 GPa, 两者均略低于压电陶瓷Pb(Zr, Ti)O₃材料的体态值. 关键词： BZT-BCT薄膜 纳米摩擦力 纳米压痕 纳米划痕     

Energy balance in the tip-sample system of a tunneling microscope in the surface modification regime

An analysis is made of the contributions of various energy release mechanisms in the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope under conditions typical of the local modification of the surface of a solid with allowance for the specific characteristics of the microscope geometry. It is shown that the dominant heating mechanism depends on the parameters of the material and the current flow regime. The solution of the exact problem yields a formula to estimate the temperature of a tip having a model profile in the form of a paraboloid of revolution. Known solutions of problems in fluctuation electrodynamics are used to derive an expression for the rate of energy dissipation of the thermal electromagnetic field of the half space at the apex of a tunneling microscope tip. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 70–76 (November 1997)     

Theory for photon emission from a scanning tunneling microscope

We have calculated the rate of light emission from a scanning tunneling microscope with an Ir tip probing a silver film. In the calculation we model the tip by a sphere. We find a considerable enhancement of the light emission compared with for example inverse photoemission experiments. This enhancement is explained as the result of an amplification of the electromagnetic field in the area below the microscope tip due to a localised interface plasmon. We estimate that one out of 10⁴ tunneling electrons will emit a photon in the visible range. Due to an electromagnetic decoupling of the sphere from the sample the enhanced emission is lost for photon energies above a certain value. We also find that the experimentally observed maximum in the light emission as a function of bias voltage is related to the behavior of tip-sample separation versus bias voltage.     

Scanning tunneling microscope with long range lateral motion

We present our work on a recently built scanning tunneling microscope (STM), with coarse motion in two-dimensions. The tip of this STM can be translated a few millimeters in directions both parallel and perpendicular to the tip. This feature allows sampling of a larger area for experiments such as the study of how the electrical properties of charge density waves evolve between contacts, the proximity effect near a normal metal–superconducting interface, charge transport near the contact of a semiconductor interface, and for finding microscopically small samples like graphene. This STM is based on one of our previous one-dimensional designs. It utilizes orchestrated motion of six piezoelectric tubes in a slip–stick configuration in order to produce long range motion for the walker. This device is a single unit with a compact design making it very stable. It is stable enough to obtain atomic resolution on HOPG. It can operate in either a horizontal or vertical configuration and at cryogenic temperatures. It was designed entirely from non-magnetic materials for potential work in a magnetic field.     

Studies of imaging experiment for photon scanning tunneling microscopy

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Tunneling current oscillations excited by DC voltage

Investigating a polycrystalline gold layer on glass by a scanning tunneling microscope in air, tunneling current oscillations were found, which are excited by the DC voltage across the gap. The oscillation amplitude is dependent on the place on the surface of the sample and correlates with its topography. The frequency spectra of these oscillations are influenced by resonances of the mechanical system (z-piezo/sample holder/transducer/sample). A piezoelectric transducer is able to detect alternating forces originating from the tunnel junction. The resonances in the spectrum of the AC tunneling current and the mechanical resonances of the STM system seem to be related. Trapping and subsequent delayed desorption of charge carriers at localized surface states could play a role in generating the observed time-dependent forces across the gap and thereby creating tunneling current oscillations.     

Modeling tip performance for combined STM-luminescence and aperture-SNOM scanning probe: Spatial resolution and collection efficiency

Finite-element simulations of the performance of the tip intended for use in combined aperture-SNOM and the scanning tunneling microscope (STM)-luminescence microscopy are presented. Tip geometry and the role of the opening in the protective metal coating were addressed. It is shown that the tip shape can affect transmittance for the excitation SNOM mode by nearly two orders of magnitude and the metal coating can enhance collection efficiency for the STM-luminescence mode. Desired tip configuration can be chosen based on the interplay between the improving collection efficiency and the deteriorating spatial resolution with increasing opening size.     

Decompositional incommensurate growth of ferrocene molecules on a Au(111) surface

Deviating from the common growth mode of molecular films of organic molecules where the adsorbates remain intact, we observe an essentially different growth behavior for metallocenes with a low temperature scanning tunneling microscope. Ferrocene molecules adsorb dissociatively and form a two layer structure. The top layer unit cell is composed of two tilted cyclopentadienyl (cp) rings, while the first layer consists of ferrocene molecules and cp-Fe complexes. Surprisingly a fourfold symmetry is observed for the top layer while the first layer displays threefold symmetry elements. It is this symmetry mismatch which induces an incommensurability between these layers in all except one surface direction. The top layer is weakly bonded and has an antiferromagnetic ground state as calculated by local spin density functional approximation.