Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy on ultrahigh vacuum prepared tunnel junctions

Inelastic electron tunneling (IET) spectra of clean ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) prepared (Al/Al oxide/Pb) tunnel junctions are discussed. Microcrystalline Al oxide is shown to grow on these Al films. This is in contrast to the formation of amorphous Al oxide in the common high vacuum (HV) preparation process. The IET-spectra of UHV prepared tunnel junctions are free of peaks due to contaminations. Conclusions concerning the growth of oxides on Al films are drawn.     

Inelastic resonance tunneling in S-Sm-S tunnel structures

Inelastic resonance tunneling through junctions with an amorphous interlayer and superconducting electrodes is studied. The form of the current-voltage characteristic I(V) at low temperature and the temperature dependence of the conductance G(0) at low bias are calculated and are found to be much different from the analogous dependences of structures with normal electrodes. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 2, 159–163 (25 January 1997)     

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy of an alkanethiol self-assembled monolayer using scanning tunneling microscopy

We report inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) of a C8 alkanethiol self-assembled monolayer using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). High-resolution STM IETS spectra show clear features of the C-H bending and C-C stretching modes in addition to the C-H stretching mode, which enables a precise comparison with previously reported vibrational spectroscopy, especially electron energy loss spectroscopy data. Intensity variation of vibrational peaks with tip position is discussed with the STM IETS detection mechanism.     

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy of a single nuclear spin

Detection of a single nuclear spin constitutes an outstanding problem in different fields of physics such as quantum computing or magnetic imaging. Here we show that the energy levels of a single nuclear spin can be measured by means of inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS). We consider two different systems, a magnetic adatom probed with scanning tunneling microscopy and a single Bi dopant in a silicon nanotransistor. We find that the hyperfine coupling opens new transport channels which can be resolved at experimentally accessible temperatures. Our simulations evince that IETS yields information about the occupations of the nuclear spin states, paving the way towards transport-detected single nuclear spin resonance.     

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy evidence for a surface chemical reaction

The inelastic electron tunnel effect has been used to show the occurence of a surface chemical reaction between an organic molecule (benzoyl chloride) dopant and the tunnel barrier of a junction (Al-oxide-Pb).     

Inelastic tunneling in Al-AlN-Pb junctions

The technique of the prepagation of the tunnel junctions with a barrier made of AlN has been presented. To produce a barrier layer a freshly evaporated Al film was exposed to a glow discharge in atmosphere of pure ammonia. The features shown in the tunnel spectra of these junctions have been interpreted as AlN optic phonons and a vibration spectrum of NH₃ molecules adsorbed in the junctions.     

Single-dot spectroscopy via elastic single-electron tunneling through a pair of coupled quantum dots

We study the electronic structure of a single self-assembled InAs quantum dot by probing elastic single-electron tunneling through a single pair of weakly coupled dots. In the region below pinch-off voltage, the nonlinear threshold voltage behavior provides electronic addition energies exactly as the linear, Coulomb blockade oscillation does. By analyzing it, we identify the s and the p shell addition spectrum for up to six electrons in the single InAs dot, i.e., one of the coupled dots. The evolution of the shell addition spectrum with magnetic field provides Fock-Darwin spectra of the s and p shells.     

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy on MOS structures with very thin oxide films

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy at 4.2 K was used to investigate the defect structure of MOS capacitors with very thin SiO₂ films. Samples were degeneratelyP-andB-doped Si substrates, oxidized in O₂ at 600°C and provided with evaporated Pb, Au, In, Al or Mg electrodes. The observed peaks in the second derivative of theI-U characteristic were assigned to the excitation of phonons and of vibrational modes of the dopants and impurities. The results were found to correlate with infrared data. In addition, a distinct effect of Si/SiO₂ interface states on the characteristic was found.     

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy: Intensity as a function of surface coverage

Inelastic election tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) is a sensitive technique for obtaining vibrational spectra of molecules adsorbed on an oxide surface and incorporated into a metal-oxide-metal tunnel junction. IETS energy data are used routinely. However, IETS intensities contain additional information which, for theoretical and experimental reasons, has not been used systematically. This paper examines the variation of IETS intensity with surface coverage of dopant molecules in the junction, a relationship of practical and theoretical importance. IET spectra are taken using standard experimental techniques and a liquid doping technique which allows the surface coverage to be determined independently. From an analysis of a large number of modes of benzoic acid on alumina, it is found that IETS intensity, defined in the usual way as the normalized change in conductance, $\text{Δ σ}\text{σ}$, is a nonlinear function of surface coverage. A physical model is presented which attributes this behavior to a difference in elastic tunneling conductances through empty or filled regions of the dopant layer in a junction with a fraction of a monolayer coverage. In addition, the liquid and vapor doping techniques in common use in IETS are discussed in terms of statistical mechanics and are shown to be manifestations of the same basic phenomenon.     

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy of carboxylic acids on alumina at low coverage

The difficulties in assigning certain modes of carboxylic acids adsorbed on alumina are discussed. The study of the spectra of marked acetic acid CH₃C¹⁸O¹⁸OH adsorbed on alumina has allowed us to clarify the assignments of the acetate ion formed. Then an examination of the spectra at very low coverages has enabled us to propose a model for the adsorption, which occurs on (at least) two different sites.     

Particle-size effects in single-electron tunnel systems

It is seen that in single-electron systems with finite-size particle distributions there is a direct correlation between a given distribution and its single-electron conductance peak spacing. In this paper we discuss the geometry, capacitance, and size distribution of particles in single-electron tunnel systems, the latter two as manifest in their tunneling characteristics.     

Blockade of tunneling in a suspended single-electron transistor

The tunneling of electrons that is limited by the Coulomb blockade effect in a single-electron transistor with a quantum dot based on a narrow GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wire suspended over a substrate is investigated. By means of a direct comparison experiment, the tunneling features associated with the separation of the quantum dot from the substrate are revealed. In addition to an increase in the charge energy (Coulomb gap), which reaches 170 K in temperature units, the dependence of this energy on the number of electrons in the quantum dot, which varies from zero to four, is observed. This dependence is explained by a change in the effective size of the dot due to the effect of the depleting gate voltage. Moreover, the additional blockade of tunneling that is different from the Coulomb blockade and is specific for suspended structures is observed. It is shown that this blockade is not associated with the dynamical effect of exciting local phonon modes and can be attributed to the change in the static elastic strains in the quantum wire that accompany the tunneling of an electron to/from the quantum dot.     

Zeeman effects on d-wave superconductor and tunneling spectrum in normal-metal/d-wave superconductor tunnel junction

We study the Zeeman effect on the d-wave superconductor and tunneling spectrum in normal-metal(N)/d-wave superconductor(S) junction by applying a Zeeman magnetic field to the S. It is shown that: (1) the Zeeman magnetic field can lead to the S gap decreasing, and with the increase in Zeeman energy, the superconducting state is changed to the normal state, exhibiting a first-order phase transition; (2) the Zeeman energy difference between the two splitting peaks in the conductance spectrum is equal to2h0 (h0 is the Zeeman energy); (3) both the barrier strength of interface scattering and the temperature can lower the magnitudes of splitting peaks, of which the barrier strength can lead to the splitting peaks becoming sharp and the temperature can smear out the peaks,however, neither of them can influence the Zeeman effect.     

Tunneling junction as an open system normal tunneling

The method of the tunneling Hamiltonian is reformulated in the case of normal tunneling by introducing two independent particle baths. Due to the baths, it becomes possible to realize a final stationary state where the electron numbers of the two electrodes in the tunneling system are maintained constant and where there exists a stationary current. The effect of the bath-system couplings on the current-voltage characteristics of the junction is discussed in relation to the usual expression of the current as a function of voltage.