Atomic engineering of photon emission with a scanning tunneling microscope

We present measurements of photon emission from individual several-atom silver chains on the NiAl(110) surface, excited by tunneling electrons in a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The chains were assembled by manipulating single silver atoms on the NiAl(110) surface with the STM. The photon energy of this emission can be tuned by appending a single atom to the chain. These changes in photon emission result from changes in the electronic structure of the silver chain, each electronic state inside the chain being associated with a distinct channel of emission.     

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.     

Investigation of localized surface plasmons with the photon scanning tunneling microscope

A Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscope (PSTM) with probe-sample distance control by electron tunneling is used to probe the localized surface-plasmon fields of individual nanometric silver particles. As samples, conventional island films produced by thermal evaporation and regular particle arrays produced by an electron-beam-lithography-based technique, respectively, are used. In either case the strength and spatial localization of the surface-plasmon fields strongly depend on the excitation wavelength. The results are interpreted as different resonance frequencies of individual particles or of different sample areas. On regular arrays consisting of particles with a smallest diameter of 40 nm, the PSTM maps represent the plasmon field strength spatially resolved for individual particles.     

Quasi interference of perpendicularly polarized guided modes observed with a photon scanning tunneling microscope

The simultaneous detection of TE- as well as TM-polarized light with a photon scanning tunneling microscope leads to a quasi-interference pattern of these mutually perpendicular polarized fields. This interference pattern has been observed in the optical field distribution as a function of both position and wavelength. Comparison of experimental data with simulations confirms the interference of mutually orthogonal fields. This quasi interference is caused by conversion of the linearly polarized light of both modes into elliptically polarized light by a fiber probe.     

Fluctuation dominated Josephson tunneling with a scanning tunneling microscope

We demonstrate Josephson tunneling in vacuum tunnel junctions formed between a superconducting scanning tunneling microscope tip and a Pb film, for junction resistances in the range 50-300 k Omega. We show that the superconducting phase dynamics is dominated by thermal fluctuations, and that the Josephson current appears as a peak centered at small finite voltage. In the presence of microwave fields ( f = 15.0 GHz) the peak decreases in magnitude and shifts to higher voltages with increasing rf power, in agreement with theory.     

Photon emission spectroscopy of individual oxide-supported silver clusters in a scanning tunneling microscope

Photon emission spectra of individual alumina-supported silver clusters have been measured for the first time. The light emission stimulated by electron injection from the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope can be assigned to the (1,0) mode of the Mie-plasmon resonance in small silver particles. As cluster sizes decrease, the resonance position shifts to higher energies and the linewidth increases. In the size range examined (1.5-12 nm), intrinsic size effects are discussed as possible origins for the observed size dependence of the Mie resonance.     

Photon emission with the scanning tunneling microscope

By placing a photon detector near the tip-sample region of a scanning tunneling microscope, we have measured isochromat photon-emission spectra of polycrystalline tantalum and Si(111)7×7 at photon energies of 9.5 eV. Such spectra contain electronic-structure information comparable to inverse photoemission spectroscopy, but with high lateral/spatial resolution. The implications of this new observation are discussed.     

Imaging of surface plasmon polariton interference using phase-sensitive photon scanning tunneling microscope

We report the surface plasmon polariton interference, generated via a ??buried?? gold grating, and imaged using a phase-sensitive Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscope?(PSTM). The phase-resolved PSTM measurement unravels the complex surface plasmon polariton interference fields at the gold-air interface.     

Observation of subcellular nanostructure of single neurons with an illumination mode photon scanning tunneling microscope

We report about the observation of microtubules lying underneath the cell membrane of neural process in neurons with a resolution as high as that of an electron microscope by an illumination mode photon scanning tunneling microscope. Nanoapertures used in our observations were fabricated by means of selective chemical etching and metal coating of an optical fiber. The narrowest observed tube has got an average diameter of 26 nm. Comparing this with its nominal value of 25 nm, the difference which is considered as a measure of resolution (δ) is 1 nm implying a resolution comparable to that of an electron microscope in imaging dielectric specimens. This was possible due to the presence of a boundary between the glass and the metal coating and also due to the use of an aperture of almost the same size as that of the microtubule that enhances the detection.     

A new organic complex thin film for ultra-high-density data storage with a scanning tunneling microscope

A new organic complex, tetrathiafulvalene/m-nitrobenzylidene propanedinitrile (TTF/m-NBP), was prepared to use as an ultra-high-density data-storage medium. A nanometer-scale recording technique was demonstrated with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) under ambient conditions. The organic complex thin film was fabricated by using a vacuum thermal deposition method. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectra showed that the structure of the organic complex thin film was the same as that of a complex crystal. Data were recorded by applying voltage pulses between the tip and the substrate. Current–voltage (I–V) curves measured by the STM showed that the conductance of the recorded region is much higher than that of the unrecorded region, which indicated that the data were recorded by a local change of the electrical property of the film. The smallest recorded mark was 1.1 nm in diameter and the width of the pulse voltage has an influence upon the diameter of the recording marks. PACS 73.61.Ph; 71.20.Rv; 72.80.Le; 33.15.Kr; 81.15.Ef     

Photon scanning tunneling microscope with a nonresonance atomic-force regime

A design of a photon scanning tunneling microscope is presented. The shear-force regime and the advantages of nonresonance excitation of the probe are discussed in detail. It is suggested that the replica method be used to estimate the size of the active part of the probe. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 51–58 (September 1998)     

Vibrational transitions in experiments with a scanning tunneling microscope

A method of in-cavity scanning tunneling spectroscopy is proposed by which one can observe distinct spectra of electronic-vibrational field-emission resonances. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 4, 306–310 (25 February 1997)     

镀纳米结构薄膜光纤探针的光子隧道扫描显微镜成像数值模拟

利用时域有限差分法,对镀纳米结构薄膜光纤探针的成像特性进行了三维数值模拟。在考虑光纤和样品相互作用的基础上,采用等效入射波法设置入射波和等高扫描。从成像分辨率和灵敏度的角度比较了不同纳米颗粒与样品间距、纳米颗粒大小、排列方式以及排列密度对成像的影响。结果表明,镀纳米结构薄膜光纤探针的光子隧道显微镜无论在制备的可行性上,还是在分辨率和灵敏度上都有显著的改进。