STM Tip (stm + tip)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Electric-Field-Assisted Nanostructuring of a Mott Insulator

ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 17 2009
Vincent Dubost
Abstract Here, the first experimental evidence for a strong electromechanical coupling in the Mott insulator GaTa4Se8 that allows highly reproducible nanoscaled writing by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is reported. The local electric field across the STM junction is observed to have a threshold value above which the clean (100) surface of GaTa4Se8 becomes mechanically instable: at voltage biases >1.1,V, the surface suddenly inflates and comes in contact with the STM tip, resulting in nanometer-sized craters. The formed pattern can be indestructibly "read" by STM at a lower voltage bias, thus allowing 5,Tdots inch,2 dense writing/reading at room temperature. The discovery of the electromechanical coupling in GaTa4Se8 might give new clues in the understanding of the electric pulse induced resistive switching recently observed in this stoichiometric Mott insulator. [source]


Polymer ring formation by electron/hole injection from an STM tip into a C60 close-packed layer

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 13 2006
Ryo Nouchi
Abstract Polymerization and depolymerization of C60 molecules are induced by charge carrier injection from a scanning tunneling microscope tip into C60 close-packed layers. These reactions are hard to be achieved at single molecular precision because of a spatial spread of injected carriers. We report that the carrier-spreading effect produces a ring-shaped distribution of C60 polymers around the carrier injection point. Formation of the polymer ring of C60 is explained by energy dissipation of spreading carriers. Therefore, the polymer ring can be recognized as a direct reflection of carrier propagation. Subsequent electron or hole injections enlarge the ring. This result shows that both electrons and holes can induce both polymerization and depolymerization of C60 molecules. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Scanning tunneling microscopy of monoatomic gold chains on vicinal Si(335) surface: experimental and theoretical study

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 2 2005
M. Krawiec
Abstract We study electronic and topographic properties of the Si(335) surface, containing Au wires parallel to the steps. We use scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) supplemented by reflection of high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) technique. The STM data show the space and voltage dependent oscillations of the distance between STM tip and the surface which can be explained within one band tight binding Hubbard model. We calculate the STM current using nonequilibrium Keldysh Green function formalism. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Self-Assembled Monolayers of Alkoxy-Substituted Octadehydrodibenzo[12]annulenes on a Graphite Surface: Attempts at peri -Benzopolyacene Formation by On-Surface Polymerization

CHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 28 2010
Kazukuni Tahara Dr.
Abstract Self-assembled monolayers of a series of tetraalkoxy-substituted octadehydrodibenzo[12]annulene (DBA) derivatives 1,c,g possessing butadiyne linkages were studied at the 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (TCB) or 1-phenyloctane/graphite interface by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The purpose of this research is not only to investigate the structural variation of two-dimensional (2D) monolayers, but also to assess a possibility for peri -benzopolyacene formation by two-dimensionally controlled polymerization on a surface. As a result, the formation of three structures, porous, linear, and lamella structures, were observed by changing the alkyl chain length and the solute concentration. The formation of multilayers of the lamella structure was often observed for all compounds. The selection of molecular networks is basically ascribed to intermolecular and molecule,substrate interactions per unit area and network density. The selective appearance of the linear structure of 1,d is attributed to favorable epitaxial registry matching between the substrate lattice and the overlayer lattice. Even though the closest interatomic distance between the diacetylenic units of the DBAs in the lamella structure (,0.6,nm) is slightly larger compared to the typical distances necessary for topochemical polymerization, the reactivity toward external stimuli (electronic-pulse irradiation from an STM tip and UV irradiation) was investigated. Unfortunately, no evidence for polymerization of the DBAs on the surface was observed. The present results indicate the necessity for further designing a suitable system for the on-surface construction of structurally novel conjugated polymers, which are otherwise difficult to prepare. [source]


Electrochemically Assisted Fabrication of Metal Atomic Wires and Molecular Junctions by MCBJ and STM-BJ Methods,

CHEMPHYSCHEM, Issue 13 2010
Dr. Jing-Hua Tian
Abstract Atomic wires (point contacts) and molecular junctions are two fundamental units in the fields of nanoelectronics and devices. This Minireview introduces our recent approaches aiming to develop versatile methods to fabricate and characterize these unique metallic and molecular structures reliably. Electrochemical methods are coupled with mechanically controllable break junction (EC-MCBJ) or scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) break junction (EC-STMBJ) methods to fabricate metallic point contacts and metal/molecule/metal junctions. With the designed electrodeposition method, the metal of interest (e.g. Au, Cu, Fe or Pd) is deposited in a controlled way on the original electrode pair, on a chip for MCBJ or on the STM tip, to make the metallic contact. Then, various metal atomic wires and molecular junctions can be fabricated and characterized systematically. Herein, we measured the quantized conductance through the construction of histograms of these metal atomic point contacts and of single molecules including benzene-1,4-dithiol (BDT), ferrocene-bisvinylphenylmethyl dithiol (Fc-VPM), 4,4,-bipyridine (BPY), 1,2-di(pyridin-4-yl)ethene (BPY-EE), and 1,2-di(pyridin-4-yl)ethane (BPY-EA). Finally, we briefly discussed the future of EC-MCBJ and EC-STM for nanoelectronics and devices, for example, for the formation of heterogeneous metal-based atomic point contacts and molecular junctions. [source]