STM light emission from Si(1 1 1)-(7×7) surface using a silver tip

M. Iwami, Y. Uehara, S. Ushioda

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Scanning tunneling microscope-light emission (STM-LE) from the Si(1 1 1)-(7×7) surface has been measured using silver tips. For silver tips photon emission was enhanced by more than 100 times as compared with that for tungsten or platinum-iridium alloy tips. A broad spectrum with a single peak at approximately 2.25 eV was observed. The spectrum obtained can be reproduced by a theory based on the macroscopic dielectric response of the tip-sample system, indicating that the observed emission arises from the localized plasmons on the silver tip excited by tunneling electrons. Spatial variations in the emission intensity at the atomic scale was observed even under low bias voltage (2 V) and low tunneling current (1 nA) conditions.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)188-192
Number of pages5
JournalApplied Surface Science
Volume169
Issue number170
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2001 Jan 15

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Chemistry(all)
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Physics and Astronomy(all)
  • Surfaces and Interfaces
  • Surfaces, Coatings and Films

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