42 research outputs found
Focussing quantum states
Does the size of atoms present a lower limit to the size of electronic
structures that can be fabricated in solids? This limit can be overcome by
using devices that exploit quantum mechanical scattering of electron waves at
atoms arranged in focussing geometries on selected surfaces. Calculations
reveal that features smaller than a hydrogen atom can be obtained. These
structures are potentially useful for device applications and offer a route to
the fabrication of ultrafine and well defined tips for scanning tunneling
microscopy.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Local spectroscopy and atomic imaging of tunneling current, forces and dissipation on graphite
Theory predicts that the currents in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and
the attractive forces measured in atomic force microscopy (AFM) are directly
related. Atomic images obtained in an attractive AFM mode should therefore be
redundant because they should be \emph{similar} to STM. Here, we show that
while the distance dependence of current and force is similar for graphite,
constant-height AFM- and STM images differ substantially depending on distance
and bias voltage. We perform spectroscopy of the tunneling current, the
frequency shift and the damping signal at high-symmetry lattice sites of the
graphite (0001) surface. The dissipation signal is about twice as sensitive to
distance as the frequency shift, explained by the Prandtl-Tomlinson model of
atomic friction.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted at Physical Review Letter
Substrate-induced band gap opening in epitaxial graphene
Graphene has shown great application potentials as the host material for next
generation electronic devices. However, despite its intriguing properties, one
of the biggest hurdles for graphene to be useful as an electronic material is
its lacking of an energy gap in the electronic spectra. This, for example,
prevents the use of graphene in making transistors. Although several proposals
have been made to open a gap in graphene's electronic spectra, they all require
complex engineering of the graphene layer. Here we show that when graphene is
epitaxially grown on the SiC substrate, a gap of ~ 0.26 is produced. This gap
decreases as the sample thickness increases and eventually approaches zero when
the number of layers exceeds four. We propose that the origin of this gap is
the breaking of sublattice symmetry owing to the graphene-substrate
interaction. We believe our results highlight a promising direction for band
gap engineering of graphene.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures; updated reference
Molecular beam growth of graphene nanocrystals on dielectric substrates
We demonstrate the growth of graphene nanocrystals by molecular beam methods
that employ a solid carbon source, and that can be used on a diverse class of
large area dielectric substrates. Characterization by Raman and Near Edge X-ray
Absorption Fine Structure spectroscopies reveal a sp2 hybridized hexagonal
carbon lattice in the nanocrystals. Lower growth rates favor the formation of
higher quality, larger size multi-layer graphene crystallites on all
investigated substrates. The surface morphology is determined by the roughness
of the underlying substrate and graphitic monolayer steps are observed by
ambient scanning tunneling microscopy.Comment: Accepted in Carbon; Discussion section added; 20 pages, 6 figures (1
updated
Electronic Transport through YBCO Grain Boundary Interfaces between 4.2 K and 300 K
The current-induced dissipation in YBCO grain boundary tunnel junctions has
been measured between 4.2 K and 300 K. It is found that the resistance of 45
degree (100)/(110) junctions decreases linearly by a factor of four when their
temperature is increased from 100 K to 300 K. At the superconducting transition
temperature Tc the grain boundary resistance of the normal state and of the
superconducting state extrapolate to the same value.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Unique determination of “subatomic” contrast by imaging covalent backbonding
The origin of so-called “subatomic” resolution in dynamic force microscopy has remained controversial since its first observation in 2000. A number of detailed experimental and theoretical studies have identified different possible physicochemical mechanisms potentially giving rise to subatomic contrast. In this study, for the first time we are able to assign the origin of a specific instance of subatomic contrast as being due to the back bonding of a surface atom in the tip−sample junction
Advances in atomic force microscopy
This article reviews the progress of atomic force microscopy (AFM) in
ultra-high vacuum, starting with its invention and covering most of the recent
developments. Today, dynamic force microscopy allows to image surfaces of
conductors \emph{and} insulators in vacuum with atomic resolution. The mostly
used technique for atomic resolution AFM in vacuum is frequency modulation AFM
(FM-AFM). This technique, as well as other dynamic AFM methods, are explained
in detail in this article. In the last few years many groups have expanded the
empirical knowledge and deepened the theoretical understanding of FM-AFM.
Consequently, the spatial resolution and ease of use have been increased
dramatically. Vacuum AFM opens up new classes of experiments, ranging from
imaging of insulators with true atomic resolution to the measurement of forces
between individual atoms.Comment: In press (Reviews of Modern Physics, scheduled for July 2003), 86
pages, 44 figure