Scanning hot electron microscopy (SHEM) has been proposed as an experimental technique which allows for detection of hot electrons emitted from a subsurface semiconductor structure, thus making it possible to obtain the spatial distribution of hot electrons in a device. Here we present the experimental evidence of SHEM operation. Hot electrons with energies of 3 eV are injected by means of a Si/CaF2/Au heterostructure and subsequently detected at the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope in the SHEM configuration. The measured hot electron current was approximately 4 pA for a tunnel current of 5 nA. These results, although still of a preliminary nature, show the potential of SHEM as a technique suitable for the visualization of electron wave effects in semiconductor structures.
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