Formation of Nanometer-Scale Grooves in Silicon with a Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Abstract

Grooves a few nanometers wide can be formed on a Si(111) surface with a scanning tunneling microscope when the tip is above a critical voltage. This may provide a promising approach to nanodevice fabrication. The dependence of the critical voltage on tunneling current, tip polarity, and tip material was studied with silver, gold, platinum, and tungsten tips. The results are consistent with field emission of positive and negative silicon ions. The variation of critical voltage with current is explained quantitatively by a simple tunneling equation that includes the effect of the contact potential between tip and sample.

Prospects and Problems of Single Molecule Information Devices

“…13) Recent progress of scanning probe technology 14,15) and computer simulation technology 16) has made these technologies almost mature enough to conquer the obstacles against the realization of single molecule devices, and the interest in single molecule device ideas has been revived over the past few years. [17][18][19][20] The aim of this paper is to review the present status of research on the use of single molecules for advanced information technologies.…”

STM‐based nanotechnology: The japanese challenge

“…4. Grooves formed on Si(113) [21]. The width of the grooves is seen to increase with the magnitude of the voltage applied to the tip during the groove formation.…”

Preparation of silver tips for scanning tunneling microscopy imaging

“…Silver is not attacked by water and atmospheric oxygen. From the viewpoint of improvements of STM performance, [10][11][12] for example, in the field of nanostructuring of surfaces, getting good tips from various materials is a matter of great importance. Although there are several reports 13,14 on the preparation of silver tips, atomic resolution is difficult to attain in topograph images using silver tips.…”