Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy (STS)
1002001-185
[DEFINITION]
A method of investigating the electronic states of the surface from
the characteristics of the tunnel current between the tip of the scanning probe and sample.
[DESCRIPTION]
Several methods of measuring the electrical current characteristics
of the scanning tunneling microscope have been developed. A typical method is the bipolar tunneling
electron imaging method, which sets the sample's bias voltage to positive and negative and scans
once each. Another method is the current imaging tunneling electron spectroscopy method, which
stops the movement of the probe at each pixel during the scan, changes the applied voltage, and
measures the current-voltage characteristics. Both methods can delineate the electronic states on
the sample surface at high resolution. STS is making a considerable impact in research into
superconductors, etc.
[References]
(4)(27)
[Related Terms]
Scanning tunneling microscope (STM)