Safe fabrication of sharp gold tips for light emission in scanning tunnelling microscopy

被引：29

作者：

Boyle, Michael G. ^{[1
]}

Feng, Lei ^{[1
]}

Dawson, P. ^{[1
]}

机构：

[1] Queens Univ Belfast, Sch Math & Phys, Int Res Ctr Expt Phys, Ctr Nanostruct Media, Belfast BT7 1NN, Co Antrim, North Ireland

来源：

ULTRAMICROSCOPY | 2008年 / 108卷 / 06期

基金：

英国工程与自然科学研究理事会;

关键词：

tip fabrication; scanning tunnelling microscopy; light emission; plasmons; gold;

D O I：

10.1016/j.ultramic.2007.08.012

中图分类号：

TH742 [显微镜];

学科分类号：

摘要：

Gold is the optimal tip metal for light emission in scanning tunnelling microscopy (LESTM) under ambient conditions. Sharp Au-tips of similar to 10nm radius were produced reliably using a safe, two-step etching method in 20% (w/w) CaCl2 solution. Previous CaCl2-based methods have tended to produce blunter tips, while other etching techniques that do produce sharp Au-tips, do so with the use of toxic or hazardous electrolytes. The tips are characterised using scanning electron microscopy and their efficacy in LESTM is evidenced by high-resolution, simultaneous topographic and photon mapping of Au(1 1 1)- and polycrystalline Au-surfaces. Spectra of the optical emission exhibit only one or two peaks with etched tips in contrast to the more complex spectra typical of cut tips; this feature, together with the highly symmetric geometry of the tips, facilitates a definitive analysis of the light emission process. (c) 2007 Elsevier B. V.. All rights reserved.

引用

页码：558 / 566

页数：9

共 40 条

[1] Fabrication of submicrometer-sized gold electrodes of controlled geometry for scanning electrochemical-atomic force microscopy [J].