34th International Field Emission Symposium / 34ème Symposium International d'Emission de Champ
J. Phys. Colloques 48 (1987) C6-97-C6-100
DOI: 10.1051/jphyscol:1987616
EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL RESULTS OF RECTIFICATION MEASUREMENTS IN AN STM
P.H. Cutler1, T.E. Feuchtwang1, Z. Huang1, T.T. Tsong1, H. Nguyen1, 2, A.A. Lucas3 et T.E. Sullivan41 Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, U.S.A
2 AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ 07974, U.S.A. and Department of Physics, the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, U.S.A.
3 IBM Almaden Research Center, San Jose, CA 95120, U.S.A. and Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix, B-5000 Namur, Belgium
4 RCA Solid State Technology Center, Summerville, NJ 08540, U.S.A.
Abstract
Recent measurements of dc current-voltage characteristics of Scanning Tunneling Microscope junctions have confirmed their expected high rectification property. We have exploited this property to study rectification at infrared frequencies. A laser beam of linearly polarized light is focused on an STM junction and the resulting dc bias induced across the junction by the alternating, asymmetrical tunnel current is detected. Results have been obtained that exhibit rectification for W-Si, W-Ni, and W-Au STM junctions. Theoretical calculations of the rectification ratio and I(V) curves using a hyperboloidal-tip-planar-base model of the STM junction show good agreement with W-Au experimental results.