Noise reduction technique for scanning tunneling microscopy
- 17 October 1988
- journal article
- research article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Applied Physics Letters
- Vol. 53 (16) , 1503-1505
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.99940
Abstract
Noise stemming from mechanical vibration, electronic noise, or low frequency (1/f power spectrum) inherent in the tunneling process, often limits the resolution, speed, or range of application of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). We demonstrate a technique for minimizing the effect of these noise sources on the STM image. In our method, the tunneling tip is vibrated parallel to the sample surface at a frequency f0, above that of the feedback response frequency. Two signals are obtained simultaneously: the conventional topography, and a differential image corresponding to the amplitude of current modulation at f0. The resultant ac signal can be simply related to the normal STM topographic image, with significant improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio.Keywords
This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit:
- Digital filtering of scanning tunneling microscope imagesJournal of Applied Physics, 1987
- Atomic force microscope–force mapping and profiling on a sub 100-Å scaleJournal of Applied Physics, 1987
- Characterization of electron trapping defects on silicon by scanning tunneling microscopySurface Science, 1987
- Comment on ‘‘Interatomic forces in scanning tunneling microscopy: Giant corrugations of the graphite surface’’Physical Review Letters, 1986
- Contamination-mediated deformation of graphite by the scanning tunneling microscopePhysical Review B, 1986
- Direct imaging of Au and Ag clusters by scanning tunneling microscopyApplied Physics Letters, 1986
- Imaging in real time with the tunneling microscopeApplied Physics Letters, 1986
- Scanning differential phase contrast optical microscope: application to surface studiesApplied Optics, 1985