Topography and local modification of the HoBa2Cu3O7−x(001) surface using scanning tunneling microscopy
- 12 December 1988
- journal article
- research article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Applied Physics Letters
- Vol. 53 (24) , 2447-2449
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.100524
Abstract
The topography of the (001) surface of a high Tc superconducting HoBa2Cu3O7−x single crystal was investigated in air using scanning tunneling microscopy. We found large, flat terraces separated by growth steps. The heights of these steps correspond to multiples of the c‐axis lattice constant of 11.7 Å of the perovskite structure. These steps have been verified by atomic force microscopy. On a smaller scale the flat terraces showed some fine structure with a corrugation height of 4 to 5 Å and a lateral extent of several nanometers. In addition, we succeeded in creating nanometer‐sized structures by increasing the sample bias voltage and tunneling current.Keywords
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