Generation of nanometer holes at Pt surfaces in air and a nonconducting liquid with the scanning tunneling microscope

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Abstract
Two methods for the controllable generation of nanometer scale holes at the Pt surface in air and silicone oil with the scanning tunneling microscope are presented. Positive voltage pulses are applied to the Pt substrate with either the feedback circuit on or off. Holes with sizes down to 2 nm can be created with a proper choice of the pulse voltage and duration. By adjusting the tip–sample distance, reproducible holes can be generated only when the gap is within 10–40 Å in both media. When the gap is less than 10 Å, a different process dominates which results in different generated features.