Nanometer-scale hole formation on graphite using a scanning tunneling microscope
- 23 October 1989
- journal article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Applied Physics Letters
- Vol. 55 (17) , 1727-1729
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.102201
Abstract
We present a reproducible technique for forming holes on a graphite surface with a scanning tunneling microscope. The holes have an average diameter of 40 Å (20 Å minimum) with an average resolvable spacing of 60 Å. Holes are produced by applying a short voltage pulse (3–8 V, 10–100 μs) across the tunneling gap which removes one or more layers of graphite in a small region directly below the tip. Arrays of hundreds of holes have been formed with yields as high as 99.6%. The writing process has a higher success rate in air or in the presence of water vapor. This suggests that the physical mechanism is a chemical process.Keywords
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