Optical selection rules in light emission from the scanning tunneling microscope

Au/ITO dual-layer-coated optical fiber probe for multifunctional scanning tunneling microscopy

We have fabricated an Au/ITO (indium-tin-oxide) dual-layer optical fiber probe with functions for high-quality scanning tunneling microscope (STM) imaging and near-field excitation and detection of STM-induced electroluminescence (STML). The inner ITO layer is kept approximately 150 nm in thickness to ensure the conductivity of the fiber probe. The outer Au layer is kept approximately 13 nm in thickness to obtain a better combination of high electron injection efficiency and optical transparency. High-quality STM images, and STML corresponding to maximum quantum efficiencies of 7 x 10(-4) and 1 x 10(-4) photons/electron are obtained on Au(111)/mica and p-GaAs(110) surfaces at room temperature (RT), respectively. The outer Au layer on the Au/ITO-coated fiber probe shows an effective role in improving the quality of STM imaging, the tip apex geometry and durability of the fiber probe, the stability and reproducibility of STML and enhancing the intensity of plasmon-mediated STML from the Au(111) surface but it shows no effect in enhancing the intensity of STML from the GaAs(110) surface.

Ultraviolet light emission from si in a scanning tunneling microscope

Ultraviolet and visible radiation is observed from the contacts of a scanning tunneling microscope with Si(100) and (111) wafers. This luminescence relies on the presence of hot electrons in silicon, which are supplied, at positive bias on n- and p-type samples, through the injection from the tip, or, at negative bias on p samples, by Zener tunneling. Measured spectra reveal a contribution of direct optical transitions in Si bulk. The necessary holes well below the valence band edge are injected from the tip or generated by Auger processes.

Optical properties of current carrying molecular wires

We consider several fundamental optical phenomena involving single molecules in biased metal-molecule-metal junctions. The molecule is represented by its highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals, and the analysis involves the simultaneous consideration of three coupled fluxes: the electronic current through the molecule, energy flow between the molecule and electron-hole excitations in the leads, and the incident and/or emitted photon flux. Using a unified theoretical approach based on the nonequilibrium Green's function method we derive expressions for the absorption line shape (not an observable but a useful reference for considering yields of other optical processes) and for the current induced molecular emission in such junctions. We also consider conditions under which resonance radiation can induce electronic current in an unbiased junction. We find that current driven molecular emission and resonant light induced electronic currents in single molecule junctions can be of observable magnitude under appropriate realizable conditions. In particular, light induced current should be observed in junctions involving molecular bridges that are characterized by strong charge-transfer optical transitions. For observing current induced molecular emission we find that in addition to the familiar need to control the damping of molecular excitations into the metal substrate the phenomenon is also sensitive to the way in which the potential bias is distributed on the junction.