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Probing of Individual Semiconductor Nanowhiskers by TEM-STM

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2004

Magnus W. Larsson ,
L. Reine Wallenberg ,
Ann I. Persson  and
Lars Samuelson
Magnus W. Larsson
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Chemistry, The Nanometer Structure Consortium, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
L. Reine Wallenberg
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Chemistry, The Nanometer Structure Consortium, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
Ann I. Persson
Affiliation:
Solid State Physics, The Nanometer Structure Consortium, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
Lars Samuelson
Affiliation:
Solid State Physics, The Nanometer Structure Consortium, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
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Abstract

Along with rapidly developing nanotechnology, new types of analytical instruments and techniques are needed. Here we report an alternative procedure for electrical measurements on semiconductor nanowhiskers, allowing precise selection and visual control at close to atomic resolution. We use a combination of two powerful microscope techniques, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and simultaneous viewing in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The STM is mounted in the sample holder for the TEM. We describe here a method for creating an ohmic contact between the STM tip and the nanowhisker. We examine three different types of STM tips and present a technique for cleaning the STM tip in situ. Measurements on 1-μm-tall and 40-nm-thick epitaxially grown InAs nanowhiskers show an ohmic contact and a resistance of down to 7 kΩ.

Keywords

TEM-STMtransmission electron microscopySTM tip preparationnanowhiskersnanowires
Type
Research Article
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , February 2004 , pp. 41 - 46
Copyright
© 2004 Microscopy Society of America

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References

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