Spatial resolution of scanning tunneling microscopy

Abstract

Time-independent Schroedinger equation solution in paraxial approximation is obtained for de Broglie wave of electron. The solution results in exact ratios for spatial resolution of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) of nanoobjects on a metal substrate. STM experiments on semiconductor and metal carbon nanotubes were performed in order to check the theoretical approach. The spatial resolution of the experiments reached 0.06 nm. Hexagonal structure on the semiconductor nanotube surface was registered. Relatively lower spatial resolution for the metal carbon nanotubes which is also different along and across nanotubes was registered and explained in frames of the proposed theoretical modeling. A basic ratio for STM spatial resolution for the arbitrary nanoobject was derived as a result of the approach.