Probing the electronic transport on the reconstructed Au/Ge(001) surface

• Main Authors: Franciszek Krok, Mark R. Kaspers, Alexander M. Bernhart, Marek Nikiel, Benedykt R. Jany, Paulina Indyka, Mateusz Wojtaszek, Rolf Möller, Christian A. Bobisch
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beilstein-Institut 2014-09-01
• Series: Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology
• Subjects: Au on Ge(001); electronic transport; multi probe STM; scanning tunnelling potentiometry
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.5.159

By using scanning tunnelling potentiometry we characterized the lateral variation of the electrochemical potential µec on the gold-induced Ge(001)-c(8 × 2)-Au surface reconstruction while a lateral current flows through the sample. On the reconstruction and across domain boundaries we find that µec shows a constant gradient as a function of the position between the contacts. In addition, nanoscale Au clusters on the surface do not show an electronic coupling to the gold-induced surface reconstruction. In combination with high resolution scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, we conclude that an additional transport channel buried about 2 nm underneath the surface represents a major transport channel for electrons.