All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics

The miniaturization of semiconductor devices to scales where small numbers of dopants can control device properties requires the development of new ...

National Research Council of Canada, Edmonton

Titanium silicide (TiSi2) nanoscale Schottky contacts were prepared on hydrogen-terminated n-type Si (100) surfaces. The Schottky contact created a region of upward band bending surrounding the TiSi2 contacts. The surface band bending was observed as a sloping surface depression using the scanning tunneling microscope. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements also show shifted I/V data consistent with upward band bending. Charge control of dangling bonds was accomplished through a distance relationship between the dangling bond and the TiSi2 contact. The lowered chemical potential in the near contact region removes the ability of dangling bonds to become negatively charged while dangling bonds outside the close contact region remain fully charged. Methods to actively control dangling bond charge states are discussed.

Charge control of surface dangling bonds using nanoscale Schottky contacts.

We study both experimentally and theoretically the electronic behavior of dangling bonds (DBs) at a hydrogen terminated Si(100)-2×1 surface. Dangling bonds behave as quantum dots and, depending on their separation, can be tunnel coupled with each other or completely isolated. On n-type highly doped silicon, the latter have a net charge of -1e, while coupled DBs exhibit altered but predictable filling behavior derived from an interplay between interdot tunneling and Coulomb repulsion. We found good correlation between many scanning tunneling micrographs of dangling bond structures and our theoretical results of a corresponding extended Hubbard model. We also demonstrated chemical methods to prevent tunnel coupling and isolate charge on a single dangling bond.

Tunnel coupled dangling bond structures on hydrogen terminated silicon surfaces.

Tungsten single atom tips have been prepared from a single crystal W(111) oriented wire using the chemical assisted field evaporation and etching method. Etching to a single atom tip occurs through a symmetric structure and leads to a predictable last atom unlike etching with polycrystalline tips. The single atom tip formation procedure is shown in an atom by atom removal process. Rebuilds of single atom tips occur on the same crystalline axis as the original tip such that ion emission emanates along a fixed direction for all tip rebuilds. This preparation method could be utilized and developed to prepare single atom tips for ion source development.

Creation and recovery of a W(111) single atom gas field ion source.

A procedure to control W(111) tip shape during etching to a single atom is described. It is demonstrated that the base of a single atom tip (SAT) can be shaped in order to alter the final operating voltage and emission opening angle of single atom tips for use as gas field ion sources or electron cold field emission sources. The operating voltages for single atom tips varied between 5 and 17kV during helium ion beam generation. The emission properties of SATs were evaluated by fitting SAT images and measuring the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the helium ion images. The FWHM is related to the linear opening angle and was evaluated as a function of SAT operating voltage. The results show that a forward focussing effect is observed such that the spot size decreases faster than is expected solely from an acceleration effect, indicating an affect from the tip shape. These results have consequences in designing gas field ion sources where etching is used to prepare the emitter.

Tip apex shaping of gas field ion sources.

Hydrogen scanning ion microscopy systems rely on nanotip gas field ion sources to generate the hydrogen ion beam. The exact structure of the nanotip and the applied electric field are shown to be important. It is demonstrated that hydrogen ion beams are found to occur as mixtures of H+, H2+ and H3+ depending on the electric field strength and the nanotip structure. Various nanotips were prepared, including single atom tips (SATs), trimers and other nano-structured tips to compare the contents of hydrogen ion beams. It was found that single atom tips produce primarily H2+ at low operating voltages, but as the voltage is increased, H3+ dominates. For the trimer case, H2+ becomes a significant species and equals the H3+ current but H3+ can be isolated at higher voltages. For the hexamer tip structure, H2+ almost completely dominates with little H3+ being produced. H+ is only observed in small quantities for all tip structures until a high voltage regime, where apex atom resolution is not observed. Comparisons W SATs and Ir SATs showed similar H3+/H2+ product ratios indicating the nanotip structure plays a key role in the catalytic formation of H3+. Temperature affects are also discussed and operating parameters for single species ion beams are discussed.

Jason L. Pitters

National Institute for Nanotechnology

National Research Council of Canada, Edmonton

All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics

Jason L. Pitters

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}National Institute for Nanotechnology

National Research Council of Canada, Edmonton

All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics

National Institute for Nanotechnology