https://doi.org/10.1051/epjap:2001180
STM induced luminescence in carbon nanotubes
1
CEMES/CNRS, 29 rue J. Marvig, BP 4347, 31055 Toulouse, France
2
CRMD/CNRS, 1b rue de la Férollerie, 45071 Orléans Cedex 2, France
3
Département de Physique, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, France
Corresponding author: coratger@cemes.fr
Received:
12
October
2000
Revised:
15
February
2001
Accepted:
17
May
2001
Published online: 15 September 2001
Light emission excited by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) has been observed on multiwall carbon nanotubes. The photon yield depends on the scanned tube but it is constant all along the tube. Simultaneous photon spectroscopy evidences emitted wavelengths in the 600−1000 nm range in good agreement with previous field emission data. Emission characteristics are independent of substrate and of STM tip. We discuss how these new results are consistent with radiative transitions involving localized states in carbon nanotubes.
PACS: 61.46.+w – Nanoscale materials: clusters, nanoparticles, nanotubes, and nanocrystals / 68.37.Ef – Scanning tunneling microscopy (including chemistry induced with STM) / 73.22.-f – Electronic structure of nanoscale materials: clusters, nanoparticles, nanotubes, and nanocrystals
© EDP Sciences, 2001
