Eur. Phys. J. AP 21, 121-126 (2003)
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjap:2002110

Photon emission from STM of granular gold in UHV: comparison with air and study of spectra shifting with tip position

CEMES/CNRS, 29 rue J. Marvig, BP 4347, 31055 Toulouse, France

Corresponding author: maurel@cemes.fr

Received: 13 June 2002
Revised: 17 September 2002
Accepted: 1 October 2002
Published online: 29 November 2002

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental study using photon emission derived from scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) of a granular gold surface in Ultra High Vacuum (UHV). The aim is to make a comparison with previous results obtained in air or in UHV. The photon emission spectrum also evidences a significant energy shift as the tip moves on a surface grain. This shift is attributed to the local geometry of the junction and to peculiar crystallographic properties of the surface.