Overview
The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is a recently developed technique which makes possible to obtain atomic resolution images on the surfaces of conducting and semiconducting solids. The surface and any adsorbed molecules are sensed by a tunneling current -- making investigation of surface chemical reactions on atomic scale possible.The Beckman ultra-high vacuum (UHV) STM group performs complex experiments in the following areas:1. Atomic-scale structural and electronic analyses of cleaved III-V heterolayer (e.g. GaAs/AlGaAs and InGaAs/InP) semiconductor device structures employed in resonant tunneling diodes, high electron mobility transistors, and quantum well lasers.
2. STM-based nanolithography aimed at fabricating new transistors with dimensions far smaller than those found in today's integrated circuits.
3. In collaboration with other groups, the UHV-STM facility is also utilized to image biomolecules and to explore uses of self-assembled monolayers in nanoelectronic applications.
4. Characterization and lifetime analysis of sub-micron devices and the effects of introduced deuterium.
5. Study of properties of carbon nanotubes and their potential application in nanoelectronic devices.
You can also find a more in-depth analysis of our future research directions here.