Preparation and characterization of electrochemically etched Re tips for STM (original) (raw)

Applied Surface Science, 1994

Abstract

Abstract We have investigated rhenium (Re) tips for scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The tips were made by electrochemical etching from polycrystalline Re wires with two methods. The better method was the method using a ring reference electrode floating on a H2SO4 solution and a controller. Sharp tips with a single apex were obtained reproducibly; their diameter was inspected with transmission electron microscopy to be around 300 A. The tip apex was examined by field ion microscopy. Most of the Re tips were observed to have a [11 2 0]-oriented apex, where a single atom was expected to be stable. Atomic resolution STM images of Si(111)7×7 surface were obtained both at room temperature and at 600°C, demonstrating that a [11 2 0]-oriented Re tip is one of the most stable tips for STM.

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