Journal de Physique IV

Sommaire

10th International Conference on the Formation of Semiconductor Interfaces
C. Girardeaux, et al.
J. Phys. IV France 132 (2006) 57-61
DOI: 10.1051/jp4:2006132011

Electrical conduction through a monatomic surface step

I. Matsuda^{1, 0}, T. Hirahara¹, M. Ueno¹, R. Hobara¹ and S. Hasegawa¹

¹ Department of Physics, School of Science, the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan

Abstract
We have succeeded in measuring resistance across a single atomic step at electrical conduction through a monatomic-layer metal on a crystal surface. Using independent methods of direct electrical conductivity measurement with four-tip scanning tunneling microscope probes and scanning tunneling spectroscopy observation, the conductivity across a monatomic step was found to be about $5 \times 10^{3}\,\Omega ^$ m^-1. Through analyses of the Landauer formula for 2D conductors and the recent theoretical calculations, the electron transport across an atomic step is fairly modeled as a tunneling process. Important formulas of surface conductivity developed by the present research are given.