Plasmon-Assisted Resonant Electron Tunneling in a Scanning Tunneling Microscope Junction

Liu, Shuyi; Wolf, Martin; Kumagai, Takashi

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.121.226802

Cited by 31 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…[141] The resonant tunneling occurs when the incoming energy coincides with the energy eigenvalue of quasibound state in quantum well between the two infinite energy barriers, thus showing peaks around the orbital energies. [163] The orbital energy of a molecule is changed by its angle and arrangement of the linked metal cations which determine the path of the partial waves resulting in quantum interference; constructive and destructive interference. [60,141,164,165] Potential application of these properties can be molecule switches in molecular electronics.…”

Section: Aliphatic and Conjugated Molecule Gapmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum Plasmonics: Energy Transport Through Plasmonic Gap

2021

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scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), [5,6] atomic force microscopy (AFM), [7] and other techniques allowing resolution to be reduced to the atomic scale can help realize atomic-scale world exploration. This is the starting point of the nanotechnology era; since its inception, this technology has changed the nature of almost every human-made object. Six decades after Richard Feynman's lecture, we find that there is still plenty of room at the bottom, through the incorporation of nanophotonics. [8] To elucidate: quantum plasmonics has emerged as an attractive research field in new nanophotonics; research is underway to reveal and accurately describe the quantum nature of electrons at the bottom of extremely confined nano-or sub-nanometer scale materials, using light. [9,10] By exploring the quantum mechanical interactions of matter with light (in particular, using the coherent interactions between the plasmonic cavity and the material), [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] these efforts seek to establish new frontiers in information processing technology and to satisfy the everincreasing requirements for speed and capacity in quantum computing, quantum cryptography, and quantum metrology. They might also suggest research fields beyond this, involving the ultimate miniaturization of photonic components and the extreme limits of the light-matter interaction. These advantages may help solve some fundamental problems of electronics, such as those of bandwidth, frequency, and energy consumption. [19] In this review, we describe recent developments in the research of exotic materials capable of mediating quantum plasmonics and inducing quantum energy transport. We briefly provide classical and quantum descriptions of matter, from the bulk, nano, and cluster scales down to atomic matter, exploring the band structures via their optical responses. By considering a single nanoplasmonic material, we describe the theoretical and experimental findings pertaining to assembled nanoplasmonic structures, in the context of the plasmonic gap distance and the type of advanced functional material. The plasmonic gap herein refers to a nanometer or sub-nanometer gap that transports (couples, tunnels, exchanges, confines) electromagnetic energy between plasmonic resonators. Advanced functional materials within an extremely confined metallic resonator are described; these include air/vacuum, aliphatic and conjugated molecules, 2D materials, organic and inorganic materials with At the interfaces of metal and dielectric materials, strong light-matter interactions excite surface plasmons; this allows electromagnetic field confinement and enhancement on the sub-wavelength scale. Such phenomena have attracted considerable interest in the field of exotic material-based nanophotonic research, with potential applications including nonlinear spectroscopies, information processing, single-molecule sensing, organic-molecule devices, and plasmon chemistry. These innovative plasmonics-based technologies can meet the ever-increasing demands for speed and ca...

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Section: Aliphatic and Conjugated Molecule Gapmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum Plasmonics: Energy Transport Through Plasmonic Gap

2021

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“…Performing STM measurements under such conditions, laserpower-dependent ABHs have been observed [55]. In the limit of much lower intensities, continuous-wave illumination may change the transfer mechanism to plasmon-assisted resonant tunneling, as recently demonstrated by FER shifts of one photon energy [84]. We do not observe such shifts, presumably due to a broader electron energy distribution and the smaller photo-driven contribution to the total current (see figure A5 in the appendix 'Bias voltage dependent measurements').…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Controlling photocurrent channels in scanning tunneling microscopy

et al. 2020

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We investigate photocurrents driven by femtosecond laser excitation of a (sub)-nanometer tunnel junction in an ultrahigh vacuum low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The optically driven charge transfer is revealed by tip retraction curves showing a current contribution for exceptionally large tip-sample distances, evidencing a strongly reduced effective barrier height for photoexcited electrons at higher energies. Our measurements demonstrate that the magnitude of the photo-induced electron transport can be controlled by the laser power as well as the applied bias voltage. In contrast, the decay constant of the photocurrent is only weakly affected by these parameters. Stable STM operation with photoelectrons is demonstrated by acquiring constant current topographies. An effective non-equilibrium electron distribution as a consequence of multiphoton absorption is deduced by the analysis of the photocurrent using a one-dimensional potential barrier model.

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“…Here, visible light induces efficient carrier generation and transfer which is of particular interest to make use of solar energy. We discovered a novel plasmon-assisted resonant electron transfer in a simple model system [5]. Rydberg-like electronic states exist over a single-crystal Ag(111)-surface, so-called field emission resonances (Fig.…”

Section: Nanolight-driven Resonant Electron Transfermentioning

confidence: 99%

Turn on Nanolight in a Tiny Gap

Kumagai

2020

Vak Forsch Prax

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Summary A new low‐temperature scanning tunneling microscopy technique with laser optics allows for optical excitation and spectroscopy at the level of a single atom or molecule. Shape and material of the microscope's tip prove essential for these investigations; thus, the tip is produced with nanoscale precision by Focused Ion‐Beam milling. The localized surface plasmon properties of the tips are engineered by altering the tip structures providing spectral tunability. Local optical excitation is performed by a wavelength‐tunable laser source. This tip‐enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy provides a new approach for the atomic‐scale optical characterization of local electron‐phonon coupling and could ultimately lead to new nanoscale optoelectronic devices with exceptional high sensitivity and efficiency.

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Plasmon-Assisted Resonant Electron Tunneling in a Scanning Tunneling Microscope Junction

Cited by 31 publications

References 40 publications

Quantum Plasmonics: Energy Transport Through Plasmonic Gap

Quantum Plasmonics: Energy Transport Through Plasmonic Gap

Controlling photocurrent channels in scanning tunneling microscopy

Turn on Nanolight in a Tiny Gap

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