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TUNNELING CURRENT [1 record]

Record 1 2014-04-16

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atomic Physics
CONT

In the STM [scanning tunneling microscope] the "aperture" is a tiny tungsten probe, its tip ground so fine that it may consist of only a single atom and measure just .2 nanometer in width. Piezoelectric controls maneuver the tip to within a nanometer or two of the surface of a conducting specimen so close that the electron clouds of the atom at the probe tip and of the nearest atom of the specimen overlap. When a small voltage is applied to the tip, electrons "tunnel" across the gap, generating a minuscule tunneling current. The strength of the current is exquisitely sensitive to the width of the gap; typically it decreases by a factor of 10 each time the gap is widened by .1 nanometer -half the diameter of an atom.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Physique atomique
DEF

[...] courant généré par des électrons qui normalement n'auraient pas assez d'énergie pour circuler.

OBS

Dans le cas de la microscopie à effet tunnel, les électrons ne devraient pas circuler entre le stylet et la surface. En pratique certains d'entre eux peuvent le faire, générant un courant.

OBS

Le terme tunnel est utilisé par analogie avec les tunnels classiques. Un tunnel permet à une automobile de traverser une montagne sans effort. Ici, l'électron n'a pas besoin de remonter la barrière d'énergie entre la pointe et la surface pour passer de l'une à l'autre.

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Física atómica
CONT

La corriente túnel es una función que varía de modo exponencial con la distancia. Esta dependencia exponencial hace que la técnica STM [microscopía de efecto túnel] tenga una alta sensibilidad, pudiéndose obtener imágenes con resoluciones de sub-angstrom.

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