Radio frequency filter for an enhanced resolution of inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy in a combined scanning tunneling- and atomic force microscope

Angelo Peronio; Norio Okabayashi; Florian Griesbeck; Franz Giessibl

doi:10.1063/1.5119888

Radio frequency filter for an enhanced resolution of inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy in a combined scanning tunneling- and atomic force microscope

Rev Sci Instrum. 2019 Dec 1;90(12):123104. doi: 10.1063/1.5119888.

Authors

Angelo Peronio¹, Norio Okabayashi², Florian Griesbeck¹, Franz Giessibl¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics, University of Regensburg, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.
² Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, 920-1192 Ishikawa, Japan.

PMID: 31893785
DOI: 10.1063/1.5119888

Abstract

The combination of inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS), also used for IET spectrum based on scanning tunneling microscopy with atomic force microscopy (AFM) enables us to measure the vibrational energies of a single molecule along with the force exerted by the tip of a microscope, which deepens our understanding on the interaction between the tip and the molecule on a surface. The resolution of IETS is a crucial factor in determining the vibrational energies of a molecule. However, radio frequency (RF) noise from the environment significantly deteriorates the resolution. We introduce an RF noise filtering technique, which enables high resolution IETS while maintaining uncompromised AFM performance, demonstrated by vibrational measurements of a CO molecule on a copper surface.