Determination of Modulation Wavelengths in Nanoscale Electrodeposited Superlattices Using the Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Abstract

We have determined modulation wavelengths of electrochemically deposited metal oxide superlattices using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Alternating layers of Pb0.74Tl0.2601.9 and Pb0.46Tl0.5401.7 were deposited from a single aqueous solution under galvanostatic control. The sum of the thickness of the alternating layers equals the modulation wavelength. The concentration of lead and thallium within the layers was controlled by varying the current, which gave each alternating layer different conductivities. STM was used to image these nanoscale materials in real space, by exploiting the electronic differences of the individual superlattice layers. Also, the alternating layers were grown to equal thicknesses by varying the dwell times for the applied current density. The modulation wavelengths were designed electrochemically to be in the 6 to SO nm range. The modulation wavelength was determined using Fourier analysis of the STM images and found to be in good agreement with those calculated from x-ray diffraction results. This demonstrates the ability of the STM as a real space characterization tool for determining distances in the nanoscale regime of conductive electronic structures and devices. © 1993.

Department(s)

Chemistry

Document Type

Article - Journal

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Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 1993 Elsevier, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Mar 1993

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