Abstract
Simultaneous scanning force/tunneling microscopy measurements are carried out on the Si(111)-(7×7) surface using quartz cantilevers. The retrace scanning mode enables constant height imaging even under heavy drift conditions at room temperature. Relatively clean tungsten tips produce huge time-averaged tunneling currents (<It>) in the chemical bonding regime. In contrast, when the tip is contaminated with Si atoms due to tip–surface contacts, <It> is suppressed or is barely detectable, while the force offers even better atomic contrast. This can explain the variety of magnitudes of <It> obtained previously by some groups. The conversion formula between <It> and instantaneous tunneling current is also verified, which is required for comparison of results with different cantilever oscillation amplitudes.
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