Abstract
Here we show scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), noncontact atomic force microscopy (AFM), and inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) measurements on an organic molecule with a CO-terminated tip at 5K. The high-resolution contrast observed simultaneously in all channels unambiguously demonstrates the common imaging mechanism in STM/AFM/IETS, related to the lateral bending of the CO-functionalized tip. The IETS spectroscopy reveals that the submolecular contrast at 5K consists of both renormalization of vibrational frequency and variation of the amplitude of the IETS signal. This finding is also corroborated by first principles simulations. We extend accordingly the probe-particle AFM/STM/IETS model to include these two main ingredients necessary to reproduce the high-resolution IETS contrast. We also employ the first principles simulations to get more insight into a different response of frustrated translation and rotational modes of the CO tip during imaging.
Highlights
Submolecular Resolution by Variation of the Inelastic Electron Tunneling Spectroscopy Amplitude and its Relation to the atomic force microscopy (AFM)/scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) Signal
We extend the probe-particle AFM/STM/inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) model to include these two main ingredients necessary to reproduce the high-resolution IETS contrast
An atom or molecule placed at the tip apex is sensitive to spatial variations of the potential energy landscape of the molecule resulting from the interplay between Pauli, electrostatic, and van der Waals interactions [9,10,12,13]
Summary
Submolecular Resolution by Variation of the Inelastic Electron Tunneling Spectroscopy Amplitude and its Relation to the AFM/STM Signal. We show scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), noncontact atomic force microscopy (AFM), and inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) measurements on an organic molecule with a CO-terminated tip at 5 K.
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