Electron scattering in atomic force microscopy experiments

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the subatomic features observed in atomic force microscopy on silicon surfaces are directly influenced by the available electron states, with simulations and experiments showing correlated variations in forces and currents at atomic scales.

Contribution

It reveals the direct dependence of AFM subatomic features on electron states, linking force measurements to electronic structure in silicon.

Findings

Subatomic features in AFM depend on silicon surface electron states.

Forces and currents exhibit similar variations near bonding distances.

Simulations confirm experimental observations of electronic influence on AFM signals.

Abstract

It has been shown that electron transitions, as measured in a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM), are related to chemical interactions in a tunnelling barrier. Here, we show that the shape and apparent height of subatomic features in an atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiment on Si(111) depend directly on the available electron states of the silicon surface and the silicon AFM tip. Simulations and experiments confirm that forces and currents show similar subatomic variations for tip-sample distances approaching the bulk bonding length.