Data scattering in scanning tunneling spectroscopy
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2026

All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics
Published on: January 19, 2018
N Severin1, S Groeper, R Kniprath
1Department of Physics, Humboldt University Berlin, Newtonstr. 15, D-12489 Berlin, Germany. severni@physik.hu-berlin.de
Abstract:
We investigated the scattering of current-voltage data obtained with scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) at room temperature at a solid-liquid interface on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and in ultrahigh vacuum on HOPG and Au(111). For both experimental conditions, the data scattering can be described by a lognormal function for a moderate number of subsequent measurements. The lognormal distribution of the current can be explained by a normal distribution of the tip-surface distance. We give a simple empirical rule for STS data sorting.
Related Concept Videos
Scanning Electron Microscopy
Fundamental Principles
Accelerated...
Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Atomic Spectroscopy: Absorption, Emission, and Fluorescence
Overview of Microscopy Techniques

