ELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF NANOSCALE CONTACTS ON SI(111) SURFACES

We have investigated the electric properties of nanoscale contacts on Si(111)-7 X 7 surfaces with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The contacts between a W STM tip and Si substrates exhibit Schottky-type rectification, whose properties are obviously different from the conve ntional plane diodes. The current variation during tip retraction from the contact region indicates the influence of Si atoms between the ti p and substrates, as well as the contact size effects, which result fr om the Si atom removal with the present experimental technique. (C) 19 98 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.