Sculpting nanoelectrodes with a transmission electron beam for electrical and geometrical characterization of nanoparticles.
A method to produce metal electrodes with a gap of a few nanometers with a highly focused electron beam in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) is described. With this method the electrical and geometrical characterization of the same particle is possible. The I-V characteristics of a gold particle trapped between such electrodes showed the expected single-electron tunneling behavior, with a Coulomb gap corresponding to the geometry of the particle as observed with high-resolution TEM.
Zandbergen
Henny W
HW
Kavli Institute of NanoScience, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CJ Delft, The Netherlands. H.W.Zandbergen@tnw.tudelft.nl
van Duuren
Robert J H A
RJ
Alkemade
Paul F A
PF
Lientschnig
Günther
G
Vasquez
Oscar
O
Dekker
Cees
C
Tichelaar
Frans D
FD
D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004583:Electrons; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006046:Gold / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D008422:Materials Testing / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D008839:Microelectrodes; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / Q000379:methods*; D013499:Surface Properties
D006046:Gold