title: Measurement of the quantum conductance of germanium by an electrochemical scanning tunneling microscope break junction based on a jump-to-contact mechanism.
abstract: We present quantum conductance measurements of germanium by means of an electrochemical scanning tunneling microscope (STM) break junction based on a jump-to-contact mechanism. Germanium nanowires between a platinum/iridium tip and different substrates were constructed to measure the quantum conductance. By applying appropriate potentials to the substrate and the tip, the process of heterogeneous contact and homogeneous breakage was realized. Typical conductance traces exhibit steps at 0.025 and 0.05 G0. The conductance histogram indicates that the conductance of germanium nanowires is located between 0.02 and 0.15 G0 in the low-conductance region and is free from the influence of substrate materials. However, the distribution of conductance plateaus is too discrete to display distinct peaks in the conductance histogram of the high-conductance region.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces and Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005 (P.R. China), Fax: (+86) 592-2186979.
authors.forename: Xufen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Jiawei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Jinghong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Jijun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Bingwei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mao
keywords: electrochemistry; germanium; ionic liquids; nanowires; scanning probe microscopy