STM on Semiconductors

Semiconductors represent the class of compounds most extensively studied using STM, for several reasons. In addition to the great technological importance of semiconductors, they have several unique characteristics which make them particularly attractive candidates for STM studies. The localized nature of the sp bonding is particularly attractive for STM imaging, since it provides for large corrugations. Reconstructions are common for semiconductor surfaces, providing a rich variety of interesting topography which is significantly different from the bulk and is not easily determined using conventional surface science tools. Finally, the existence of localized surface states makes measuring and understanding the electronic properties of semiconductors an interesting and challenging scientific problem.