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Electric field response of a vibrationally excited molecule in an STM junction

Michiaki Ohara, Yousoo Kim, and Maki Kawai
Phys. Rev. B 78, 201405(R) – Published 11 November 2008
Physics logo See Synopsis: Molecules shake into place

Abstract

We found that a single molecule in a vibrationally excited state on a surface can be delivered precisely to a desired position with the aid of a local electric field in a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) junction. An individual CH3S molecule on a Cu(111) surface hops laterally to move away from a negatively charged STM tip and to come toward a positively charged tip when the lateral hopping motion is induced by inelastically tunneled electrons and the molecule is positioned in an inhomogeneous electric field. These experimental findings reveal that a vibrationally excited molecule on a surface responds with high sensitivity to a local electric field in an STM junction.

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  • Received 17 September 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.78.201405

©2008 American Physical Society

Synopsis

Key Image

Molecules shake into place

Published 12 November 2008

Individual molecules can be accurately positioned using a scanning tunneling microscope tip by transferring the energy of internal molecular vibrations into a controlled translational motion.

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Authors & Affiliations

Michiaki Ohara1,2, Yousoo Kim1,*, and Maki Kawai1,2,†

  • 1Surface Chemistry Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
  • 2Department of Advanced Materials Science, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8561, Japan

  • *ykim@riken.jp
  • maki@riken.jp

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Issue

Vol. 78, Iss. 20 — 15 November 2008

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