Single-electron tunneling to insulator surfaces measured by frequency detection electrostatic force microscopy

Abstract

Single-electron tunneling events between a metal probe and an insulator surface are measured by frequency detection electrostatic force microscopy. Single-electron tunneling events typically cause 1–10Hz shifts in the 300kHz resonance frequency of the oscillating force probe. The frequency shifts appear only within a sub-2nm tip–sample gap and their magnitude is roughly uniform under fixed experimental conditions. An electrostatic model of the probe–sample system yields results consistent with the measurements.