Signature of Fermi-surface anisotropy in point contact conductance in the presence of defects

Abstract

In a previous paper [Avotina et al., Phys. Rev. B 71, 115430 (2005)] we have shown that in principle it is possible to image the defect positions below a metal surface by means of a scanning tunneling microscope. The principle relies on the interference of electron waves scattered on the defects, which give rise to small but measurable conductance fluctuations. Whereas in that work the band structure was assumed to be free-electron like, here we investigate the effects of Fermi surface anisotropy. We demonstrate that the amplitude and period of the conductance oscillations are determined by the local geometry of the Fermi surface. The signal results from those points for which the electron velocity is directed along the vector connecting the point contact to the defect. For a general Fermi surface geometry the position of the maximum amplitude of the conductance oscillations is not found for the tip directly above the defect. We have determined optimal conditions for determination of defect positions in metals with closed and open Fermi surfaces.