Coulomb staircases and quantum size effects in tunnelling spectroscopy on ligand-stabilized metal clusters

J. G. A. Dubois; J. W. Gerritsen; S. E. Shafranjuk; E. J. G. Boon; G. Schmid; H. van Kempen

doi:10.1209/epl/i1996-00333-0

All issues

Volume 33 / No 4 (February I 1996)

Europhys. Lett., 33 4 (1996) 279-284

Abstract

Issue		Europhys. Lett. Volume 33, Number 4, February I 1996


Page(s)		279 - 284
Section		Condensed matter: structure, thermal and mechanical properties
DOI		https://doi.org/10.1209/epl/i1996-00333-0
Published online		01 September 2002

Europhys. Lett., 33 (4), pp. 279-284 (1996)

Coulomb staircases and quantum size effects in tunnelling spectroscopy on ligand-stabilized metal clusters

J. G. A. Dubois¹, J. W. Gerritsen¹, S. E. Shafranjuk¹^,2, E. J. G. Boon¹, G. Schmid³ and H. van Kempen¹

¹ Research Institute for Materials, University of Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
² Institute for Metal Physics, Accademy of Sciences, 36 Vernadskii str., 252142 Kiev, Ukraine
³ Institüt fur Anorganische Chemie, Universität Essen, Universitätstrasse 5-7, 4300 Essen 1, Germany

Received: 13 April 1995
Accepted: 17 December 1995

Abstract

We describe scanning tunnelling spectroscopy results on the ligand-stabilized metal cluster $\rm Pt_{309}Phen^*_{36}O_{30}$ (where Phen is phenanthrolin) at 4.2 K. If the STM tip is positioned above a single cluster, clear charging effects are observed, varying from a reduction of the current around zero bias (Coulomb blockade) to a stepwise increase of the current as a function of bias voltage (Coulomb staircase). In addition to the regular Coulomb staircase with steps in the current at equal voltage spacing, we observed also staircases whit additional structure. This additional structure can be explained in terms of quantum levels in the cluster.

PACS: 61.16.Ch – Scanning probe microscopy: scanning tunneling, atomic force, magnetic, etc / 73.40.Gk – Tunneling / 73.20.Dx – Electron states in low-dimensional structures (including quantum wells, superlattices, layer structures, and intercalation compounds)

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