Use of scanning probe microscopies to study transport in semiconductor heterostructures

Abstract

The use of scanning probe microscopies such as Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) and Ballistic Electron Emission Microscopy (BEEM) to study carrier transport through semiconductor heterostructures is reviewed. The ability of BEEM to probe buried structures below the surface can be exploited to study heterostructure band-offsets and resonant tunneling through quantum structures. It will be shown that BEEM can serve as a powerful probe of the spectroscopy of such structures. The implications of such studies for research on quantum dots and the characterization of new optoelectronic materials will be discussed.