We review the topic of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) studies of silicides, with an emphasis on fundamental scientific issues that can be addressed using STM and ballistic-electron-emission microscopy (BEEM). The discussion is organized according to the topics of structure (atomic scale precursors, surface reconstructions, bulk structures, interfaces) kinetics and growth (direct atomic me...

Experiments of the scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS) have been carried out on the layered superconductor MgB2 with Tc = 39 K. The measurements were done at 5 K using a Pt-Ir tip and the single-crystal grain. The STM images show characteristic hexagonal patterns with the distances of nearest neighbour atoms to be 0.3 – 0.35 nm and 0.15 – 0.2 nm, respectively, which are co...

The search for topological phases of matter is evolving towards strongly interacting systems, including magnets and superconductors, where exotic effects emerge from the quantum-level interplay between geometry, correlation topology. Over past decade or so, scanning tunnelling microscopy has become a powerful tool to probe discover emergent matter, because its unprecedented spatial resolution, ...

BACKGROUND Highly ordered three-dimensional colloidal crystals (supracrystals) comprised of 7.4 nm diameter Au nanocrystals (with a 5% size dispersion) have been imaged and analysed using a combination of scanning tunnelling microscopy and dynamic force microscopy. RESULTS By exploring the evolution of both the force and tunnel current with respect to tip-sample separation, we arrive at the s...

Considerable progress has been made recently, using scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS) and local density functional theory (DFT), in examining the atomic structure and electronic properties of ultrathin insulating films. This article reviews pertinent results to date with special emphasis on ultrathin MgO films on Ag(001) surfaces. Using STS, the layer-...