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Journal articles
Electron transport in ultra-thin films and ballistic electron emission microscopy
Abstract : We have developed a calculation scheme for the elastic electron current in ultra-thin epitaxial heterostructures. Our model uses a Keldysh's non-equilibrium Green's function formalism and a layer-by-layer construction of the epitaxial film. Such an approach is appropriate to describe the current in a ballistic electron emission microscope (BEEM) where the metal base layer is ultra-thin and generalizes a previous one based on a decimation technique appropriated for thick slabs. This formalism allows a full quantum mechanical description of the transmission across the epitaxial heterostructure interface, including multiple scattering via the Dyson equation, which is deemed a crucial ingredient to describe interfaces of ultra-thin layers properly in the future. We introduce a theoretical formulation needed for ultra-thin layers and we compare with results obtained for thick Au(1 1 1) metal layers. An interesting effect takes place for a width of about ten layers: a BEEM current can propagate via the center of the reciprocal space ($\overline{\Gamma}$ ) along the Au(1 1 1) direction. We associate this current to a coherent interference finite-width effect that cannot be found using a decimation technique. Finally, we have tested the validity of the handy semiclassical formalism to describe the BEEM current.
Cited literature [18 references]
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01484634
Contributor : Laurent Jonchère <>
Submitted on : Friday, May 5, 2017 - 2:18:32 PM
Last modification on : Wednesday, March 31, 2021 - 2:10:51 PM
Long-term archiving on: : Sunday, August 6, 2017 - 1:44:20 PM
Contributor : Laurent Jonchère <>
Submitted on : Friday, May 5, 2017 - 2:18:32 PM
Last modification on : Wednesday, March 31, 2021 - 2:10:51 PM
Long-term archiving on: : Sunday, August 6, 2017 - 1:44:20 PM
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Electron Transport in Ultra-Th...
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