Servomechanism for locking scanning tunneling microscope tip over surface nanostructures

Measurement of the light emission spectrum from a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) requires a long exposure time due to its extremely low intensity, and thermal drift of the tip during the exposure time limits the spatial resolution. To improve the resolution, a computer controlled servomechanism that locks the STM tip over a target position has been developed. We have measured the light emission spectra from individual nanometer scale structures on an evaporated Au film with and without this mechanism, and demonstrated the effectiveness of the servomechanism.