Light Emission from Porphyrin Molecules Induced
by a Scanning Tunneling Microscope


Zhen-Chao DoNG, Asit KAR, Zhi-Qiang Zou, Taizo OHGI, Pavel DOROZHKIN, Daisuke FUJITA,
Shiyoshi YoKOYAMA, Toshifumi TERUI , Toshiki YAMADA , Toshiya KAMIKADO ,
Minniu ZHOU, Shinro MASHIKO and Takayuki OKAMOTO


Abstract

Positioning of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip above Cu-tetra- (3,5-di-tertiary-butyl- phenyl)-porphyrin (Cu-TBPP) molecules on Cu(100) is found to induce plasmon-mediated emission and molecular luminescence when bias voltages are above ` 2.3 V. Optical spectra acquired at a low current of 0.2 nA suggest not only the enhancement effect of the molecules on light emission but also new features associated with the molecules. The quantum efficiency of such light emission excited by inelastic tunneling is on the order of 10-6 photons per electron.

Keywords
scanning tunneling microscopy, photon emission, electroluminescence, tunneling, copper, porphyrin