Yu, P., Kirschner, J.
Nanoscale imaging of photoelectrons using an atomic force microscope
Applied Physics Letters 102, (6),pp 063111/1-3 (2013)
Photoemission current imaging at the nanoscale is demonstrated by combining an atomic force microscope with laser excitation. Photoelectrons emitted from the sample are collected by the tip while the tip-sample distance is precisely controlled by their van der Waals force interaction. We observe pronounced photoemission current contrast with spatial resolution of 5 nm on a cesium covered Au(111) surface. This high spatial resolution can be attributed to the strong dependence of the local potential barrier on the tip-sample distance. Our experiments provide a method for photoelectron imaging with high spatial resolution and extend the functionality of state-of-the-art scanning probe techniques.