Study of the imaging experiments of photon scanning tunneling microscopy (PSTM)

A systematic study on the PSTM was made. The study consists of the imaging mechanism, the general imaging principles, the numerical simulation for a particular physical model, and the experimental investigation on the surface imaging of various samples by using a self-made PSTM. The evanescent field intensity as a function of surface-probe separation was calculated by using the cylindrical probe tip model with computer. It was found that the spatial resolution is affected directly by the size and shape of the tip. The study of PSTM images of various sample surfaces will establish the necessary technical foundation for its applications in the future.