Scanning Probe Transport Group

The scanning probe transport group explores electronic transport in low-dimensional metal-organic nanomaterials. Such atomically precise low-dimensional nanostructures serve as ideal model systems to understand electronic quantum transport at reduced dimensions and ultimately create and control quantum electronics.

We combine low-temperature scanning probe microscopy (scanning tunnelling/non-contact atomic force microscopy – STM/nc-AFM), X-ray spectroscopy methods (photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy) with and micro/nanofabrication.

In this project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and co-hosted by PSI and EPFL, we want to obtain a fundamental understanding of this largely unexplored class of materials and to ultimately together exploit our new knowledge towards prototype devices.

High resolution nc-AFM image revealing the structure of a metal-organic wire.