Modification of tantalum surfaces by scanning tunneling microscopy in an electrochemical cell

Abstract

The morphological evolution of tantalum surfaces induced by scanning in an electrochemical cell have been investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Repeated scanning over the same region was found to create a surface with a reduced peak‐to‐peak corrugation. This phenomenon was observed for negative tip biases only, and was also found to occur at a slower rate while scanning in air. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows layers of Ta₂O₅ deposited anodically on samples imaged with STM.