Abstract

Electron tunneling spectroscopy is one of the newest analytical techniques, having been discovered by Jaklevic and Lambe in 1966. This technique is based upon the fact that electrons which tunnel inelastically through a very thin insulating barrier in a metal/insulator/metal (M/I/M) tunnel junction can excite the oscillational modes in molecules that have been intentionally introduced into the junction. The main advantage of this technique is a very high sensitivity, which in the best circumstances can detect 0.1% of a monolayer of the investigated substance surface.