Probing the nanoscale Schottky barrier of metal/semiconductor interfaces of Pt/CdSe/Pt nanodumbbells by conductive-probe atomic force microscopy

The electrical nature of the nanoscale contact between metal nanodots and semiconductor rods has drawn significant interest because of potential applications for metal-semiconductor hybrid nanostructures in energy conversion or heterogeneous catalysis. Here, we studied the nanoscale electrical character of the Pt/CdSe junction in Pt/CdSe/Pt nanodumbbells on connected Au islands by conductive-probe atomic force microscopy under ultra-high vacuum. Current-voltage plots measured in contact mode revealed Schottky barrier heights of individual nanojunctions of 0.41 +/- 0.02 eV. The measured value of the Schottky barrier is significantly lower than that of planar thin-film diodes because of a reduction in the barrier width and enhanced tunneling probability at the interface.