Photon emission from adsorbed C₆₀ molecules with sub-nanometer lateral resolution

We present the first experimental demonstration of spatially resolved photon emission of individual molecules on a surface. A scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was used as a local electron source to excite photon emission from hexagonal arrays of C60 molecules on Au(110) surfaces. Specifically, we show that in maps of photon emission intensities, C60 fullerenes appear as arrays of individual light emitters 4 Å in diameter and separated by 10 Å. Comparison with simultaneously recorded STM images reveals, that most intense emission is detected when the STM tip is centered above a molecule. The results demonstrate the highest spatial resolution of light emission to date using a scanning probe technique. © 1993 Springer-Verlag.