Quantitative description of photoexcited scanning tunneling spectroscopy and its application to the GaAs(110) surface

A quantitative description of photoexcited scanning tunneling spectra is developed and applied to photoexcited spectra measured on $p$-doped nonpolar GaAs(110) surfaces. Under illumination, the experimental spectra exhibit an increase of the tunnel current at negative sample voltages only. In order to analyze the experimental data quantitatively, the potential and charge-carrier distributions of the photoexcited tip-vacuum-semiconductor system are calculated by solving the Poisson as well as the hole and electron continuity equations by a finite-difference algorithm. On this basis, the different contributions to the tunnel current are calculated using an extension of the model of Feenstra and Stroscio to include the light-excited carrier concentrations. The best fit of the calculated tunnel currents to the experimental data is obtained for a tip-induced band bending, which is limited by the partial occupation of the ${\mathrm{C}}_{3}$ surface state by light-excited electrons. The tunnel current at negative voltages is then composed of a valence band contribution and a photoinduced tunnel current of excited electrons in the conduction band. The quantitative description of the tunnel current developed here is generally applicable and provides a solid foundation for the quantitative interpretation of photoexcited scanning tunneling spectroscopy.