Sub-diffraction-resolved spatial distribution of emitting excitons in scanning tunneling microscopy-induced luminescence of two-dimensional semiconductors via Richardson-Lucy deconvolution
Abstract
Using scanning tunneling microscopy-induced luminescence (STML), the optical properties of twodimensional (2D) semiconductors may be investigated at the nanoscale. This is possible because the tunneling current under the tip is an extremely localized electrical excitation source. However, in most STML applications, the spatial distribution of the emission relative to the excitation point is unresolved. Yet this distribution contains key information about how the interaction of excitons with injected charge carriers affects the luminescence of these materials, and about exciton transport. Resolving this spatial distribution at the nanoscale is relevant both for a fundamental understanding of exciton physics and for device applications; yet it remains a significant challenge. In this work, we resolve the spatial distribution of the emission beyond the diffraction limit of light by deconvolving real-space optical microscopy images of the STML using an iterative algorithm, i.e., Richardson-Lucy (RL) deconvolution. To showcase this technique, we apply it to the STML of monolayer tungsten diselenide (WSe 2 ) and tungsten disulfide (WS 2 ). Thus, we highlight hitherto ignored or misunderstood aspects of STML on 2D semiconductors related to exciton and charge carrier transport, namely the dependence of the spatial distribution of emission on the tunnel current setpoint and the origin of the emission from hot spots located micrometers from the excitation source.
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BibTeX
@article{laurent2026subdiffractionresolved,
title = {{Sub-diffraction-resolved spatial distribution of emitting excitons in scanning tunneling microscopy-induced luminescence of two-dimensional semiconductors via Richardson-Lucy deconvolution}},
author = {Elysé Laurent and Ricardo Javier Peña Román and Sarah Miller and Aditi Raman Moghe and Etienne Lorchat and Séverine Le Moal and Elizabeth Boer-Duchemin and Luiz Fernando Zagonel and Stéphane Berciaud and Eric Le Moal},
journal = {Physical Review Applied},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1103/lwl7-zrk8},
eprint = {2512.08401},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05755795v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Sub-diffraction-resolved spatial distribution of emitting excitons in scanning tunneling microscopy-induced luminescence of two-dimensional semiconductors via Richardson-Lucy deconvolution
AU - Elysé Laurent
AU - Ricardo Javier Peña Román
AU - Sarah Miller
AU - Aditi Raman Moghe
AU - Etienne Lorchat
AU - Séverine Le Moal
AU - Elizabeth Boer-Duchemin
AU - Luiz Fernando Zagonel
AU - Stéphane Berciaud
AU - Eric Le Moal
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/09
JO - Physical Review Applied
DO - 10.1103/lwl7-zrk8
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05755795v1
AB - Using scanning tunneling microscopy-induced luminescence (STML), the optical properties of twodimensional (2D) semiconductors may be investigated at the nanoscale. This is possible because the tunneling current under the tip is an extremely localized electrical excitation source. However, in most STML applications, the spatial distribution of the emission relative to the excitation point is unresolved. Yet this distribution contains key information about how the interaction of excitons with injected charge carriers affects the luminescence of these materials, and about exciton transport. Resolving this spatial distribution at the nanoscale is relevant both for a fundamental understanding of exciton physics and for device applications; yet it remains a significant challenge. In this work, we resolve the spatial distribution of the emission beyond the diffraction limit of light by deconvolving real-space optical microscopy images of the STML using an iterative algorithm, i.e., Richardson-Lucy (RL) deconvolution. To showcase this technique, we apply it to the STML of monolayer tungsten diselenide (WSe 2 ) and tungsten disulfide (WS 2 ). Thus, we highlight hitherto ignored or misunderstood aspects of STML on 2D semiconductors related to exciton and charge carrier transport, namely the dependence of the spatial distribution of emission on the tunnel current setpoint and the origin of the emission from hot spots located micrometers from the excitation source.
SN - 2331-7019
ER -