The displacement (sum of desorption and diffusion) of chlorobenzene molecules chemisorbed on the Si(111)-(7 x 7) surface, induced by both the scanning tunnelling microscope electrical current and by heat, was studied. The activation energy for pure thermal displacement was 0.580eV, and was possibly associated with excitation into a physisorbed precursor state. The scanning tunneling microscope-induced displacement exhibited a marked decrease with increasing temperature, when the thermal effects were removed.

Calibrating Thermal and Scanning Tunnelling Microscope Induced Desorption and Diffusion for the Chemisorbed Chlorobenzene/Si(111)-(7 x 7) System. S.Sakulsermsuk, P.A.Sloan, W.Theis, R.E.Palmer: Journal of Physics - Condensed Matter, 2010, 22[8], 084002