Semiconductor tips with engineered electronic structure for spectroscopic scanning tunneling microscopy

III–V semiconductors are explored as a new class of materials for use as probe tips for scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Compared to metal tips conventionally used in STM, semiconductors with carefully tuned electronic properties have the potential to significantly increase energy resolution and contrast in spectroscopic STM. We demonstrate atomic-resolution STM imaging on highly oriented pyrolitic graphite (HOPG) using cleaved InAs probes, and detect clear signatures of the band structure of the semiconductor tips in local tunneling conductance spectra on HOPG. These results point the way toward tailoring the STM tunneling distribution by careful adjustment of the electronic properties of a semiconductor tip.