Importance of carrier dynamics and conservation of momentum in atom-selective STM imaging and band gap determination of GaAs(110)

Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy measurements on the GaAs(110) surface with complementary theoretical calculations are performed to clarify the effects involved in the tunneling of unpinned semiconductor surfaces. We show that the flatband and tip-induced band bending as well as equilibrium conditions are insufficient to describe the effects involved. Instead, carrier dynamics and conservation of momentum of the tunneling electrons need to be taken into account for a complete description of the contributions of the valence or conduction band states. The results allow us to understand the unique properties needed to achieve the atom-selective imaging observed on these surfaces as well as the determination of the band gap energy.