Quantum Transport and Apparent Work Function Distributions of Atomic Contacts via a 3D-Printed High-Vacuum Platform
arXiv:2607.14074
The paper introduces a low‑cost 3D‑printed high‑vacuum setup for quantum transport measurements, demonstrating its use to measure conductance quantization in copper and to statistically analyze gold work‑function distributions across different environments.
Abstract
We present a low-cost, 3D-printed high-vacuum platform integrating a mechanically controllable break-junction system and a custom logarithmic amplifier for room-temperature quantum transport measurements. Using copper as a highly reactive test case, we successfully resolve the conductance quantum under both high vacuum and anhydrous glycerol, demonstrating the effectiveness of these environments against rapid atmospheric oxidation. In parallel, utilizing gold as a robust benchmark, we systematically extract the apparent work function () from thousands of tunneling traces across ambient air, vacuum, and glycerol. Our analysis demonstrates that the statistical distribution of rigorously follows a non-central chi-square distribution. The obtained gold work functions match existing literature across all environments. Although lower than bulk values, they perfectly align with theoretical models accounting for atomic-scale roughness, apex geometry, and environmental adsorbates. Ultimately, this methodology establishes an accessible and reproducible framework for systematic nanoscale research on reactive materials.
8 pages, 4 figures, supplementary material