Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy - Related Videos
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Fabrication of Gate-tunable Graphene Devices for Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Studies with Coulomb Impurities
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This paper details the fabrication process of a gate-tunable graphene device, decorated with Coulomb impurities for scanning tunneling microscopy studies. Mapping the spatially dependent electronic structure of graphene in the presence of charged impurities unveils the unique behavior of its relativistic charge carriers in response to a local Coulomb potential.
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Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
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2023
Source: Laboratory of Dr. Andrew J. Steckl — University of Cincinnati A scanning electron microscope, or SEM, is a powerful microscope that uses electrons to form an image. It allows for imaging of conductive samples at magnifications that cannot be achieved using traditional microscopes. Modern light microscopes can achieve a magnification of ~1,000X, while typical SEM can reach magnifications of more than 30,000X. Because the SEM doesn’t use light to create images, the resulting pictures it...
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Probing the Structure and Dynamics of Interfacial Water with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy
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Cited by 2 •
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Here, we present a protocol to investigate the structure and dynamics of interfacial water at the atomic scale, in terms of submolecular resolution imaging, molecular manipulation, and single-bond vibrational spectroscopy.
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All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics
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2018
We demonstrate an all-electronic method to observe nanosecond-resolved charge dynamics of dopant atoms in silicon with a scanning tunneling microscope.
08:57
Focussed Ion Beam Milling and Scanning Electron Microscopy of Brain Tissue
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This protocol describes how resin embedded brain tissue can be prepared and imaged in the three dimensions in the focussed ion beam, scanning electron microscope.
FAQs
A feedback system continuously compares the measured tunneling current with a selected operating condition and adjusts the tip height to maintain constant current. As the tip scans across features, defects, or changes in surface structure, these height adjustments trace the surface contour. The recorded motion becomes a topographic map that preserves nanoscale surface information.
The sample and tip must support a tunneling current, so the technique is suited to conductive materials such as metals, semiconductors, thin films, and engineered nanomaterials. The nanoscale gap allows the applied bias voltage to produce measurable quantum tunneling. Without this electrical pathway and closely spaced tip, the current-based feedback process cannot generate the intended surface map.
Topographic imaging records variations in surface height, whereas spectroscopic measurements can reveal local electronic states. This distinction allows an engineered surface to be examined through both its physical structure and its electronic behavior. Combining these forms of information helps relate surface features, defects, or material design to localized electronic properties.
The measurement begins with a conductive sample and a sharp conductive tip positioned with a nanoscale gap between them. A small bias voltage establishes the tunneling current, and the feedback system adjusts tip height while the tip moves across the surface. The instrument records those height changes to produce a topographic representation of the scanned region.
STM can characterize several material classes important to engineering, including metals, semiconductors, thin films, and engineered nanomaterials. Its usefulness comes from combining atomic-scale structural information with access to local electronic states through spectroscopy. This makes the technique relevant when researchers need to examine surface structure, defects, or electronic behavior in designed materials.
By recording tip-height adjustments during scanning, STM maps fine variations across a conductive surface, including structural features and defects. The resulting topography can help researchers evaluate how a material surface is organized at atomic scale. When spectroscopy is added, the same study can also examine whether localized electronic states accompany particular surface features.
The precision of STM extends beyond observation: it can enable controlled manipulation of atoms and investigation of nanoscale fabrication processes. These capabilities connect measurement with engineered modification, allowing researchers to study how nanoscale structures are formed or altered. In engineering research, that combination supports investigations of fabrication strategies alongside the resulting surface and electronic properties.