Scanned-probe microscopy

Scanned-probe microscopy has enabled researchers to create images of surfaces at the nanometer scale with a probe. Scanned-probe microscopy uses a fine probe rather than a light-beam or electrons to scan the surface of a specimen and produce a 3D image. The probe has an extremely sharp tip that interacts with the surface of the specimen. A scanning tunneling microscope, or STM, is a microscope commonly used in fundamental and industrial research.It is invented in 1981 by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer from IBM's Zurich Research Center in Switzerland, it helped them win the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics. High-End Resolution For an STM, good resolution is 0.1 nm lateral resolution and 0.01 nm depth resolution. The high resolution of STMs enable researchers to examine surfaces at an atomic level. The microscopes help scientists get a picture of how the atoms are arranged on a surface, by looking at the electron density of the surface atoms. Quantum Tunneling STMs are based on the idea of quantum tunneling, when a conducting tip is brought very close to the surface and a voltage difference between the tip and the surface is applied. When the voltage difference is applied, electrons can tunnel through the vacuum between the tip and the surface, causing a tunneling current. Using this principle, STMs work by passing a sharp wire made of metal over the surface that is to be examined. The tip passes very close to the surface at the same time that the microscope applies an electrical voltage to the tip. This creates an image that shows miniscule details on an atomic level.

Advantages
STMs are helpful because they can give researchers a three dimensional profile of a surface, which allows researchers to examine a multitude of characteristics, including roughness, surface defects and determining things about the molecules such as size and conformation. Other advantages of the scanning tunneling microscope include its capability of capturing much more detail than lesser microscopes. This helps researchers better understand the subject of their research on a molecular level. STMs are also versatile. They can be used in ultra high vacuum, air, water and other liquids and gasses. They will operate in temperatures as low as zero Kelvin up to a few hundred degrees Celsius.

Disadvantages
STMs can be difficult to use effectively. There is a very specific technique that requires a lot of skill and precision. STMs require very stable and clean surfaces, excellent vibration control and sharp tips. STMs use highly specialized equipment that is fragile and expensive.