Scanning Tunneling

Microscope
Rah Adi Satrio
Alvin Saptauli
Hilmy Arief Baja
What is it?
A scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is an instrument for
imaging surfaces at the atomic level. Its development in 1981 earned
its inventors, Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer (at IBM Zrich), the Nobel
Prize in Physics in 1986.

STM is a on-optical microscope

that works by scanning an
electrical probe tip over the
surface of a sample at a constant
spacing. This allows for a 3D
picture of the surface to be
created.
Working Principle
Quantum Tunneling Effect
The top image shows us that when an electron (the wave) hits a
barrier, the wave doesn't abruptly end, but tapers off very quickly
- exponentially. For a thick barrier, the wave doesn't get past.

The bottom image shows the scenario if the barrier is quite thin
(about a nanometer). Part of the wave does get through and
therefore some electrons may appear on the other side of the
barrier.

The starting point of the electron is either the tip or sample,

depending on the setup of the instrument. The barrier is the gap
(air, vacuum, liquid), and the second region is the other side, i.e.
tip or sample, depending on the experimental setup. By
monitoring the current through the gap, we have very good
control of the tip-sample distance.
Working Principle
An STM can have a resolution down to
0.2nm, small enough to resolve
individual atoms.
The STM uses a tip that
ends in a single atom
and a voltage is passed
through the tip and the
sample.
Electrons use a quantum
mechanical effect to
tunnel from the tip to
the sample or vice versa.
The current that results
depends upon the
distance between probe
tip and sample surface.
The tip is attached to a
piezoelectric tube and
voltage applied to the
piezo rod is altered to
maintain a constant
distance for the tip from
the surface.
Working Modes
Constant Height: The voltage and
height are both held constant while
current changes, leads to an image
made of current changes over the
surface

Constant Current: Feedback

electronics adjust the height by a
voltage to the piezoelectric height
control mechanism, leads to height
variation gives a constant charge
density surface.
Applications
Determination of surface structures.

Reconstruct image surface by each atom.

Atomic resolution of Au(111)

Nano writing with STM

Quantum coral
Advantage and Disadvantage of STM
Advantage:

It is capable of capturing much more detail than lesser microscopes.

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.

Disadvantage:

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.

The resulting tunneling current varies with tip-to-sample spacing, and both the sample
Reference
http://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1725

http://www.nanoscience.com/technology/scanning-tunneling-microscopy
/how-stm-works/tunneling/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scanning_tunneling_microscope

http://www.microscopemaster.com/scanning-tunneling-microscope.html

http://www.parkafm.com/index.php/park-spm-modes/electrical-
properties/241-scanning-tunneling-microscopy-stm