SCANNING TUNNELING

MICROSCOPE

GÖZDE ATALAY
HAZAL BAL
UFUK OKUMUŞ
21.05.2010
Hacettepe University Chemical Engineering Department
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Presentation includes;
•What is STM
•History
•Instrumentation
•How it works?
•Working conditions
•Application areas
•Examples and uses
•Advantages & Disadvantages
•Overview
•References

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 WHAT IS STM?
A scanning tunneling

microscope (STM) is a

powerful instrument for

imaging surfaces at the

atomic level.

Figure -1 A type of STM [1]

www.engin.umich.edu/.../linic/laboratory.html

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HISTORY
The invention of the scanning

tunneling microscope (STM) in 1981

allowed scientists to view the world

from an atomic perspective for the

Heinrich Rohrer and Gerd Binnig first time.

http://www.google.com.tr/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nanoforu
m.org/educationtree/Image

The revolutionary microscope, for which two IBM researchers Gerd

Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer received the 1986 Nobel Prize in physics,
revealed the topography of surfaces, atom by atom.

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INSTRUMENTATION
•Scanning tip,
•Piezoelectric
controlled scanner,
•Distance control
and scanning unit,
•Vibration isolation
system,
•Computer

Figure -2- Simplified structure of a STM.[2]

www.hk-phy.org/atomic_world
5
How STM works?
 Move tip near the surface
 Apply voltage difference
between surface and tip
 Tunneling effect
 Record movement and display
moving
Figure -3 tunneling current [3]
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/

http://www.nisenet.org/publicbeta/articles/seei
Scanning_tunneling_microscope_ideal_tip.svg/520px-
Scanning_tunneling_microscope_ideal_tip.svg.png

• Scan the surface by the tip

ng_atoms/index.html

Figure -4 scanning probe [4] 6

• Piezoelectric
materials?

• How do we move
the probe?

• Move the tip

sensitively in three
dimensions
Figure - 7 in the scanner [7]
What are...
• Tunneling effect?
• Tunneling current?

Figure -18 tunneling current

http://www.quantumconsciousness.org/ultimat
ecomputing/ulti_files/image083.jpg

Figure-5 [5]
Surface Sciences.,C.Bai Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Its
Applications,Second Revised Edition,Shanghai Scientific & Technical
Publishers
 Constant current mode

 Constant distance
mode (for topography)
Faster.

Figure-6- A constant distance mode

output [6]

Figure- 19- constant current mode

http://www.sljus.lu.se/stm/NonTech/
STM_sch.jpg
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Working conditions
 Must be highly vacuumed
 No vibrations
 Clean and stable surface
 Stable probe ( Pt , W )
 Tip-to-surface distance in Å
 Can be applied to
conductors and semi-
conductors Figure-8 [8]
http://web.iitd.ac.in/~tryst/stm.htm

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Other STM Related Applications
 We can manipulate
individual atoms.

Figure10 - manipulating atoms with stm

 Very thin film used in
nano devices.

Figure9 - Positioned iron atoms on a copper surface [9]

http://images.google.com.tr/imgres
Advantages

 Conceptually simple but

complexities in use.
 Can even move atoms
 Can be used in variety
of temperatures.
(VT-STM in variety of
temp.) UHV-STM in low
Figure 16
temp.

[16] Surface Sciences.,C.Bai Scanning Tunneling

Microscopy and Its Applications,Second Revised
Edition,Shanghai Scientific & Technical Publishers
12
Examples

Figure 12-Si(111)7x7
www.fkp.uni-
erlangen.de/methoden/stmtutor/stmpage.html

Figure 11 -STM image, 35 nm x 35 nm, of single

substitutional Cr impurities (small bumps) in the
Fe(001) surface.[11]
www.nist.gov/physlab/general/stm/index.cfm

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 Advantages
 Can achieve atomic-level resolution.
 Can perform in different environments.
(air, water etc.)
 Directly analyze sample and 3D
output.
 No need for any lenses or unique light
source.

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Examples

Figure 13-Blue Platinum

The surface of Platinum.[14]
Courtesy: IBM Research, Almaden Research Center

Figure 14-In 1989, Eigler and Schweizer

spelled “IBM” by positioning thirty-five
xenon atoms on a nickel surface. [15]
Courtesy: IBM Research, Almaden Research
Center Figure -15- STM image, 7 nm x 7 nm, of a
single zig-zag chain of Cs atoms (red) on the
GaAs(110) surface (blue).[15]
www.nist.gov/physlab/general/stm/index.cfm
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 Disadvantages
 Needs extremely clean surface.

 A single dust particle can

damage needle.

 Needs sophisticated electronics.

 Sharp tips. (Pt, W)

 Noise problems.

 Vibration.
Figure -17 Damaged tip [17]
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/
e8/Scanning_tunneling_microscope_ideal_tip.svg/520px
- Scanning_tunneling_microscope_ideal_tip.svg.png

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Important in Many Sciences

In physics, semiconductor physics and microelectronics.

In chemistry, surface reactions in catalysis.

In biology, in the study of DNA molecules.

In nanoscale chemistry labs, synthetic chemical

compounds.

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REFERENCES
 [1]www.engin.umich.edu/.../linic/laboratory.html
 [2] www.hk-phy.org/atomic_world
 [3]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Scanning_tunneling_microscope
_ideal_tip.svg/520px-Scanning_tunneling_microscope_ideal_tip.svg.png
 [4] http://www.nisenet.org/publicbeta/articles/seeing_atoms/index.html
 [5] ,[6],[7] Surface Sciences.,C.Bai Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Its Applications,Second Revised
Edition,Shanghai Scientific & Technical Publishers
 [8] http://web.iitd.ac.in/~tryst/stm.htm
 [9]http://images.google.com.tr/imgres?imgurl=http://www.aip.org/png/images/stm2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://
www.aip.org/png/html/corral.htm&usg=__oanCnglAT1w7tBUyZsUHO8pjNVA=&h=481&w=601&sz=53
&hl=tr&start=4&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=U3hC70FPUhMDyM:&tbnh=108&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq
%3Dscanning%2Btunneling%2Bmicroscope%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dtr%26tbs%3Disch:1
 [10] http://www.physics.berkeley.edu/research/crommie/New/web-content/Targets/STM-5.gif
 [11] www.nist.gov/physlab/general/stm/index.cfm
 [12] www.fkp.uni-erlangen.de/methoden/stmtutor/stmpage.html
 [13] Courtesy: IBM Research, Almaden Research Center
 [14] Courtesy: IBM Research, Almaden Research Center
 [15]www.nist.gov/physlab/general/stm/index.cfm
 [16] Surface Sciences.,C.Bai Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Its Applications,Second Revised
Edition,Shanghai Scientific & Technical Publishers
 [17]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Scanning_tunneling_microscope_-
_ideal_tip.svg/520px- Scanning_tunneling_microscope_-_ideal_tip.svg.png

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REFERENCES
 http://www.iap.tuwien.ac.at/www/surface/low-temperature_stm
 http://www.research.ibm.com/about/top_innovations_history.shtml
 http://nanoturkiye.blogspot.com/2008/04/nano-101-tarama-tnelleme-mikroskopu.html
 http://physics.unipune.ernet.in/~spm/litho.html
 http://www.hk-phy.org/atomic_world/stm/stm03_e.html
 physics.berkeley.edu/.../zettl/projects/stm.html
 nanowiz.tripod.com/stmbasic/stmbasic.htm
 http://www.fkp.uni-erlangen.de/methoden/stmtutor/stmpage.html
 http://www.nist.gov/physlab/general/stm/index.cfm
 http://image.absoluteastronomy.com/images/encyclopediaimages/s/sc/scanningtunnelin
gmicroscope_schematic.png
 http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/physics/microscopes/scanning/index.html
 http://invsee.asu.edu/nmodules/spmmod/stm.html
 http://www.nanowerk.com/nanobusiness/showroom/Park_Systems/downloads/Scanning_Tunneli
ng_Microscopy.pdf

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 THANK YOU

FOR

YOUR ATTENTION

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