Scanning tunneling microscopy

Abstract

The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is the youngest member of the electron microscopy family, developed only a little over ten years ago. The STM has its own unique list of assets and capabilities to apply to the study of high Tc superconducting materials that distinguishes it from the other family members. The data obtainable by STM can duplicate, surpass, or complement those extracted by the other electron microscopes. The STM has the advantage of having a higher vertical resolution than the scanning electron microscope and can achieve atomic resolution without the extensive and potentially damaging sample preparation techniques required for transmission electron microscopy. A disadvantage is that STM measurements are limited to the near surface region. Its realm is truly the atomic-to-nanometer world of the surface.