STM
(scanning tunneling microscope)
STM
•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 Zurich) got
the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986.
• For an STM, good resolution is considered to be 0.1 nm lateral
resolution and 0.01 nm depth resolution.
• With this resolution, individual atoms within materials are routinely
imaged and manipulated. The STM can be used not only in ultra-
high vacuum but also in air, water, and various other liquid or gas
ambients, and at temperatures ranging from near zero kelvin to a few
hundred degrees Celsius
• The STM is based on the concept of quantum
tunneling. When a conducting tip is brought very
near to the surface to be examined, a bias (voltage
difference) applied between the two can allow
electrons to tunnel through the vacuum between
them. The resulting tunneling current is a function of
tip position, applied voltage, and the local density of
states (LDOS) of the sample.
• Information is acquired by monitoring the current as the
tip's position scans across the surface, and is usually
displayed in image form. STM can be a challenging
technique, as it requires extremely clean and stable
surfaces, sharp tips, excellent vibration control and
• The resolution of an image is limited by the radius
of curvature of the scanning tip of the STM.
• Additionally, image artifacts can occur if the tip has
two tips at the end rather than a single atom; this leads
to
“double-tip imaging,” a situation both tips
contribute to the tunneling.
• The tip is often made of tungsten or platinum-iridium,
though gold is also used.
Schematic
Diagram
Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM)
xyz-Piezo-Scanner
z
high voltage
y
amplifier
x
probing tip
I feedback
regulator
sample
AFM
• Atomic-force microscopy (AFM) or scanning-force
microscopy (SFM) is a very high-resolution type of scanning
probe microscopy (SPM), with demonstrated resolution on the
order of fractions of a nm, more than 1000 times better than
the optical diffraction unit.
• Used to measure a roughness of a sample surface at a high
resolution, to distinguish a sample based on its mechanical
properties (for example, hardness and roughness) and, in
addition, to perform a microfabrication of a sample (for
example, an atomic manipulation)
Configurations of AFM
An AFM typically consists of the following features:
(1) Cantilever ,
(2) Support(Configured to support cantilever.),
(3) Piezoelectric element(Configured to oscillate cantilever at its eigen frequency.),
(4) Tip (Fixed to open end of a cantilever, work as a probe of AFM,
(5) Detector (Configured to detect the deflection and motion of the cantilever.),
(6) Sample (Will be measure by AFM),
(7) xyz-drive, (Moving a Sample (6) and Sample (8) Stage to be displaced in x, y, and z
directions with respect to a tip apex(4)), and
(8) Stage.
Parts of AFM system
• 1. Laser – deflected off
cantilever
• 2. Mirror –reflects laser beam
to photodetector
• 3. Photodetector –dual element
photodiode that measures
differences in light intensity
and converts to voltage
• 4. Amplifier
• 5. Register
• 6. Sample
• 7. Probe –tip that scans sample
made of Si
• 8. Cantilever –moves as
scanned over sample and
Principle of AFM
V(r)
F
U
Non-contact
Contact mode mode
rz
repulsive attractive
Energy U and force F between tip and sample as a function of their distance z. The force is
the derivative (= slope) of the energy. It is attractive at large distances (van der Waals force,
non-contact mode), but it becomes highly repulsive when the electron clouds of tip and
sample overlap (Pauli repulsion, contact mode).
In AFM the force is kept constant, while in STM the current is kept constant.
Three Modes of AFM
Contact Mode
Non-Contact Mode
Tapping (Intermittent
contact) Mode
AFM Cantilever and Tip
To obtain an extra sharp AFM tip one can attach a carbon nanotube
to a regular, micromachined silicon tip.
40 μm
AFM:
Instrument
Contact Mode
• Measures repulsion between tip and sample
• Force of tip against sample remains constant
• Feedback regulation keeps cantilever deflection
constant
• Voltage required indicates height of sample
• Problems: excessive tracking forces applied by probe
to sample
Non-Contact Mode
• Measures attractive forces between tip and sample
• Tip doesn’t touch sample
• Van der Waals forces between tip and sample
detected
• Problems: Can’t use with samples in fluid
• Used to analyze semiconductors
• Doesn’t degrade or interfere with sample- better for
soft samples
Tapping (Intermittent-Contact) Mode
• Tip vertically oscillates between contacting sample
surface and lifting of at frequency of 50,000 to
500,000 cycles/sec.
• Oscillation amplitude reduced as probe contacts
surface due to loss of energy caused by tip
contacting surface
• Advantages: overcomes problems associated with
friction, adhesion, electrostatic forces
• More effective for larger scan sizes
What are the limitations of AFM?
• AFM imaging is not ideally sharp
Advantages and Disadvantages of AFM
• Easy sample preparation • Limited vertical range
• Accurate height information • Limited magnification range
• Works in vacuum, air, and • Data not independent of tip
liquids
• Tip or sample can be damaged
• Living systems can be studied
The Future of Atomic Force
Microscopy
• Sharper tips by improved microfabrication processes: tip –
sample interaction tends to distort or destroy soft biological
molecules
• Atomic or angstrom resolution images of live cell surfaces:
development of more flexible cantilever springs and less
damaging and nonsticky probes needed
STM versus AFM
STM image AFM image
