Intoduction

procedure
Intrumentation
Principle of operation
Application

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 A scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is an
insttrument for imaging surfaces at the atomic level.
 For a STM, good resolution is considered to be
0.1 nm lateral resolution and 0.01 nm (10 pm) 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 over
1000 °C.

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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
sophisticated electronics, but nonetheless many hobbyists
have built their own.[6]

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 The Scanning tunneling microscopy is an extremely sensitive
method for imaging surfaces at the atomic level. It is based on the
principle of the quantum tunneling.
 When a conducting tip is brought near the surface of the
specimen, a voltage difference is applied which would allow the
passage of electrons (tunneling) through the vacuum between
them. This would result in the tunneling current. The tunneling
current is the function of tip position, applied voltage and local
density state of the specimen[2].

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 It utilizes a tiny probe that does not emit the electron beam, instead
posses a sharp conducting tip made up of Platinum-Iridium (Pt-Ir). It
can move in three dimensions over the surface of the specimen. The two
dimensions, i.e., x and y represent the area of the specimen, and thus it
would give the idea of scanning the surface of the specimen. The z-
dimension would represent the distance between the tip and the surface.

 A small tunneling current

flows between the tip
and the surface of the
specimen when the tip
and the sample are
connected to a voltage
source. If the tip of the
probe and the surface is
close enough and the
surface is electrically
conductive, then the
electrons would tunnel
from the probe to the
sample. This current can
be measured.
Schematic diagram of STM 7/2/2019
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 The magnitude of the current would depend on the distance between the
tip and surface. The tunneling depends on the distance. The distance is
very small nearly few Angstroms . Hence, even a small irregularities in the
surface/size will affect the rate of electron tunneling..

In order to keep the current constant, the instrument is so designed that
the tip can move in the z-dimension. Therefore, the movement of the tip in
the z-dimension can be recorded which would give the idea about the
surface of the specimen. The movement of the tip is a function of the
tunneling current and is highlighted on the video screen.

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 The components of an STM include scanning tip, piezoelectric controlled
height and x , y scanner, coarse sample-to-tip control, vibration ioisolation
system, and computer .
 The tip is often made of tungsten or platinum-iridium, though gold is also
used.[3] Tungsten tips are usually made by electrochemical etching, and
platinum-iridium tips by mechanical shearing.
 These days mechanical spring or gas spring systems are often used.
 Maintaining the tip position with respect to the sample, scanning the
sample and acquiring the data is computer controlled. The computer may
also be used for enhancing the image with the help of image
processing as well as performing quantitative measurements.

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 Tunneling is a functioning concept that arises from quantum mechanics.
Classically, an object hitting an impenetrable barrier will not pass
through. In contrast, objects with a very small mass, such as the electron,
have wavelike characteristics which permit such an event, referred to
as tunneling.
 Electrons behave as beams of energy, and in the presence of a
potential U(z), assuming 1-dimensional case, the energy levels ψn(z) of the
electron

 where ħ is the reduced Planck’s constant, z is the position, and m is the

mass of an electron.[4] If an electron of energy E is incident upon an
energy barrier of height U(z), the electron wave function is a traveling
wave solution,rons are given by solutions to Schrödinger’s equation,

where

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The current due to an applied voltage V (assume tunneling occurs sample
to tip) depends on two factors:
1) the number of electrons between Ef and eV in the sample, and 2) the
number among them which have corresponding free states to tunnel into on
the other side of the barrier at the tip.
 The higher the density of available states the greater the tunneling current.
When V is positive, electrons in the tip tunnel into empty states in the sample;
for a negative bias, electrons tunnel out of occupied states in the sample into
the tip

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 variation of current
between tip of
tungsten(probe) and
sample

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Types of mode of stm method
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 A scanning tunneling microscope(STM)
can provide atomic‐resolution images of
samples in ultra‐high vacuum, moderate
vacuum, gases including air at
atmospheric pressure, and liquids
including oil, water, liquid nitrogen, and
even conductive solutions

variation of current between tip of tungsten(probe) 7/2/2019

and sample 12
 A scanning tunneling microscope(STM) can provide atomic‐resolution
images of samples in ultra‐high vacuum, moderate vacuum, gases
including air at atmospheric pressure, and liquids including oil, water,
liquid nitrogen, and even conductive solutions

variation of current between tip of tungsten(probe) 7/2/2019

and sample 13
 THANK YOU

variation of current between tip of tungsten(probe) 7/2/2019

and sample 14