Scanning Tunneling Microscope - How Nanoscientists see Atoms

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Episodes

Date Title & Description Contributors
2006-12-05

  Scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs) allow nanoscientists to see individual atoms.

  John C. Bean and Angad Sachdeva - UVA Virtual Lab author
2006-12-05

  To see how a Nanosurf easyScan STM works, let's take it apart in virtual reality.

  John C. Bean and Angad Sachdeva - UVA Virtual Lab author
2006-12-05

  The heart of the STM is an atomically sharp probe.

  John C. Bean and Angad Sachdeva - UVA Virtual Lab author
2006-12-05

  A voltage induces electrons to jump from the probe's tip to the sample atoms.

  John C. Bean and Angad Sachdeva - UVA Virtual Lab author
2006-12-05

  A feedback loop holds the electron current constant by keeping the distance from probe to sample constant.

  John C. Bean and Angad Sachdeva - UVA Virtual Lab author
2006-12-05

  But how can it move the probe over these tiny nanometer distances?

  John C. Bean and Angad Sachdeva - UVA Virtual Lab author
2006-12-05

  Voltages to a piezoelectric crystal move the probe in and out.

  John C. Bean and Angad Sachdeva - UVA Virtual Lab author
2006-12-05

  Another crystal moves it side to side.

  John C. Bean and Angad Sachdeva - UVA Virtual Lab author
2006-12-05

  A third crystal moves it up and down.

  John C. Bean and Angad Sachdeva - UVA Virtual Lab author
2006-12-05

  Let's see how these work together to create an atomic scale map of the sample surface.

  John C. Bean and Angad Sachdeva - UVA Virtual Lab author