STM Lab @ UOW

A scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is an instrument for imaging surfaces at the atomic level. Its development in 1981 earned its inventors, Ernst Ruska,  Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer, the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986.

It is based on the concept of quantum tunneling. When a conducting tip is brought very near to the surface to be examined, a bias 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 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.