Stm Tips

Background Research Scanning Tunneling Microscope; or STM, allows scientists to image or display crystalline material surfaces down to an atomic level. Basically; it shows the formation of surface atoms on conducting and semi-conducting materials such as metals, or metalloids. First invented by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer in 1981; the Scanning Tunneling Microscope used quantum tunneling to extract atomically resolved images to understand the morphology of crystalline surfaces including both atomic structures and electron arrangement. The STM tip produced in this experiment acts as a needle that hovers above the crystalline material surfaces (perfect atomic structural patterns) with nanoscale accuracy, while emitting electrons from a few nanometers above the surface of the crystalline materials, utilizing the quantum tunneling effect to scan the surface atoms and electrons. In classical physics; electrons would not be able to pass through certain conductive materials since physical contact is required to run a current and thus a loop is created; however in quantum mechanics; physical contact is not required since the electrons take the form of quantum waves, moving throughout space. These quantum waves, when emitted from a STM tip, have a probability of coming in contact with underlying conductive materials; as long as those conductive materials are only nanometers apart from the needle. When coming in contact with the surface of these materials, the electron waves are able “tunnel” through the conductor itself while drastically decreasing the amplitude of the electron wave. Utilizing the behavior of quantum mechanics, when the elections come into contact with the atomic surface; it should run into “mountains” and “valleys”. Mountains and valleys are descriptive terms used to describe the high and deep ends of the atomic surface structure; since atoms are shaped like spheres, when bonded together, the surface consists of bumps and basins. Height is directly