Getting Close with the Instructional Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Abstract

Scanning Tunneling Electron Microscopy (STEM) is a powerful technique that provides magnification of conducting surfaces to the atomic level. My recent experience as a member of a group of twenty teachers selected to work for eight summer weeks with scientists at Xerox Corporation and professors at the University of Rochester has opened new vistas for me and my high school students. We learned to use the Burleigh Instructional Scanning Tunneling Microscope (ISTM), an instrument designed for educational use by the University of Rochester, Xerox Corporation, and Burleigh Instrument Inc. While the images we can produce are not of the same quality as are often seen in the research literature, care in making a sharp, uncontaminated scanning tip and data collection in a vibration-free area, can result in pictures that are more than adequate for the introduction of "atomic eyes" to my classroom. The ISTM is useful in the study of the effect of acids and bases on metals and the surfaces of semiconductors (some experiments are described below). Cutting the platinum-iridium tip or preparing the tungsten tip and mounting the sample are hands-on activities that give students a glimpse of the technological nanoworld. This state-of-the-art instrumentation is making it possible for students to actually view atoms in their own classroom. What is truly amazing, however, is that the ISTM can be set up and atomic resolution images obtained in about an hour.

Molecular Photography in the Undergraduate Laboratory: Identification of Functional Groups Using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

“…The introduction of SPM to students at this level derives from the relative ease of use of the instrumentation and the quick visual images obtained during the experiments. Several papers in this Journal have demonstrated the types of laboratory experiments that can be conducted using these microscopes (1,2). Generally, these experiments emphasize collection of bare surface topographies and recognition of morphological surface changes due to reaction.…”

Microscope Design: A Bottom-Up Approach

“…Both the ISTM and especially later the easyScan STM were well received by both educators and researchers [6][7][8].…”

Automated Scanning Probe Lithography with n-Alkanethiol Self-Assembled Monolayers on Au(111): Application for Teaching Undergraduate Laboratories

“…6,7 Other lab exercises could illustrate the imaging capabilities of AFM or scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), 8 particularly for resolving atomic or molecular lattices. 9 –14 Educational lab exercises with SPM have been reported for imaging surface changes caused by chemical reactions, 15 –18 nanopatterning, 5,19 and studies with biomolecules. 11,20 Student experiments with SPM provide 2D and 3D surface maps for illustrating the analysis of data such as height histograms, roughness measurements, and digital image processing.…”