Scanning Tunneling Microscope

IT’S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL: 

IT’S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL The Scanning Tunneling Microscope

The Scanning TunnelingMicroscope: 

The Scanning Tunneling Microscope Invention Design and Construction How it Works Images and Applications

The instrument was invented in the early 1980s by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer, who were awarded the 1986 Nobel prize in physics for their work. : 

The instrument was invented in the early 1980s by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer, who were awarded the 1986 Nobel prize in physics for their work.

The first nano-billboard : 

The first nano-billboard

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STM is a 3D microscope with atomic resolution.

The STM is based on a phenomenon called quantum mechanical tunneling. : 

The STM is based on a phenomenon called quantum mechanical tunneling.

When a voltage is applied between a sharp metal tip and the surface of an electrically conductive material, a very small tunneling current will be produced provided that the tip is positioned a few nanometers from the surface.: 

When a voltage is applied between a sharp metal tip and the surface of an electrically conductive material, a very small tunneling current will be produced provided that the tip is positioned a few nanometers from the surface.

According to quantum mechanics, a small electrical current will flow under these circumstances without the need for the probe tip to physically touch the surface. : 

According to quantum mechanics, a small electrical current will flow under these circumstances without the need for the probe tip to physically touch the surface.

The separation distance between the tip and the sample is roughly one-hundred thousandth of the thickness of a sheet of paper. : 

The separation distance between the tip and the sample is roughly one-hundred thousandth of the thickness of a sheet of paper.

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The piezo-crystal moves the tip across the surface in a grid pattern.

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The surface of Nickel. The surface of Silicon

The surface of a ceramic superconductor : 

The surface of a ceramic superconductor

In the near future the STM:: 

In the near future the STM: will help computer designers as they shrink the features on integrated circuits. will yield scientific insights into the behavior of  very small structures. will pave the way for circuits made from atomic or molecular components. could lead to smaller, faster, lower-power and even more portable computers.

In the more distant future STM reserch could lead to the following:: 

In the more distant future STM reserch could lead to the following: Full-wall video screens for television and video games. Programmable paint that changes color texture and pattern on command. Board games with billions of moving parts allowing an incredible depth of simulation. People-scrubbers that run off your body heat and constantly scrub dirt and odors from your body, so you never need to take a shower.

“The reason we are on a higher imaginative level is not because we have finer imagination, but because we have better instruments.”Alfred North Whitehead: 

'The reason we are on a higher imaginative level is not because we have finer imagination, but because we have better instruments.' Alfred North Whitehead