Effects of Interfacial Tension in Tunneling Microscopy. 2. Experimental Observation of Surface Instability

1996 ◽  
Vol 100 (46) ◽  
pp. 18229-18233 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. T. Conroy ◽  
Vlado Hlady ◽  
Cynthia J. Bruckner-Lea ◽  
Jiří Janata
Keyword(s):  
Interfacial Tension ◽  
Experimental Observation ◽  
Surface Instability ◽  
Tunneling Microscopy

Effects of Interfacial Tension in Tunneling Microscopy. 1. Theory

1996 ◽  
Vol 100 (46) ◽  
pp. 18222-18228 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. T. Conroy ◽  
Karin Caldwell ◽  
Cynthia J. Bruckner-Lea ◽  
Jiří Janata
Keyword(s):  
Interfacial Tension ◽  
Tunneling Microscopy

STM studies of crystal growth

1991 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 374-375
Author(s):  
M. G. Lagally
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Growth ◽  
Molecular Beam ◽  
Chemical Vapor ◽  
Sputter Deposition ◽  
Field Of View ◽  
Scanning Tunneling ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Tunneling Microscopy ◽  
Wide Field Of View ◽  
The One

It has been recognized since the earliest days of crystal growth that kinetic processes of all Kinds control the nature of the growth. As the technology of crystal growth has become ever more refined, with the advent of such atomistic processes as molecular beam epitaxy, chemical vapor deposition, sputter deposition, and plasma enhanced techniques for the creation of “crystals” as little as one or a few atomic layers thick, multilayer structures, and novel materials combinations, the need to understand the mechanisms controlling the growth process is becoming more critical. Unfortunately, available techniques have not lent themselves well to obtaining a truly microscopic picture of such processes. Because of its atomic resolution on the one hand, and the achievable wide field of view on the other (of the order of micrometers) scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) gives us this opportunity. In this talk, we briefly review the types of growth kinetics measurements that can be made using STM. The use of STM for studies of kinetics is one of the more recent applications of what is itself still a very young field.

Resolution in the scanning tunneling microscope

1991 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 488-489
Author(s):  
R. J. Wilson ◽  
D. D. Chambliss ◽  
S. Chiang ◽  
V. M. Hallmark
Keyword(s):  
Scanning Tunneling Microscope ◽  
Fundamental Principle ◽  
Atomic Scale ◽  
Lateral Resolution ◽  
Scanning Tunneling ◽  
Electronic Noise ◽  
Vertical Resolution ◽  
Tunneling Microscopy ◽  
Spatial Profile ◽  
Theoretical Analyses

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been used for many atomic scale observations of metal and semiconductor surfaces. The fundamental principle of the microscope involves the tunneling of evanescent electrons through a 10Å gap between a sharp tip and a reasonably conductive sample at energies in the eV range. Lateral and vertical resolution are used to define the minimum detectable width and height of observed features. Theoretical analyses first discussed lateral resolution in idealized cases, and recent work includes more general considerations. In all cases it is concluded that lateral resolution in STM depends upon the spatial profile of electronic states of both the sample and tip at energies near the Fermi level. Vertical resolution is typically limited by mechanical and electronic noise.

Scanning tunneling microscopy of E. coli RNA polymerase deposited onto an Au substrate by an electrochemical process

1991 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 378-379
Author(s):  
Rebecca W. Keller ◽  
Carlos Bustamante ◽  
David Bear
Keyword(s):  
Scanning Tunneling Microscope ◽  
Biological Sample ◽  
Substrate Surface ◽  
Electrochemical Process ◽  
Atomic Resolution ◽  
Scanning Tunneling ◽  
Tunneling Microscopy ◽  
Tunneling Microscope ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Preparation Techniques

Under ideal conditions, the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) can create atomic resolution images of different kinds of samples. The STM can also be operated in a variety of non-vacuum environments. Because of its potentially high resolution and flexibility of operation, it is now being applied to image biological systems. Several groups have communicated the imaging of double and single stranded DNA.However, reproducibility is still the main problem with most STM results on biological samples. One source of irreproducibility is unreliable sample preparation techniques. Traditional deposition methods used in electron microscopy, such as glow discharge and spreading techniques, do not appear to work with STM. It seems that these techniques do not fix the biological sample strongly enough to the substrate surface. There is now evidence that there are strong forces between the STM tip and the sample and, unless the sample is strongly bound to the surface, it can be swept aside by the tip.

SEM/FESEM imaging of lamellar structures in melt extruded polyethylene films

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 1142-1143
Author(s):  
R.T. Chen ◽  
M.G. Jamieson ◽  
R. Callahan
Keyword(s):  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Extrusion Direction ◽  
Polymeric Membranes ◽  
Scanning Tunneling ◽  
Tunneling Microscopy ◽  
Crystalline Polymers ◽  
Lamellar Structures ◽  
Resolution Imaging

“Row lamellar” structures have previously been observed when highly crystalline polymers are melt-extruded and recrystallized under high stress. With annealing to perfect the stacked lamellar superstructure and subsequent stretching in the machine (extrusion) direction, slit-like micropores form between the stacked lamellae. This process has been adopted to produce polymeric membranes on a commercial scale with controlled microporous structures. In order to produce the desired pore morphology, row lamellar structures must be established in the membrane precursors, i.e., as-extruded and annealed polymer films or hollow fibers. Due to the lack of pronounced surface topography, the lamellar structures have typically been investigated by replica-TEM, an indirect and time consuming procedure. Recently, with the availability of high resolution imaging techniques such as scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), the microporous structures on the membrane surface as well as lamellar structures in the precursors can be directly examined.The materials investigated are Celgard® polyethylene (PE) flat sheet membranes and their film precursors, both as-extruded and annealed, made at different extrusion rates (E.R.).

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) of the topography of silicon surfaces exposed to ion beams

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 1132-1133
Author(s):  
Mark Denker ◽  
Jennifer Wall ◽  
Mark Ray ◽  
Richard Linton
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Incidence Angle ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Depth Profiling ◽  
Depth Resolution ◽  
Ion Beams ◽  
Scanning Tunneling ◽  
Tunneling Microscopy ◽  
Trace Impurities ◽  
Energy Dose

Reactive ion beams such as O2+ and Cs+ are used in Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) to analyze solids for trace impurities. Primary beam properties such as energy, dose, and incidence angle can be systematically varied to optimize depth resolution versus sensitivity tradeoffs for a given SIMS depth profiling application. However, it is generally observed that the sputtering process causes surface roughening, typically represented by nanometer-sized features such as cones, pits, pyramids, and ripples. A roughened surface will degrade the depth resolution of the SIMS data. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of the roughness of the surface to the primary ion beam energy, dose, and incidence angle. AFM offers the ability to quantitatively probe this surface roughness. For the initial investigations, the sample chosen was <100> silicon, and the ion beam was O2+.Work to date by other researchers typically employed Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) to probe the surface topography.

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