Image-Based Trajectory Estimation for Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

In this article we present an image-based approach to estimate the probe position trajectory in scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs). STMs are key enabling tools in the experimental investigation and manipulation of nano and sub-nano scale phenomena; however, due to an inability to measure the STM-probe position, typical STMs are limited to low bandwidth operations to ensure positioning accuracy. To overcome sensor deficiencies, thus enabling higher bandwidth STMs, an image-based method which produces discrete samples of the STM-tip trajectory has been developed. In this article we explore how the STM calibration sample and the output affect the reconstructability of the STM trajectory.