**Intro with starting slide, along with research area number assigned to

team.**
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Ever noticed how companies like Apple and Samsung make your phone
smaller and lighter every year, and yet more powerful?
Well, they do this by making the transistors that make up the phone tinier,
allowing them to fit more transistors in less space.
Now, scientists are trying to create transistors the size of a few atoms!

However, to build such a device, they need a machine that can image on a
subatomic scale, and they need to be able to manipulate individual atoms.
In comes the Scanning Tunneling Microscope. (or STM for short), a device
that can do both imaging and manipulating on a subatomic level.
The main purpose of STMs is to allow us to develop an understanding of
atomic structures. Its primarily a research tool, so we can investigate the
properties of atoms, and build experimental prototypes of future devices.
In fact, STMs are the main tool scientists are using in their quest to build a
quantum computer.
But jJust to be clear, the STM itself isnt designed for industrial use, such
as mass producing memory chips, but it can help us develop those devices
in the first place.

STMs can do this because they have a very precise needle (the width of a
single atom) which scans over the sample.
Since the atoms protrude slightly from the surface, the needle can detect
bumps and spacing of the atoms, and the computer pieces together the
motion of the needle to build up an image of the surface of the sample.
The needle operates on a principle of currents and voltages. In essence,
the bumps cause a variation in current, which is measured by the
computer.
Scientists are also able to extract data about the electronic properties of
these atoms, as well as roughness, surface defects, molecule size, and
conformation of the substance.
With all this data, scientists are able to analyze a materials properties on
a quantum level.
Now what other microscope can do that?
Theres more: STMs can build up structures by moving atoms around
individually.
This is the main (fabulous) feature of the STM. Scientists can use this to
create nano-scale devices atom by atom, and then study how it works
under different scenarios.
Lets take the example of creating an atomic transistor.
The needle and sample sit in a vacuum chamber to eliminate unwanted
variables.

First, a bed of silicon is prepared by heating it to make the surface more

reactive.
Then, hydrogen is sprayed onto the surface.
Then the needle picks out hydrogen atoms to a desired pattern.
Phosphorus is sprayed into the chamber, settling in place of the hydrogen
to create a pattern of phosphorous in silicon.
Finally, silicon atoms are layered on top of the phosphorous, embedding it
into the sample.
And there we have our miniscule transistor chain!
The STM machine can operate in almost any environment, even
temperatures as low as 4 kelvins. Thats a big plus for all the scientists
living in basements!
Its pretty maintainable too. Apart from regular cleaning, the machine only
needs to be fully re-calibrated about once a year.
And the price? About a million pounds. Its a big investment, a onetime
investment , but researchers hope to reap the profits when they
eventually discover, and patent, a groundbreaking technology.
The main issue is speed. It can take anywhere from hours to days on 1
sample.
Also, the machine is unable to image insulators, since the tip operates
using voltages and currents.
Plainly, theres plenty of room for improvement.
And the price? About a million pounds. Its a big investment, but
researchers hope to reap the profits when they eventually discover, and
patent, a groundbreaking technology.

STM manufacturers have are already cominge up with more advanced

microscopes, based on the same principle as STMs, which introduce
magnetism, lasers, atomic forces and other, more precise methods of
imaging.
These allow for more data to be collected, expanding the potential
research areas.
However, tThey have yet to come up with a machine that can mass
produce atomic-scale devices.
Perhaps the invention of a quantum computer would help.

So there we have it. STM opens up many doors to nanotechnology, which

is the foundation of quantum computing, and a plethora of fascinating
devices.