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Binnig-ScanningTunnelingMicroscope-1985
Binnig-ScanningTunnelingMicroscope-1985
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T
" he surface was invented by observe insects. In the late 17th cen atomic orbitals in thin crystalline films
the devil," said the illustri tury Antony van Leeuwenhoek devel have been observed.
ous physicist Wolfgang Pauli. oped the optical microscope, which
S
Pauli's frustration was based on the revealed the existence of single cells, ince the electron microscope has
simple fact that the surface of a solid pathogenic agents and bacteria. Al such a high resolving power, why
serves as the boundary between it and though optical microscopy has de was it necessary to develop a new kind
the outer world. Whereas an atom veloped into a sophisticated, versatile of microscope? Although electron mi
within a solid is surrounded by other technique, a physical limit hampers it: croscopy has proved to be extremely
atoms, an atom at a surface can inter the optical microscope cannot resolve successful in observing the bulk fea
act only with other atoms on the sur atomic structures. The reason is that tures of crystalline materials, it can
face, with atoms beyond the surface or the average wavelength of visible light not resolve surface structures except
with those immediately under it. The is about 2,000 times greater than the under very special circumstances. A
properties of the surface of a solid diameter of a typical atom, which is high-speed electron penetrates deep
therefore differ radically from those of about three angstrom units. (One ang into matter and so reveals little of the
the interior. For instance, to minimize strom unit is one ten-billionth of a me surface structure. A slow-moving elec
energy, surface atoms often arrange ter.) In other words, trying to probe tron is easily deflected by the charges
themselves differently from the other atomic structures with visible light is and the electric and magnetic fields of
atoms in a solid. The resulting com like trying to find hairline cracks on a the sample. In the 1950's Edwin W.
plexities of surface structures have tennis court by bouncing tennis balls M tiller made some progress when he
long thwarted efforts to derive pre off its surface. invented the field-ion microscope, an
cise experimental and theoretical de The first successful exploration of instrument that is highly sensitive to
scriptions of them. atomic structures grew out of a basic surfaces. Unfortunately its range of
At the IBM Zurich Research Labo discovery of quantum mechanics. It is applicability is narrow: a sample must
ratory we have developed a device that that light and other kinds of energy sit on a fine needle tip that is only a few
makes it possible to characterize in a exhibit characteristics of both particles angstroms wide and the sample must
quantitative way such surface com and waves. In 1927 Clinton). Davis be stable against the high electric
plexities: the scanning tunneling mi son and Lester H. Germer of the Bell fields characteristic of the technique.
croscope. Our microscope enables one Telephone Laboratories confirmed the The principle of operation of the
to "see" surfaces atom by atom. It can wave nature of the electron. They also scanning tunneling microscope makes
even resolve features that are only found that a high-energy electron has a it possible to avoid these difficulties.
about a hundredth the size of an atom. shorter wavelength than a low-energy The main difference between the scan
Such a tool has important implica electron. An electron of sufficient ener ning tunneling microscope and all oth
tions, for example, in the microelec gy exhibits a wavelength comparable er microscopes is that it uses no free
tronic industry. As the silicon chip, to the diameter of an atom. This fact particles; consequently there is no need
which is the key element in computer led to the invention of the electron mi for lenses and special light or electron
architecture, decreases in size its sur croscope. With electron microscopy sources. Instead the bound electrons
face area increases sharply in relation projections of atomic rows and even already existing in the sample under
to its volume. Therefore the surface
becomes increasingly important in the
chip's operation and in its interactions
with other logic elements. The scan
ning tunneling microscope will proba SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPE has two stages, suspended from springs, that
bly contribute to the understanding of nestle within a cylindrical stainless-steel frame. The innermost stage contains the micro
scope mechanism. To achieve high-resolution images of surface structures the microscope
other physical, chemical and biologi
must be shielded from even such small vibrations as those caused by footsteps and sound.
cal phenomena as well.
The copper plates (attached to the bottom of the stainless-steel frame) and the magnets
Scanning tunneling microscopy is
(attached to the bottom of the inner and outer stages) damp vibrations. Any disturbance
the product of considerable evolution. causes the copper plates to move up and down in the field generated by the magnets. The
Microscopy appears to have begun in movement induces eddy currents in the plates. The interaction of the eddy currents with
the 15th century when simple magni the magnetic field retards the motion of the plates and hence the motion of the stages. For
fying glasses were made with which to work required in a vacuum a steel cover is placed over the outer frame of the microscope.
50
52
53
SURFACE OF SILICON as disclosed by the scanning tunneling bumps that are arranged in two groups of six. The bumps, which
microscope consists of a pattern of diamond-shaped unit cells. Each have never before been resolved, apparently correspond to the sur
cell measures 27 angstrom units (one angstrom unit is one ten-bil faces of individual atoms. They stand as much as 1.3 angstroms
lionth of a meter) on a side. The cell is called the 7-by-7 because above the rest of the surface. The image was formed by applying a
each side measures seven atomic units. Each 7-by-7 contains 12 voltage so that electrons flowed from the needle tip to the surface.
54
55
COLLAR OF VIRUS PHI 29 connects the head of the virus to its aided in unraveling the structure of the collar, an understanding
tail. Raw, unprocessed electron micrographs such as this one have of which is critical in controlling the spread of some viral infections.
56
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