Scanning Tunneling Microscope – How Nanoscientists see Atoms

Scanning Tunneling Microscope – How Nanoscientists see Atoms

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This podcast is drawn from the “Virtual Lab” of WeCanFigureThisOut.org. This Virtual Lab uses 3D virtual reality animations to explain electronics, microelectronics and nanotechnology. This podcast explains how scanning tunneling microscopes (STM’s) work. STM’s are one the nanoscientist’s best tools for seeing individual atoms.

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  • A voltage induces electrons to jump from the probe's tip to the sample atoms.

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  • Voltages to a piezoelectric crystal move the probe in and out.

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  • Another crystal moves it side to side.

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  • A third crystal moves it up and down.

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