Scanning tunneling microscopy—from birth to adolescence

Abstract

We present here the historic development of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM); the physical and technical aspects have already been covered in a few recent reviews and two conference proceedings' and many others are ex- pected to follow in the near future. A technical summary is given by the sequence of figures, which stands alone. Our narrative is by no means a recommendation of how research should be done; it simply reflects what we thought, how we acted, and what we felt. However, it would certainly be gratifying if it encouraged a more re- laxed attitude towards doing science.