Scanning tunneling microscope combined with a scanning electron microscope

Abstract

We have developed a small scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to be incorporated into a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Vibration isolation and damping is achieved solely with Viton dampers. As a stand-alone unit, a tunnel-gap stability of about 1 Å is reached at atmospheric air pressure without additional sound protection. Stability improves by at least an order of magnitude when incorporated into a SEM.