Single-tube STM

Because of its extremely simple structure, this type of home-built STM is routinely used in several scientific laboratories. 

Once the tube scanner was invented (Binnig and Smith, 1986), it soon became the primary choice of piezo scanners in STM. Its small size and high natural resonance frequency make the mechanical design and vibration isolation much easier. Currently, most of the commercial STMs as well as home-made STMs use tube scanners. 

The simple single-tube STM is preferentially operated in air. With an air bag, it can be operated in controlled ambient conditions. It is also convenient to operate in liquid. A refined version of this STM has become a commercial product. Nanoscope, which is probably the most popular STM in the open market. 

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Fig. 12.4. Single-tube STM. The tube piezo scanner is adhered inside a sturdy metal cylinder, which sits on three screws on the base plate. The two front screws make the coarse approaching. The rear screw makes fine approaching by using the two front screws as the pivot axis. The rear screw is actuated by a stepping motor for automatic approaching. The preamplifier (not shown) is mounted directly on top of the metal cylinder to eliminate the microphone effect of the coaxial cable between the tip and the input of the preamplifier. The entire unit is rigid enough that a mediocre vibration isolation device can provide atomic resolution. (After Hansma et al., 1988.)...

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See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

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