Synopsis and Perspective

STM has matured enormously since the development of the first microscope 20 years ago, an achievement for which Binning and Rohrer were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1986 39,41. STM has emerged as a powerful technique for exploring surfaces at the atomic scale. This ability makes the STM unique in comparison to other surface-sensitive analytical techniques, and the progress of 

STM for the investigation of surface phenomena has been quite astonishing in numerous areas of physical, chemical, and biological research. 

STM instruments have evolved from a complicated homebuilt instrument sensitive to vibrations into a compact, rigid, stable variable-temperature microscope, available commercially at fairly low cost. The availability of the instrumentation for STM has led to a tremendous diversification of the application of the technique, and new areas of applications are constantly being developed. 

We would like to thank our colleagues who have contributed in various ways to the work presented in this article, including M. Bollinger, I. Chorkendorff, B. S. 

acknowledges financial support from the Danish Technical Research Council and the Carlsberg Foundation. 

We would like to thank our colleagues who have contributed in various ways to the 

Somorjai, G.A., Surface Chemistry and Catalysis. Wiley, New York, 1994. 

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Dallinger, R. (1996) Metallothionein research in terrestrial invertebrates synopsis and perspectives. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology C, 113, 125-133. 

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