ABSTRACT
The scanning probe microscopies all share the capability of providing threedimensional, real-space images of surfaces and surface adsorbates, in some cases with atomic resolution. They are operated by locating a small probe tip over a sample and measuring some local property of the surface at that point. By scanning the tip across the surface in a raster pattern, an image may be constructed representing variations of that property within the raster scan range. The essential difference between the various local probe methods is the distinction between the particular surface properties that each measures. The STM, for example, measures the electrical conductance between the probe tip and the surface; the AFM measures the total force. Both techniques have been shown to operate effectively under a variety of conditions, and to be able to achieve atomic resolution in vacuum, air, liquids, and at opposing temperature extremes.
