SPM: Scanning Probe Microscope

Scanning Probe Microscope

The image of STM

The image of AFM

This is a microscope for surface analysis to image the surface morphology on an atomic scale by scanning the sample surface with a physical probe. There are two types of microscope, one is a STM (scanning tunneling microscope), which can observe the sample surface at the atomic level by measuring the tunneling current between the tip and the sample, and the other is AFM (atomic force microscope), which can observe the surface morphology by measuring the atomic force between the tip and the sample surface. The system consists of 4 - 5 chambers; an analysis chamber, a preparation chamber, a sample fabrication chamber, a sample transferring chamber, and a STM chamber.

The SPM unit is made by Omicron NanoTechnology GmbH.
( http://www.omicron.de/index2.html )
The SPM unit is made by UNISOKU Co., Ltd.
( http://www.unisoku.co.jp/ )

National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) ( http://www.nims.go.jp/atom_ele_gr/index.html )
University of Tokyo ( http://komori.issp.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ )
Tohoku University ( http://apfim.imr.tohoku.ac.jp/ )
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
etc.