article

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is a branch of microscopy that forms images of surfaces using a physical probe that scans the specimen. An image of the surface is obtained by mechanically moving the probe in a raster scan of the specimen, line by line, and recording the probe-surface interaction as a function of position. SPM was founded with the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope in 1981.
Many scanning probe microscopes can image several interactions simultaneously. The manner of using these interactions to obtain an image is generally called a mode.

Established types of scanning probe microscopy


AFM, atomic force microscopy
  • contact AFM
  • non-contact AFM
  • dynamic contact AFM
EFM, electrostatic force microscope
FMM, force modulation microscopy
KPFM, kelvin probe force microscopy
MFM, magnetic force microscopy
MRFM, magnetic resonance force microscopy
NSOM, near-field scanning optical microscopy, or SNOM, scanning near-field optical microscopy
PSTM, photon scanning tunneling microscopy
SCM, scanning capacitance microscopy
SGM, scanning gate microscopy
SThM, [scanning thermal microscopy
STM, scanning tunneling microscopy
SVM, scanning voltage microscopy

Advantages of scanning probe microscopy


  • The resolution of the microscopes is not limited by diffraction, but only by the size of the probe-sample interaction volume (i.e., point spread function), which can be as small as a few picometres.
  • The interaction can be used to modify the sample to create small structures (nanolithography).

Disadvantages of scanning probe microscopy


  • The scanning techniques are generally slower in acquiring images, due to the scanning process. As a result, efforts are being made to greatly improve the scanning rate.

  • The maximum image size is generally smaller.

Programs


  • Gwyddion - A Software Framework for SPM Data Analysis.
  • GXSM - Gnome X Scanning Microscopy.

References


External links


走査型プローブ顕微鏡 | Rastersondenmikroskopie | میکروسکوپ پراب پویشی | 掃描探針顯微鏡

Microscopes

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Scanning probe microscopy".

Home Pageartsbusinesscomputersgameshealthhospitalshomekids & teensnewsphysiciansrecreationreferenceregionalscienceshoppingsocietysportsworld