Molecular Electronics:
The Future of Electronics

Introduction Traffic Analogy Molecular Self-Assembly Electrostatic Self-Assembly Chemical Self-Assembly Molecular Transistors How They Might Work Molecular Junctions Special Considerations Carbon Nanotubes Advantages Structure Microscopy A Closer Look Future Perspectives About the Authors References

Scanning Tunelling Microscopy

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is one of the predominant methods for examining the nano-world. It is a very powerful tool that can be used to resolve features less than a nanometer. Pictured is a model of an STM, you can click the buttons to see how it moves around. The coarse movers are used to position the tip and bring it close to the sample. They can typically move in steps of 5nm (0.000000005 m). The fine control is done by deforming a ceramic piece. By deforming the ceramic, the tip can move by less than 1 nm. Click the zoom button to see how the STM works on the molecular level.

© 2006 M. Busuttil, I. Kandikov, M. Lubrick, J. Mutus, J. Nantais