Scanning Tunneling Microscope - How Nanoscientists see Atoms

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This podcast is drawn from the "Virtual Lab" of WeCanFigureThisOut.org. This Virtual Lab uses 3D virtual reality animations to explain electronics, microelectronics and nanotechnology. This podcast explains how scanning tunneling microscopes (STM's) work. STM's are one the nanoscientist's best too…

John C. Bean - WeCanFigureThisOut.org


    • Jul 24, 2017 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 29 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Scanning Tunneling Microscope - How Nanoscientists see Atoms

    Scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs) allow nanoscientists to see individual atoms.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:09


    individual physics electronics scanning microscopes nanotechnology atoms science education stm university of virginia nanoscience tunneling 3d animation microelectronics stms john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    To see how a Nanosurf easyScan STM works, let's take it apart in virtual reality.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:06


    physics virtual reality electronics nanotechnology science education let's take stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    The heart of the STM is an atomically sharp probe.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:15


    physics sharp probe electronics nanotechnology science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    A voltage induces electrons to jump from the probe's tip to the sample atoms.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:16


    jump physics electronics nanotechnology atoms voltage science education stm electrons university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    A feedback loop holds the electron current constant by keeping the distance from probe to sample constant.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:10


    current distance physics constant holds probe electronics nanotechnology electron feedback loops science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    But how can it move the probe over these tiny nanometer distances?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:12


    physics probe electronics nanotechnology science education distances stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics nanometer john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    Voltages to a piezoelectric crystal move the probe in and out.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:23


    physics probe electronics nanotechnology science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics piezoelectric john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    Another crystal moves it side to side.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:15


    physics electronics nanotechnology science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics side to side john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    A third crystal moves it up and down.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:15


    physics electronics nanotechnology science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    Let's see how these work together to create an atomic scale map of the sample surface.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:11


    scale physics surface atomic electronics work together nanotechnology science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    The voltage to the back crystal determines pixel color. Voltages on the other crystals move the probe and pixels side-to-side and up-and-down.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:30


    color physics crystals probe electronics determines pixels nanotechnology voltage science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics side to side john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    But how do we first position the probe only a nanometer or so from the sample surface?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:11


    physics surface probe electronics nanotechnology science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics nanometer first position john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    It's done by ratcheting this cylinder in until an electron current is sensed.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:31


    current physics electronics nanotechnology electron science education stm cylinder university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    This STM is so simple that we use it in UVA classes. But it also earned two physicists the Nobel Prize in 1986.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:13


    simple physics classes nobel prize earned electronics physicists nanotechnology science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    Scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs) allow nanoscientists to see individual atoms.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:09


    individual physics electronics scanning microscopes nanotechnology atoms science education stm university of virginia nanoscience tunneling 3d animation microelectronics stms john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    To see how a Nanosurf easyScan STM works, let's take it apart in virtual reality.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:06


    physics virtual reality electronics nanotechnology science education let's take stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    The heart of the STM is an atomically sharp probe.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:15


    physics sharp probe electronics nanotechnology science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    A voltage induces electrons to jump from the probe's tip to the sample atoms.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:16


    jump physics electronics nanotechnology atoms voltage science education stm electrons university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    A feedback loop holds the electron current constant by keeping the distance from probe to sample constant.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:10


    current distance physics constant holds probe electronics nanotechnology electron feedback loops science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    But how can it move the probe over these tiny nanometer distances?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:12


    physics probe electronics nanotechnology science education distances stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics nanometer john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    Voltages to a piezoelectric crystal move the probe in and out.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:23


    physics probe electronics nanotechnology science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics piezoelectric john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    Another crystal moves it side to side.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:15


    physics electronics nanotechnology science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics side to side john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    A third crystal moves it up and down.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:15


    physics electronics nanotechnology science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    Let's see how these work together to create an atomic scale map of the sample surface.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:11


    scale physics surface atomic electronics work together nanotechnology science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    The voltage to the back crystal determines pixel color. Voltages on the other crystals move the probe and pixels side-to-side and up-and-down.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:30


    color physics crystals probe electronics determines pixels nanotechnology voltage science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics side to side john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    But how do we first position the probe only a nanometer or so from the sample surface?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:11


    physics surface probe electronics nanotechnology science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics nanometer first position john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    It's done by ratcheting this cylinder in until an electron current is sensed.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:31


    current physics electronics nanotechnology electron science education stm cylinder university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    This STM is so simple that we use it in UVA classes. But it also earned two physicists the Nobel Prize in 1986.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2017 0:13


    simple physics classes nobel prize earned electronics physicists nanotechnology science education stm university of virginia nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope
    This podcast is drawn from the Virtual Lab presentations of WeCanFigureThisOut.org. The copyrighted material of this site was developed under funding from National Science Foundation CCLI, NIRT, MRSEC and NUE programs. This project is led by John C. Be

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 1969 0:33


    project programs funding material physics developed drawn electronics presentations national science foundation john c nanotechnology science education stm university of virginia copyrighted nanoscience 3d animation microelectronics virtual lab john c. bean uva virtual lab scanning tunneling microscope

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