A MINIATURIZED SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPE WITH LARGE OPERATION RANGE

A small sized (< 1 cm 3) and low mass (2.5 g) scanning tunneling microscope (STM) with automatized large range tip approach is introduced. By concentric arrangement of two piezotubes a temperature drift compensation is realized. Using a simple likewise concentric glass tube inside the inner piezotube as a frictional wire holder, an unlimited longitudinal adjustment range by stepwise inertial translation could be obtained. High mechanical resonance frequencies due to the low mass as well as the mechanical independency of the environment by purely electronic control reduce remarkably the effort for mechanical damping and make the system fast and particularly suited for special applications such as low temperature STM. Sample change and restoration of the tip position require only a few seconds.