DIAGNOSIS OF A SURFACE BY SCANNING-TUNNELING-MICROSCOPY (REVIEW)

Owing to a number of unique advantages, the scanning tunneling microsc ope (STM) is widely used for the diagnosis of surfaces in micro- and n anotechnologies. The author gives an analysis of the advantages and sh ortcomings of the STM method based upon the four years of experience u sing it for study, in air, of surfaces of metals and semiconductors th at were subjected to a variety of effects: ion- and laser-beam modific ation and chemical and mechanical treatment. instrumental distortions of the STM surface images and computer-aided techniques for the remova l of these distortions have been discussed, methods for calibration of STM translators and the specifics of operating the STM in air have be en described. A method for high-resolution visualization of the distri bution of electronic properties on the surface of ion-implanted laser- beam annealed silicon has been proposed.