SCANNING-TUNNELING-MICROSCOPY AND RELATED TECHNIQUES FOR SURFACE-ANALYSIS

More than 60 years after its principles were first published, quantum mechanics has given to the scientific community one of its most intere sting applications for imaging matter down to the atomic scale, in the form of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). At present, STM and asso ciated techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) are becoming p owerful tools not only for surface observation but also for manipulati on of single atoms. This article reviews the main characteristics of t hese techniques by looking at the most surprising results reported in the literature.