Construction of a dual-tip scanning tunneling microscope: A prototype nanotechnology workstation

Abstract

This dissertation describes the construction and performance of a dual-tip scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The microscope was built as a prototype nanotechnology workstation, a general purpose instrument designed to give a researcher the ability to investigate and manipulate nanometer scale structures. Chapter One describes the genesis and development of the concept of nanotechnology, from the atomic hypothesis of Democritus to modern developments in synthetic chemistry. Nanometer scale electronics (molecular electronics) is introduced and the state of the art in this field is described. The dual-tip scanning probe microscope is proposed as a way to address individual molecular electronic devices, a key goal in realizing nanometer scale electronic technology. Investigation of microtubules, a proposed nanometer scale intracellular biological information processing system, is also discussed. Chapter Two reviews the history and fundamental physics of STM, along with the related techniques of Field Ion Microscopy (FIM) and Ballistic Electon Emission Microscopy (BEEM). BEEM is used to introduce the physics of the dual-tip STM. Other dual-probe systems are also described. Chapter Three covers the design and construction of the dual-tip STM. Both hardware and software are described in detail. Chapter Four presents the results obtained with the dual-tip STM, including dual-tip images and noise measurements for the electronic circuitry. The last chapter, Chapter Five, contains suggested design changes for improving the performance of the dual-tip microscope and descriptions of experiments that can be performed with an improved instrument. Design and use of a nanotechnology workstation in the fields of semiconductor electronics, molecular electronics and cellular biology is discussed. Investigation of neurons grown on a silicon chip with a dual-tip STM system is proposed. Four Appendices present a noise model of the STM tunneling gap and preamplifier, describe calibration of the piezoelectric scanners that move the probe tips, and list the software that controls the system.