Technological applications of scanning tunneling microscopy at atmospheric pressure

Abstract

We present experimental evidence of the capability of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to image the microstructure of surfaces with atomic resolution even at atmospheric pressure. Some examples of different types of materials (metal single crystals, graphite, semiconductor, oxide and metal films) are shown. We propose the STM as a highly sensitive standard for surface roughness determination of industrial finishing at atmospheric pressure. In our opinion, these results may open new perspectives in technology and industrial applications.