Abstract: An embodiment of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) reactor includes a pressure vessel, an STM assembly, and three spring coupling objects. The pressure vessel includes a sealable port, an interior, and an exterior. An embodiment of an STM system includes a vacuum chamber, an STM reactor, and three springs. The three springs couple the STM reactor to the vacuum chamber and are operable to suspend the scanning tunneling microscope reactor within the interior of the vacuum chamber during operation of the STM reactor. An embodiment of an STM assembly includes a coarse displacement arrangement, a piezoelectric fine displacement scanning tube coupled to the coarse displacement arrangement, and a receiver. The piezoelectric fine displacement scanning tube is coupled to the coarse displacement arrangement. The receiver is coupled to the piezoelectric scanning tube and is operable to receive a tip holder, and the tip holder is operable to receive a tip.

Abstract: A variable temperature assembly for scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is described which minimizes or eliminates motion of the sample caused by the thermal expansion or contraction of the sample holder assembly and platform/scanning stage on which the assembly is mounted, and minimizes heating or cooling of the platform/stage. In heater form, the variable temperature assembly includes a thin boron nitride puck with one or more high-resistivity wires embedded along an underside of the puck. The puck is suspended from its polished top surface by posts that are secured to the microscope stage. All thermal expansion of the puck occurs in the downward direction, away from the SPM probe-sample interface, thus eliminating relative motion between the probe tip and sample surface. The top surface of the puck remains stationary as a result of the unique geometry of the posts and the puck-post attachment configuration described herein.

Abstract: A modular AFM/SPM which provides faster measurements, in part through the use of smaller probes, of smaller forces and movements, free of noise artifacts, that the old generations of these devices have increasingly been unable to provide. The modular AFM/SPM includes a chassis, the foundation on which the modules of the instrument are supported; a view module providing the optics for viewing the sample and the probe; a head module providing the components for the optical lever arrangement and for steering and focusing those components; a scanner module providing the XYZ translation stage that actuates the sample in those dimensions and the engage mechanism; a isolation module that encloses the chassis and provides acoustic and/or thermal isolation for the instrument and an electronics module which, together with the separate controller, provide the electronics for acquiring and processing images and controlling the other functions of the instrument.

Abstract: There is provided in one embodiment of the invention a method for analyzing a sample material using surface enhanced spectroscopy. The method comprises the steps of imaging the sample material with an atomic force microscope (AFM) to select an area of interest for analysis, depositing nanoparticles onto the area of interest with an AFM tip, illuminating the deposited nanoparticles with a spectrometer excitation beam, and disengaging the AFM tip and acquiring a localized surface enhanced spectrum. The method may further comprise the step of using the AFM tip to modulate the spectrometer excitation beam above the deposited nanoparticles to obtain improved sensitivity data and higher spatial resolution data from the sample material. The invention further comprises in one embodiment a system for analyzing a sample material using surface enhanced spectroscopy.

Abstract: A scanning probe apparatus includes a measurement probe tip and an auxiliary probe tip that is movably positionable with respect to the measurement probe tip. The measurement probe tip and the auxiliary probe tip may be positioned juxtaposed, so that an electrical discharge may be effected between the measurement probe tip and auxiliary probe tip to remove a contaminant from the measurement probe tip. The auxiliary probe tip may be integral with a sample support plate within the scanning probe apparatus.