Tunneling Microscopy

Tunneling microscopy is a type of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) technique which uses a very fine probe to form an electrical connection between the sample and the probe tip located nearby. It is used to obtain topographical images of samples at a very high resolution and can provide information about the electrical properties of the sample. Tunneling microscopy can be used for the analysis of both insulating and conducting samples. Its main applications include the identification of features on micro and nano sized samples, such as defects in semiconductor devices and molecular-level study of surface structures. It also allows the study of biological and soft materials like proteins, lipids, and polymers.