A Scanning Tunneling Microscope is a device for imaging surfaces at very high magnifications - down to the scale of individual atoms. The STM does this by mechanically scanning a pointed tip over the surface (sample to be scanned). Piezoelectric elements can provide the necessary small translations of the tip.
The data acquisition and analysis software for the STM developed by Quazar Technologies is christened SiM* (Stm iMproved).
SiM is written with simple Python scripts using Tkinter for the Graphical User Interface. A wrapper driver is written for the parallel port and is inserted as a kernel module (currently on vanilla kernel – 2.6.17). The whole software is squashed into a KEWTI LINUX LIVE CD (based on Slackware Linux) and can be put into action by booting the system for this QLinux Live
The Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) is the ancestor of all scanning probe microscopes. It was invented in 1981 by Gred Binnig and Heinrich Rocher at IBM Zurich. Five years later they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for its invention. The STM was the first instrument to generate real-space images of surface with, so called, atomic resolution (atomic lattice resolution to be precise).
The software is very user-friendly and readily re-configurable.
Software Features:
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Image Display |
Dual-Imaging Window for Scan and Retrace Image Display. |
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Analysis Functions |
Line(Single line profile) Extraction, measurement of distances and angles, Zooming, Roughness Display, X/Y/Z - Calibration, 2D Fast Fourier Transformation |
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Image Processing Tool |
Powerful Image processing toolbox with various utilities like spatial,
Low-Pass Filtering, Histogram, Equalization, Un-sharp masking, Slope
Correction, Zooming etc. |
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Data Export |
Export to standard image file formats like ASCII, jpg, png, postscript etc. Imports data from ASCII image files given in the form of data matrix |
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3D Data Display
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Colored 3D renderings, selection of color look-up tables |
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Color Mode Selection |
Customizable color modes for the image (both in 2D and 3D) |
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Tip Locator Window |
Displays current position of the tip over the sample, Sample Navigator for graphical X/Y adjustments, tip-positioning relative to current image. |
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I-V Spectroscopy |
Sample Bias sweep from -10V to +10V, 1024 spectral points, 5mV minimum step.
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Nano-Lithography Tool |
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