SPM Training Guide

The Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) Training Guide introduces the principles and techniques associated with SPM. Start here if you are new to Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) or Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) techniques. If you already have a good sense for how an SPM operates, you may prefer to skip directly to the instrument-specific information contained in other sections of the User Guide, which focuses more on practical aspects of running the system.

This section is broken into the following topics:

• Background—the history of SPM, STM, and AFM
• How an SPM Works—a general introduction to the theory behind forms of SPM
• Piezoelectric Scanners—the theory behind the key component of an SPM
• Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM)—a general introduction to STM, the first SPM technique
• Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)—a general introduction to the dominant techniques in AFM

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