N. García - Böcker

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Basic Concepts and Applications of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Erice, Italy, April 17-29, 1989

This volume deals with the fundamentals of and the recent developments and applications of near-field optical microscopy, giving basic accounts of how and under what circumstances superresolution beyond the half-wavelength Rayleigh limit is achieved. Interferometric and fluorescence techniques are also described, leading to molecular and even atomic resolution using light. The storage of optical information at this level of resolution is also addressed.

The contributions to this text include the theoretical basis of the conduction mechanisms in low dimensional systems, and worked-out calculations on the electronic structure. The mechanical behaviour of metallic nanowires is discussed, as are the roles of defects and geometry in conductance, the study of the conductance quantization phenomenon. The analysis of conductance histograms, the presentation of different techniques of fabrication and manipulation of nanowires, the analysis of forces appearing in nanowires and their relation to electronic conduction, and more.

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Basic Concepts and Applications of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Erice, Italy, April 17-29, 1989

The contributions to Nanowires include the theoretical basis of the conduction mechanisms in low dimensional systems, worked-out calculations on the electronic structure and mechanical behaviour of metallic nanowires, the role of defects and geometry in conductance, the study of the conductance quantization phenomenon, the analysis of conductance histograms, the presentation of different techniques of fabrication and manipulation of nanowires, the analysis of forces appearing in nanowires and their relation to electronic conduction, and more. Audience: Researchers familiar with the field as well as those new to it, since several contributions review research conducted during recent years.

This volume contains the proceedings of the NATO-Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) "Manipulation of atoms under high fields and temperatures: Applications", sponsored by the NATO Scientific Affairs Division, Special Programme on Nanoscale Science. This ARW took place in Summer '92, in the pleasant surroundings of the Hotel des Thermes at Charbonnieres les Bains -Lyon, France. Gathering some fifty experts from different fields, the ARW provided an opportunity to review the basic principles and to highlight the progress made during the last few years on the nanosources and the interactions between atomic-scale probes and samples. The motivation is to use the novel properties attached to the atomic dimensions to develop nanoscale technologies. The perception of the atomic-scale world has greatly changed since the discovery and development, in the early 80's, of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) by Binnig and Rohrer. Beyond the observation of individual atoms, which is now routine, the concept of playing with atoms has become commonplace. This has lead to the fashioning of tools at the atomic scale, to the deposition, the displacement and the creation of atomic structures and also to the knowledge of interactions and contacts between atoms. Nanotips ending with a single atom are sources of ultra-fine charged beams. They can be unique tools for high resolution observations, for micro­ fabrications by micro-machining and deposition at a scale not previously attainable, with a working distance less stringent than with STM devices.

Nanoscale Science and Technology summarizes six years of active research sponsored by NATO with the participation of the leading experts. The book provides an interdisciplinary view of several aspects of physics at the atomic scale. It contains an overview of the latest findings on the transport of electrons in nanowires and nanoconstrictions, the role of forces in probe microscopy, the control of structures and properties in the nanometer range, aspects of magnetization in nanometric structures, and local probes for nondestructive measurement as provided by light and metal clusters near atomic scales.