ULTIMATE COMPUTING - Quantum Consciousness Studies

NanoTechnology 197
Figure 10.5: STM scan with t-axis showing evolution of a nanosystem over time.
With permission from Ritter, Behm, Potschke and Wintterlin (1987), courtesy of
Eckhart Ritter.
Adaptability and versatility have been shown by STMs operated in air, water,
ionic solution, oil and high vacuum (Drake, Sonnenfeld, Schneir, Hansma, Solugh
and Coleman, 1986; Miranda, Garcia, Baro, Garcia, Pena and Rohrer, 1985).
Their scanning speed may be pushed into the real-time imaging domain (Bryant,
Smith and Quate, 1986). One technique for machining STM tips is based on a
simple ion milling process that can generate ultrasharp tips with single atom
points; a similar technique can generate ultrasharp knife edges and other nanotool
shapes as well (Dietrich, 1984). Dieter Pohl (1987) of IBM-Zurich considers STM
one example of a group of “stylus” microscopic technologies. Tips are being
developed as thermocouples of two different metals sensitive to extremely low
changes of heat, and hollow pipettes able to administer or detect individual
molecules in solution. Pohl refers to these STM capabilities as molecular “tasting
and smelling.” Another STM related function can “touch and feel.” In “atomic
force microscopy,” a nanoscale lever positioned by STM piezo-technology is
deflected by contact and/or movement of atoms, molecules or their surrounding
ions. Van der Waals force induced lever deflection is monitored by an STM tip or
by interferometry. Binnig, Quate, and Gerber (1986) propose to measure forces as
small as 10–18 newtons using atomic force microscopy. Mechanical shape and
structural dynamics can be probed without tunneling through the sample material
using this mode, which may be particularly important in the study of
biomolecules.