Physics Project 2008
ECoS Faculty: Peter Eklund
ECoS Graduate Student Mentor: Timothy Russin
Microscopy Techniques for Imaging Micro- and Nanostructures
Microscopy is the scientific discipline in which microscopes are used to view samples or
objects. There are three well-known branches of microscopy: optical, electron and scanning
probe microscopy. In this project, we will investigate different microscopy techniques in four
steps:
1. Prepare samples which have sizes from the mesoscopic to the nanoscopic range: from
about 5 um to 30 nm. Here 1 um = 10-6 m and 1 nm = 10-9 m.
2. Determine the size distribution of samples using optical microscopy. Determine the
usable range of light microscopes.
3. Become familiar with the principles of electron imaging, and use the technique of
Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to make high-resolution images.
4. Study Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) techniques and analyze model systems using the
teaching AFM approach. Look at prepared samples with a real AFM instrument and
analyze the images.