Scanning probe microscopy is a frequently used nanometer-scale surface investigation technique. Unfortunately, its applicability is limited by the relatively low image acquisition speed, typically seconds to minutes per image. Higher imaging speeds are desirable for rapid inspection of samples and for the study of a range of dynamic surface processes, such as catalysis and crystal growth. We ha...

The principle of sequential imaging, by means of a signal generated with an electron probe scanning the specimen in a regular raster, has been successfully developed into the form of practical microscopes during the past few years. The scanning electron microscope has been constructed first, but it was slow to find its proper fields of application. Now it is proving valuable primarily in solid ...

A theory for tunneling between a real surface and a model probe tip, applicable to the "scanning tunneling microscope" is presented. The tunneling current is found to be proportional to the local density of states of the surface, at the position of the tip. It can be shown that the tunneling conductance has exponential dependence on the distance of the nearest approach to the surface

A major disadvantage of scanning probe microscopy is the slow speed of image acquisition, typically less than one image per minute. This paper describes three techniques that can be used to increase the speed of a conventional scanning probe microscope by greater than one hundred times. This is achieved by the combination of high-speed vertical positioning, sinusoidal scanning, and high-speed i...

Prospects for a feature-oriented scanning (FOS) approach to investigations of sample surfaces, at the micrometer and nanometer scales, with the use of scanning probe microscopy under space laboratory or planet exploration rover conditions, are examined. The problems discussed include decreasing sensitivity of the onboard scanning probe microscope (SPM) to temperature variations, providing auton...