Mechanical design

This chapter discusses various mechanical designs for STM and AFM. The central piece of the mechanical design of STM and AFM is the course positioner. Therefore, various types of course positioners are also discussed. The louse and the pocket-size STM are discussed first. It is of significant historical importance but no longer popular today. The single-tube STM has a very simple mechanical structure, and still the basis of the most popular commercial STM and AFM. The Besocke-type or the beetles is very popular among builders of special-purpose STM due its immunity to temperature variation and vibration. For STM requiring superb stability, the walker and the kangaroo are the preferred design. The commercial nanostepper, the Inchworm, is described. It has been successfully used by many designers of special-purpose STM.