Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is a powerful imaging technique that allows scientists to visualize surfaces at the atomic level by measuring the tunneling current between a sharp metal tip and the sample surface. This method exploits the wave-particle duality of electrons and is fundamentally tied to quantum mechanics, enabling the observation of electronic states in low-dimensional systems such as quantum wells, wires, and dots. STM has broad applications in molecular electronics and plays a critical role in fabricating single-electron devices.
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