According to Gerd Binnig, it took two years for the scientific community to embrace the scanning tunneling microscope. Early images provided by the device were very small, providing little detail and data. Then, as output quality improved, researchers from other labs began working with the scope, and advancements steadily began to emerge. Resolution improved and imaging time decreased. Today’s nanoscale microscopes represent a dramatic advancement over the instruments available in the early days of nanotechnology research, up to just a decade ago.
Further innovations
Elemental proof
In 1974, IBM’s Ari Aviram and then New York University Professor Mark Ratner co-developed a theory that, at the time, couldn’t be tested due to the lack of sufficient technology. Aviram and Ratner suggested that molecules possessed conductive properties and could thereby transmit or store electricity. Fifteen years later, Binnig and Rohrer’s advances in microscopy provided the technical means to confirm Aviram and Ratner’s hypothesis. This pioneering work gave rise to the field of molecular electronics, today an established branch of nanotechnology.
Nano logo
One of the world’s most recognized logos is also the world’s smallest. In 1989, at IBM’s Almaden Lab in San Jose, Donald Eigler and Erhard Schweizer demonstrated their nano-marketing talents by creating an atomic-scale rendering of I-B-M. The image drew the attention of the global media, but more importantly, it was the first demonstration of the ability to move and configure atoms. If, by using a scanning tunneling microscope, one could arrange 35 atoms in a planned design, then the development of complex nanostructures for practical purposes was entirely possible.
Atomic 1’s and 0’s
In 2007, a major nanotech breakthrough was achieved as IBM scientists were able to measure the magnetic properties of an atom for the first time. Using a scanning tunneling microscope, researchers determined both the orientation and strength of the magnetism of a single iron atom. This understanding has promising implications for storing digital data within atoms and molecules. Nanotechnologists believe atomic storage capacity is so vast, a single palm-sized device could store the digital equivalent of 30,000 movies.
Deep Sea Molecule
In a pioneering research project, for the first time, scientists at IBM and the University of Aberdeen have collaborated to “see” the structure of a marine compound from the deepest place on the Earth using an atomic force microscope (AFM). The results of the project open up new possibilities in biological research which could lead to the faster development of new medicines in the future.
A closer look
Reflections on a breakthrough
This video describes the impact of Dr. Eigler’s early use of the scanning tunneling microscope. Interviewed on camera, Eigler describes his motivations for creating the famous IBM logo.
The atomic force microscope
This brief video provides a basic introduction to the atomic force microscope.