Saturday 22 August 2015

Scanning Probes Microscopes (SPM)

Hello to all my struggling, sinking, brooding yet amazing Microbiologists.
Smile up, coz Staph is here with a new instrument today.

We will be learning, what we are learning is there in the title. So with no wastage and saving our precious time we will start with it.

Yeah right, saving your precious time to watch Pokemon, Naruto and Kick Buttowski later on.
Shut up.

So SPM is not a single time of microscope like SEM or TEM, but it is a term given to a family of microscopes which consists of Scanning tunneling microscope, atomic force microscope, scanning near field optical microscope.

If there are any other then please notify me because I've noticed you noticing this and I am just giving you a notice that I have noticed you and thus you notice it down to bring any other type into my notice.
What???

Girl get yourself diagnosed for ADD.

SPM are type of microscopes which make use of a very sharp fine tip of metal to scan across the metal surface in a raster mode to produce the images of the samples even at subatomic resolutions. These microscopes are an excellent combo of spectromicroscopies serving us dual benefits of microscopy and spectroscopy so that spectroscopy of the same sample area is performed of which the high resolution image is obtained. With this, one is able to get the details of morphology and structure of the sample added with the knowledge of it's chemical nature and it's thermal, optical and magentic properties too.

No special sample preparation is required in this microscopy.
Liquid samples and live biological samples can also be studied.

Probes used are fine metal tips obtained by etching the metal wires in some specific chemicals. In some cases tips are mounted on a piezo drives which vibrates and it's function is to scan the sample surface. PZT (Lead Zirconium Titanate) is commonly used piezo crystal.

The needle scans the entire image and digital images are collected at several points. In order to obtain a high resolution images it is important to shield the microscope from any mechanical vibrations and external magnetic fields.

Different types of SPM will be discussed separately in detail in coming posts.
As of now, let's end with a high six.


-Staph <3



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