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Why cant the 300-1D, 300-2D, 700-1D and 700-2D calibration specimens be used in STM?

April 26, 2017calibration specimens STM Used

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Why cant the 300-1D, 300-2D, 700-1D and 700-2D calibration specimens be used in STM?

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We have found experimentally that they cannot be used in STM. It appears that the STM tip must penetrate the oxide layer on the W in order to achieve tunneling. The extreme pressure created by the tip breaks through the W coating and tunneling becomes unstable. It may be possible to overcoat the specimen with a noble metal to achieve more stable tunneling and we would be happy to learn of customer success in that area.