STM for surface structure studies operated at atmospheric air pressure

The report deals with new results on the construction of a simple scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) for non-destructive studies of atomic surface structure. The mechanical construction and electronic scheme of the microscope incorporate a number of novel features including a full automatic coarse Z-motion of several millimetres. A set of electronic elements and a data system, which have been developed to control the microscope, are also discussed. The performance of the STM is illustrated by presenting images of thermally evaporated gold films on ceramic substrates and of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surfaces, which are taken in the usual topography mode.