Improve STM Image Quality: Trace Artifacts

[superwolf]

Any suggestions how I can improve the quality of STM (scanning tunneling microscopy) images? And how can I trace artifacts?

 

[Danger]

This isn't a field that I'm familiar with, but my first and only thought on the subject would be some sort of computer enhancement.

 

[ZapperZ]

Any suggestions how I can improve the quality of STM (scanning tunneling microscopy) images? And how can I trace artifacts?

This question is extremely vague because you did not describe what you have, and what kind of "improvement" we are talking about.

STM is a very complicated instrument. I can rattle off a bunch of issues that can easily affect the quality of your image: EM isolation, vibration isolation, the size of the tip, how good is your feedback circuitry, what is your best current/voltage/spatial resolution, etc... etc. Even the type of material can affect how well you can image something, i.e. can it be cleaved in vacuum to reveal a pristine surface?

There are a million things there to deal with, and not enough information to deduce anything.

Zz.

 

[f95toli]

And post-processing is also important, programs like SPIP can make a huge difference to the "image quality" of an STM image, although they can also introduce artifacts if you are not careful.