I needed a base or a general idea of what to do for this project. So I researched what was need to create a STM (Scanning Tunneling Microscope). Much of the research was spent on how to create a DIY STM, but all that research did was just confuse me in what was needed.  So instead I followed a simple circuit diagram for the basics of what was needed, and used the following materials to create a STM.

Materials List:

• Microscope $5K

• Probe Tips $200

• Graphene sample $300

• Keithley AC/DC current source & Keithley Nanovoltmeter $8K

• PI nano XYZ nanopositioning stage $18K

• 2 micromanipulators $8K

• Lighting system $700

• Liquid metal $32

• Computer $800

I found various things within the lab to make the general circuit. Upon making the circuit I had to make sure that all our materials all worked and gave out accurate feedback. A few of the early problems I faced doing this project was that the microscope setup that I was going to use kept having to be changed for different reasons, that the camera was not giving back any feedback, and that the probes were too bent to be used in my experiment.

The most confusing component to the project was the PI-nano controller. This contoller was only used once or twice before I started to use it for our project. With much difficulty in reading the user manual and some fussing around with the controllers, I found out how to use it and incorporate it into my project.