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Atomic and Molecular Manipulation With the Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Published

Author(s)

Joseph Stroscio, D Eigler

Abstract

The prospect of manipulating matter on the atomic scale has fascinated scientists for decades. This fascination may be motivated by scientific and technological opportunities, or from a curiosity about the consequences of being able to place atoms in a particular location. Advances in scanning tunneling microscopy have made this prospect a reality; single atoms can be placed at selected positions and structures can be built to a particular design atom-by-atom. Atoms and molecules may be manipulated in a variety of ways by using the interactions present in the tunnel junction of a scanning tunneling microscope. Some of these recent developments and some of the possible uses of atomic and molecular manipulation as a tool for science are discussed.
Citation
Science
Volume
254
Issue
5036

Citation

Stroscio, J. and Eigler, D. (1991), Atomic and Molecular Manipulation With the Scanning Tunneling Microscope, Science, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=620395 (Accessed May 27, 2026)
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Created January 1, 1991, Updated May 7, 2026
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