Imaging molecular adsorbates using scanning tunnelling microscopy and image processing
| Autor: | Jason L. P. Smith, Kenneth J. Pope, Joseph G. Shapter |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2002 |
| Předmět: |
Microscope
Materials science business.industry Image processing Condensed Matter Physics Noise (electronics) Atomic and Molecular Physics and Optics law.invention Scanning probe microscopy Optics Mechanics of Materials law Signal Processing Digital image processing Microscopy Calibration General Materials Science Computer vision Artificial intelligence Electrical and Electronic Engineering business Quantum tunnelling Civil and Structural Engineering |
| Zdroj: | Smart Materials and Structures. 11:679-685 |
| ISSN: | 0964-1726 |
| Popis: | This paper presents several digital image processing algorithms for the enhancement of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) images. The overall aim of the project is to achieve high-quality atomic-scale imaging of molecules that have been adsorbed sparsely onto a substrate. As STM experiments necessarily involve very small scanning movements and low tunnelling currents, a low signal-to-noise ratio in the image will always be an issue. Hence effective post-processing of the images will extend the power of STM in imaging molecular adsorbates. Algorithms are presented for the calibration of the microscope (both before and after data collection) and for removal of various forms of noise. Graphite imaging has been successfully used as a reliable method for instrument calibration. This calibration is required due to the undesirable effects that are characteristic of STMs, which result in improper scaling and skewing of images. Image enhancement techniques have been created to reduce the noise effects due to thermal drift, tip hysteresis and artifacts associated with the scanning mechanism. These techniques were developed for graphite images, but have also been successfully applied to imaging of molecular adsorbates. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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