The primary objective of this research is the design, construction and evaluation of a novel Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) for routine surface microtopographical analysis. This prototype instrument is designed to cover an extensive magnification range form 2500X to 100X. Since the entire STM unit is small enough to be mounted on a 6-in conflat flange, it can be readily installed to operate in both vacuum and ambient air environments. Furthermore, the STM design will not only be user-friendly to the operator but will also incorporate features allowing ease of manufacture and maintenance. The high/low magnification STM promises to fulfill most of the requirements of surface microscopy in an non-destructive fashion with few of the disadvantages encountered in conventional forms of microscopic imaging.
