Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Microscopy

Atomic fingerprinting

Atomic force microscopy is a well-established technique to image all kinds of surfaces at the atomic scale. But the force patterns that emerge can also pin down the chemical identity of individual atoms.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Sugimoto, Y. et al. Nature 446, 64–67 (2007).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Morita, S., Wiesendanger, R. & Meyer, E. (eds) Non-Contact Atomic Force Microscopy (Springer, New York, 2002).

  3. Giessibl, F. J. Rev. Mod. Phys. 75, 949–983 (2003).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Foster, A. S. & Hofer, W. Scanning Probe Microscopes: Atomic Scale Engineering by Forces and Currents (Springer, New York, 2006).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  5. Sugimoto, Y. et al. Nature Mater. 4, 156–159 (2005).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Lantz, M. A. et al. Science 291, 2580–2583 (2001).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hoffmann, R., Kantorovich, L. N., Baratoff, A., Hug, H. J. & Güntherodt, H.-J. Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 146103 (2004).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Schmid, M., Stadler, H. & Varga, P. Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 1441–1444 (1993).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shluger, A., Trevethan, T. Atomic fingerprinting. Nature 446, 34–35 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/446034b

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/446034b

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing