PERIOD: JANUARY - MARCH Aims of course: The course is largely experimental (50% at least of the total time is devoted to laboratory activities) and intends to give the students basic and advanced information on the large number of Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) techniques presently available for the physical characterization of surfaces of materials down to the nanometric or atomic scale. The various operating modes of SPM instrumentation will be described in detail, as well as the practical tips for the realization of microscopy (and spectroscopy) measurements in insulating, conducting, semiconducting, biologic and magnetic samples, mainly by means of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM). The most important methods for the analysis of topographic and spectroscopic images will be also described and applied in order to obtain information, for example, on the roughness and superficial quality of samples, on the crystal structure and defect distribution at atomic level, on the creation and manipulation of nanostructures or on the determination of the electronic density of states of semiconducting, metallic and superconducting materials

Course contents: 1. Principles of operation and SPM measurement techniques Generality; Main components of the SPM instrumentation; Scanning tunneling microscope (STM); Atomic Force microscope (AFM); Magnetic Force Microscope (MFM); Lateral Force Microscope (LFM); Various other types of scanning microscopes; Scanner, tips and cantilever; Image artifacts; Isolation from vibrations; Meaningful examples; Metrological Applications 2. Software for elaboration of SPM data and images The SPIP program; Examples of image elaboration 3. Laboratory activities on: - Calibration of SPM instrumentation along the z-axis and the xy plane - STM topography in conducting samples at nanometric and atomic scale - AFM topography (contact and non-contact mode) in insulating and conducting samples at nanometric and atomic scale - Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy (STS) and other STM applications - Experiments of "STM writing" or controlled modification of surfaces through STM - MFM measurements on magnetic materials - NSOM (Near-field Scanning Optical Microscope) measurements on insulating materials

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Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilità o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unità Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione più idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.