Based on the work of MechPanda and Dan Berard - we are working on designing an easy to build kit for building scanning tunneling microscopes.
This project is being designed by the MoCo Makers - makerspace community out of Maryland - and is something we are looking forward to sharing with the world!
The project will help you visualize single atoms, using quantum tunneling current detection - and is right at the scale between Newtonian and quantum physics. We find the hunt for the atom, done in a DIY-friendly way to be very beautiful and worth sharing.
Work has started on this, and we'll be releasing small incremental updates, before doing a final documentation and project file release. The logs here will be used only as status updates, with minor information in them that will be eventually added to our main documentation (work in progress).
Right now we are working on a version 1 design, which is a minor update to MechPanda’s design using the same controller board and 3D printable structure, but with a slightly updated bill of materials (BOM) that uses more modern and in-stock components.
We will use version 1 to learn areas to improve and develop version 2. Our goal is to make it easier to build, to source parts, and for the STM to be more precise by iteratively improving. Check back often for more updates.
We’re MoCo Makers - a makerspace community out of Maryland, USA. We are working on developing a DIY version of a Scanning Tunneling Microscopes (STM) and making them available as easy-to-build kits for hobbyists to scan individual atoms! We are still refining our designs, so stay tuned.