Design and three dimensional calibration of a measuring scanning tunneling microscope for metrological applications

A scanning‐tunneling microscope (STM) of the scanning‐sample type with transducers for the measurement of the position in all three axes has been developed. Motions in the X‐, Y‐, and Z‐axis are straight and rectangular to a high degree and the capacitance transducers are calibrated in situ by plane mirror laser‐interferometry. With these qualities as part of the design, the Abbe error may be minimized. X‐Y‐capacitance transducers and X‐Y‐piezo actuators are part of analog servo loops, thus providing positioning in the X‐Y‐plane to a desired coordinate. The STM is mainly built from commercially available parts.