Visualizing atoms, molecules, and surfaces by scanning probe microscopy

In this paper we describe several examples of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) experiments that we have carried out during a three-week undergraduate introductory course during our January interim term and as independent undergraduate research projects. Our goal is to give the reader a flavor for the broad range of experiments that can be done at the undergraduate level using SPM. The interim course was divided roughly in half: an introductory component and a project component. In the introductory component, students had both a theoretical and a laboratory introduction to the techniques of scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy. In the project component of the course, students were grouped in pairs and allowed to choose an independent project based on their interest from a list of instructor-chosen experiments. The projects described here include a study on imaging DNA and filamentous actin on a mica surface, visualizing memory arrays of microchips, and imaging organic monolayers on a gr...