Editing Scanning tunneling microscope (section)

== Other related techniques ==
Many other microscopy techniques have been developed based upon STM. These include [[photon scanning microscopy]] (PSTM), which uses an optical tip to tunnel photons;<ref name="Bai" /> scanning tunneling potentiometry (STP), which measures electric potential across a surface;<ref name="Bai" /> [[spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy]] (SPSTM), which uses a [[ferromagnetic]] tip to tunnel spin-polarized electrons into a magnetic sample;<ref name="Wiesendanger">{{cite journal |vauthors = Wiesendanger R, Shvets IV, Bürgler D, Tarrach G, Güntherodt HJ, Coey JM |year=1992 |title=Recent advances in spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy |journal=Ultramicroscopy |volume=42–44 |pages=338–344 |doi=10.1016/0304-3991(92)90289-V |s2cid=95739038 |author-link1=Roland Wiesendanger}}</ref> [[multi-tip scanning tunneling microscopy]], which enables electrical measurements to be performed at the nanoscale; and [[atomic force microscopy]] (AFM), in which the [[force]] caused by interaction between the tip and sample is measured.

STM can be used to manipulate atoms and change the topography of the sample. This is attractive for several reasons. Firstly the STM has an atomically precise positioning system, which enables very accurate atomic-scale manipulation. Furthermore, after the surface is modified by the tip, the same instrument can be used to image the resulting structures. [[IBM]] researchers famously developed a way to manipulate [[xenon]] atoms adsorbed on a [[nickel]] surface.<ref name="Bai" /> This technique has been used to create electron ''corrals'' with a small number of adsorbed atoms and observe [[Friedel oscillations]] in the electron density on the surface of the substrate. Aside from modifying the actual sample surface, one can also use the STM to tunnel electrons into a layer of electron-beam [[photoresist]] on the sample, in order to do [[lithography]]. This has the advantage of offering more control of the exposure than traditional [[electron-beam lithography]]. Another practical application of STM is atomic deposition of metals (gold, silver, tungsten, etc.) with any desired (pre-programmed) pattern, which can be used as contacts to nanodevices or as nanodevices themselves.{{Citation needed|date=September 2020}}