After successful completion of the course, students are able to summarise the physical principles of STM and AFM, explicitly describe the instrumentation of AFM and STM, to apply those techniques if necessary as well as to judge how these techniques could be applied to their own problems.
Physical fundamentals of STM and analytical information, STM-related techniques (e.g. tunneling spectroscopy - STS), data interpretation/artefacts, physical fundamentals of AFM and information content, AFM-related techniques for characterization of various material properties (electrical and magnetical force microscopy, friction force microscopy (tribological properties), force spectroscopy/nanointentation (nanomechanical properties)), scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) combined with spectroscopy (RAMAN/IR), scanning near-field acoustical microscopy (SNAM), scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) (sub-surface information), scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), overview on further methods, instrumentation and practical aspects, broad spectrum of applications with focus according to needs of students (e.g. micro- and nanocharacterization as well as dynamic behavior of different materials (metals, semiconductors, ceramics, polymers, biomaterials), in-situ study of adsorption processes, corrosion, polymerization reactions or biochemical processes in individual cells, nanoparticles and aerosols, coatings, chemical modification of surfaces - sensors/biosensors, single molecule detection, nano-stucturing/lithography
