STM of freeze-fracture replicas: problems and promises

Presently, non-conductive surfaces can be examined in two ways: using AFM, which measures the deflection of a weak spring, or coating or replicating non-conductive surfaces with metal layers, then imaging with the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). This revised STM-replica technique provides with simple, repeatable measures of surface feature heights, providing that precautions are taken to avoid feature distortions due to contamination. The cadmium arachidate multilayers provide a well characterized calibration for the 5nm range that will be useful for investigations of bilayer structure and topology.