I think the thing that most people missed here is that the single or several atom tips isn't necessarily even the most interesting achievement, tips as small as 3 atoms, or unstable 1 atom tips have been routinely observed up to this point.
The high aspect ratio of these tips though is pretty incredible, a lot of FIM based tips are pretty blunt, but with pointy tips. For STM that doesn't matter so much as the tip apex is the crucial part, but for other imaging techniques like atomic force microscopy, using fat tips is like trying to play a record with a basketball instead of a needle.
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I think the thing that most people missed here is that the single or several atom tips isn't necessarily even the most interesting achievement, tips as small as 3 atoms, or unstable 1 atom tips have been routinely observed up to this point. The high aspect ratio of these tips though is pretty incredible, a lot of FIM based tips are pretty blunt, but with pointy tips. For STM that doesn't matter so much as the tip apex is the crucial part, but for other imaging techniques like atomic force microscopy, using fat tips is like trying to play a record with a basketball instead of a needle.