Arrangement and stability of atoms at the apex of a scanning tip

A field ion microscope was used to examine the stability of the atomic arrangement at tip apexes. Although a single W atom at the top layer of a [111]-orientated tip apex protrudes from the underneath layer by only 0·91 Å, the present study suggests that the (111)-orientated W tip is the most desirable tip for scanning tunnelling microscopes because a large activation energy for surface diffusion on the (111) plane immobilizes the apex atom while the tip scans over a specimen surface and the tip apex can be resharpened by simply heating the tip.