A novel nano-Moiré method with scanning tunneling microscope (STM)

In this paper, a new STM nano-Moiré method is presented which allows quantitative analysis to nanoscopic deformation of matter. In the measurement, Moiré patterns are generated by interfering the scanning lines of STM with the atomic lattice of crystal material. The measurement principles of STM nano-Moiré and experimental techniques are described in detail. In addition, a grating replication method is also developed. The residual strain around an inclusion or defect on a high-orientated pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) sample is measured using this method. The successful experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of this method and also verify the method can offer a high sensitivity for displacement measurement with nanometer spatial resolution.