Recently, single-particle cryo-electron microscopy emerged as a technique capable of determining protein structures at near-atomic resolution and resolving protein dynamics with a temporal resolution ranging from second to milliseconds. This thesis describ ...
The invention of 3D atomic force microscopy (3D-AFM) has enabled visualizing subnanoscale 3D hydration structures. Meanwhile, its applications to imaging flexible molecular chains have started to be experimentally explored. However, the validity and princi ...
Since the dawn of humanity, human beings seeked to light their surroundings for their well-being, security and development. The efficiency of ancient lighting devices, e.g. oil lamps or candles, was in the order of 0.03-0.04% and jumped to 0.4-0.6% with th ...
After decades of technological advancements, high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) has emerged as a powerful technique for visualizing dynamic processes. At the nanoscale, the AFM provides valuable insights into the sample by sensing minute interacti ...
This thesis investigates the magnetic properties of single atoms and molecules adsorbed on thin magnesium oxide decoupling layers, grown on a silver single crystal. To address these systems experimentally, we use a low temperature scanning tunneling micros ...
We report the development of a continuous-wave and pulsed X-band electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometer for the study of spins on ordered surfaces down to cryogenic temperatures. The spectrometer operates in ultra-high vacuum and utilizes a half-wavele ...
Fluorescence confocal laser-scanning microscopy (LSM) is one of the most popular tools for life science research. This popularity is expected to grow thanks to single-photon array detectors tailored for LSM. These detectors offer unique single-photon spati ...
The properties of a physical system only exist in relation to its environment. This thesis presents the development of a novel spin qubit scanning probe microscope operating over a wide range of environmental conditions. The qubit, which sits at the heart ...
Carbohydrates are the most abundant organic material on Earth and the structural "material of choice" in many living systems. Nevertheless, design and engineering of synthetic carbohydrate materials presently lag behind that for protein and nucleic acids. ...
Strain is inevitable in two-dimensional (2D) materials, regardless of whether the film is suspended or supported. However, the direct measurement of strain response at the atomic scale is challenging due to the difficulties of maintaining both flexibility ...
Quantum magnetic impurities give rise to a wealth of phenomena attracting tremendous research interest in recent years. On a normal metal, magnetic impurities generate the correlation-driven Kondo effect. On a superconductor, bound states emerge inside the ...
The magnetic force microscope (MFM) is an established experimental tool for imaging stray fields with high spatial resolution and sensitivity. The MFM contrast can however contain contributions from the sample topography, variations in the surface Kelvin p ...
Transport through quantum coherent conductors, such as atomic junctions, is described by conduction channels. Information about the number of channels and their transmissions can be extracted from various sources, such as multiple Andreev reflections, dyna ...
Gallium Nitride (GaN) has enabled groundbreaking developments in the field of optoelectronics and radio frequency communication. More recently, GaN devices for power conversion applications have demonstrated excellent potential. Thanks to Gallium Nitride w ...
Electrification of the energy section, from generation to end-use, plays an essential role in reducing global CO2 emission. Innovations in power electronics are required to increase conversion efficiency and power density. Gallium nitride (GaN) transistors ...
This thesis investigates the magnetic properties of single atoms and dimers adsorbed on graphene and oxide decoupling layers supported by single crystal metal substrates, using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spin-polarized scanning tunneling micro ...
The magnetic properties and the atomic scale morphology of bimetallic two-dimensional nanoislands, epitaxially grown on fcc(111) metal surfaces, have been studied by means of Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. We investigate the ...
Monolithic integrated circuits (ICs) have been miniaturized over the past five decades, and today their components range in size from hundreds of microns to several nanometers. Making point contact with electrical samples under a microscope is referred to ...
This thesis investigates novel single-molecule luminescence phenomena at their inherent, sub-molecular length scale. The microscopic understanding of luminescence processes will be crucial for the continued improvement of organic optoelectronic and semicon ...
This thesis presents a combined experimental and theoretical study of the classical and quantum magnetization dynamics in single magnetic adatoms and molecules, and on the classical and quantum coherent control thereof.First, a detailed description of t ...