Patent ID: 8347410

Claim:
A method for examining a sample using a scanning tunneling microscope, comprising effecting image recording, before or during image recording, applying a contrast agent to at least one location on the tip of the scanning tunneling microscope and/or on the sample, which is part of the tunneling contact during the image recording, and providing a temperature less than or equal to the condensation temperature of the contrast agent at said at least one location, wherein the atomic-geometric chemical structure of the sample emerges by choosing neon, O 2 , CO, NO x , N 2 , N 2 O, CO 2 , hydrogen (H 2 ), deuterium (D 2 ), tritium (T 2 ), HD (hydrogen deuterium), HT (hydrogen tritium), DT (deuterium tritium) or helium (He) as the contrast agent.