Semiconducting oxides and nitrides are becoming the most important s- jects in materials science. In particular, zinc oxide (ZnO), gallium nitride (GaN), and related compounds form a novel class of semiconductors which possess unique properties in terms of crystallography, crystal growth, op- cal properties, electrical properties, magnetic properties, and so forth. These uniquepropertiesmakethesematerialsquiteimportantinoptoelectronicsand electronics. Although for more than three decades oxide and nitride semiconductors have been known to possess unique properties, it is only recently that...

There have been many books published on scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and related subjects since Dr. Cerd Binnig and Dr. Heinrich Rohrer invented STM in 1982 and AFM in 1986 at IBM Research Center in Zurich, Switzerland. These two techniques, STM and AFM, now form the core of what has come to be called the 'scanning probe microscopy (SPM)' family. SPM is not just the most powerful microscope for scientists to image atoms on surfaces, but is also becoming an indispensable tool for manipulating atoms and molecules to construct man-made materials and devices....