Scanning Probe Instruments and Synchrotron Light at the ESRF

In 2004, the aim of the X-Tip European Project was to pursue the integration of scanning probe microscopy techniques into synchrotron radiation beamlines to provide new opportunities to both fields of microscopy and spectroscopy. Given the limited X-ray focusing capabilities at that time and the difficulty of alignment, the first emphasis was given to the possibility of exploring the morphology of the sample surface within the area illuminated by the X-rays, selecting an area of interest and, using the scanning tip, aligning it into the X-ray beam and extract by total electron yield spectroscopic information, with lateral resolutions ideally defined by tip dimensions.