Self-navigation of STM tip toward a micron sized sample
  We demonstrate a simple capacitive based method to quickly and efficiently locate micron size conductive samples on insulating substrates in a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). By using edge recognition the method is designed to locate and identify small features when the STM tip is far above the surface allowing for crash-free search and navigation. The method can be implemented in any STM environment even at low temperatures and in strong magnetic field, with minimal or no hardware modifications. 
Guohong Li, Adina Luican, and Eva Y. Andrei
cond-mat.mes-hall