Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Surfaces were a topic of active debate among ancient philosophers, some of which continues to this day. Can modern surface science settle the question of whether surfaces exist or not?
The push for smaller microelectronics poses many challenges, such as locating dopant atoms in semiconductors with ever-increasing precision. The ideal technique must be able to detect single dopants with atomic resolution, and identify their electronic state. Neither is an easy task.
When faced with the most cutting-edge problems in materials science, the 'right' research infrastructure can be as important as the quality of the scientific ideas. European researchers are being asked to consider a more inclusive way of doing science.