 SICM has a worse resolution than AFM or STM, which can routinely reach resolutions of about 0.1 nm.The resolution of SICM measurement is limited to 1.5 times the diameter of the tip opening in theory, but measurements taken with a 13 nm opening-diameter managed a resolution of around 3–6 nm.SICM can be used to image poorly or non-conducting surfaces, which is impossible with STM.