Nanoscale Physics Facility
The state-of-the-art Nanoscale Facility was constructed to pursue a program in quantum and spin electronics. Construction began with the installation of a pit (under the supervision of Joe Stroscio) for the superconducting magnet cryostat.
The entire facility, ranging from the laboratory room itself to the smallest detail of the cryogenic STM module, was designed in a three dimensional virtual computer aided design (3D-CAD) environment. The picture above shows both a virtual and a real view of the ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) systems. The facility was designed with the goal of atomic resolution imaging and the ability to probe electronic structure with high electron energy resolution. Electron energy resolution sufficient to resolve the quantum energy level structure in nanostructures is achievable only at low operating temperatures. The requirement of in situ transfer of fabricated samples was essential to study well-designed and characterized samples. These design goals led to a system with the following capabilities:
- UHV cryogenic scanning tunneling microscope operating at 2.5 K to 150 K
- Superconducting magnet system with 1.5 T vector magnet at microscope position and 10 T vertical magnet at microscope position
- III-V MBE system with in-situ transfer of samples to STM system
- Metal MBE system with in-situ transfer of samples to STM system
- FIM tip preparation system with in-situ transfer of tips to STM system
- Sample/tip load lock
- Acoustic and electrically shielded measurement environment
Online: May 2000
Last Updated: July 2007