Ultra-High Vacuum STM Laboratory

The UHV STM laboratory is located in the basement of the Metrology Building at NIST. Facilities in this laboratory consist of the following capabilities:

• Ultra-high vacuum STM
• Optical detection system with polarization analysis and spectral measurement capability
• Field ion microscopy of tips
• Metal MBE deposition
• Reflection-high-energy-electron-diffraction with real time image acquisition
• Ion sputtering
• Sample heating
• Sample and tip interchange and load lock entry

Our current STM was constructed in 1990 and is designed with a double spring vibration isolation system, a concentric piezo-electric tube scanner, and two inch-worms which move a sample stage in two dimensions. The STM was modified in 1995 with a new xyz scanner and an optical detection system to collect and analyze light emission from the tunnel junction. The STM is controlled by custom designed and built electronics. Currently the electronics are being upgraded to incorporate a new VXI based data acquisition system.

Online: May 1996
Last Updated: July 2007