Variable Temperature Compact-Head Scanning Probe Microscope for Advanced Material Research

We have built a variable temperature scanning probe microscope (SPM) that covers 4.6 K - 180 K and up to 7 Tesla whose SPM head fits in a 52 mm bore magnet. It features a temperature controlled sample stage in thermal isolation from the scanner and the tip thermally well connected to the liquid helium bath. It has a 7 sample holder storage carousel at liquid helium temperature for systematic studies using multiple samples and field emission targets intended for spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM) study on samples with various compositions and doping conditions. The system is equipped with a UHV preparation chamber and is mounted on a two-stage vibration isolation system made of a concrete block and a granite table floated on compressed air. A quartz tuning fork based non-contact atomic force microscope (AFM) sensor (qPlus sensor) is used for simultaneous STM/AFM operation for research on samples with highly insulating properties.