Low-Temperature Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
Low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (LTSTM) systems operated in ultrahigh vacuum and at a base temperature of 5 K are used to generate and study ultimately small nanostructures.
Our microscopes feature a highly stable “Besocke-Beetle” type scanner design in combination with a liquid helium bath cryostat allowing us to (i) manipulate single atoms and molecules adsorbed on a surface, (ii) induce elementary excitations by inelastic electron tunneling, and (iii) perform local tunneling spectroscopy measurements.
Technical details of the LTSTM setup:
- Variable STM head temperature from 5 to around 150 K
- Helium consumption one 4 l fill per 3 to 4 days
- In-situ tip exchange
- Optical access to the sample in the measurement position
- Noise level < 1 pm along scan direction
- Lateral drift < 1 Å per hour