Facilities

The laboratory houses a comprehensive device for the preparation and characterization of thin films and nanostructures in ultra-high vacuum and an integrated scanning tunneling microscope and atomic force microscope operating in ultra-high vacuum, at ultra-low temperatures and high magnetic fields.

Responsible person: Mgr. Pavol Szabó, CSc., IEF SAS Košice Mgr. Tomáš Samuely, PhD., ÚFV PF UPJŠ Košice

Device function:

The complex equipment from Specs consists of two interconnected vacuum chambers with a pressure of less than 10-10 mbar. In the preparation chamber there is: Special manipulator – 4 axes of movement with high accuracy – Linear movement in the direction x, y, z with the range Dx, Dy: +/- 12.5 mm, Dz: 900 mm – rotation ± 180 ° – – – electron heating beam up to 1000 ° C and N2 cooling – separate position for direct electric heating

Electron evaporator – 4-chamber electron evaporator with NW35CF (2.75 ″) flange, two fixed holders and two holders with the possibility of movement, the possibility of simultaneously steaming up to 4 different materials from rods or containers

High temperature evaporator For evaporating materials with low saturated vapor pressure

Silicon microbalance with accessories – microbalance for determining the thickness of the vapor deposited layer

Ion source Yttria oxide coated iridium fiber ion source with long life for dedusting impurities from the surface of samples in ultra-high vacuum

RHEED

Reflected high-energy electron diffraction to characterize the growth of thin films and their structure

Analyzer

for XPS, UPS, AES, SAM, ISS and LEIS Multi-channel detector with extended dynamic range CEM

X-ray source with accessories

For X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy for chemical analysis of surfaces

Four – pole mass spectrometer for the analysis of residual gases in a vacuum during evaporation

In the STM chamber there is:

– Low temperature scanning tunneling microscope operating under ultra-high vacuum (UHV STM) conditions in high magnetic fields and ultra-low temperatures

– UHV STM system, operating at low temperatures in the temperature range 1K – 300 K with cooling based on Joule-Thomson refrigerator with modular These heads, allowing the use of various sensors such as qPlus, Hummingbird sensor, STM, allowing simultaneous AFM / STM measurements in magnetic fields higher than 2 T at temperatures lower than 4 K. – Cryostat with nitrogen and 4He cooling – Superconducting magnet enabling SPM measurements in magnetic fields min. to 3 Tesla in a direction perpendicular to the sample surface – Control electronics from Nanonis.

Separate chamber with inert atmosphere – With the possibility of direct connection to the vacuum chamber and sample transfer

Areas of application: – Atomic resolution topography – Extreme resolution conductivity electron spectroscopy – In-situ preparation and characterization of thin films and nanostructures – Manipulation with individual atoms and molecules