Concentric tube scanning tunneling microscope

Abstract

A small scanning tunneling microscope (STM) for studying surfaces in ultrahigh vacuum is described. It has been designed to have a mechanical tip–sample gap instability of less than 0.002 Å while operating in an environment with relatively large‐amplitude, low‐frequency vibrations. Thermal fluctuations are minimized by built‐in thermal compensation. The microscope has a unique coarse z positioner, and an open design for accommodating various types of tip and sample exchanging manipulators. A novel mechanism for fabricating tips of the same length makes it possible to approach the tip and sample without visual access. Atomic‐scale images of graphite have been obtained and are presented.