An ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy system with in situ surface preparation and analytical facilities has been developed. This system is based upon an Omicron Associates VT-UHV-STM, permitting STM measurements over a broad thermal range (25K - 1400K) on metals, semiconductors, and other conducting thin film surfaces. To make this a more powerful user facility, we have recently implemented a sample/tip load-lock and facilities for in situ sample preparation and chemical deposition. These facilities include a fine focus ion source, metal evaporation sources and thin film monitors, and a liquid doser. A Sun SPARC workstation is dedicated to this system, permitting efficient collection, analysis, and transfer of STM images. This facility is available for collaborative research projects with the MRSEC investigators.
The facility has no instruments.