Cargando…

Atomic-Resolution Imaging of Micron-Sized Samples Realized by High Magnetic Field Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) can image material surfaces with atomic resolution, making it a useful tool in the areas of physics and materials. Many materials are synthesized at micron size, especially few-layer materials. Limited by their complex structure, very few STMs are capable of direc...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Li, Weixuan, Wang, Jihao, Zhang, Jing, Meng, Wenjie, Xie, Caihong, Hou, Yubin, Xia, Zhigang, Lu, Qingyou
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9961884/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36837986
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/mi14020287
_version_ 1784895865680297984
author Li, Weixuan
Wang, Jihao
Zhang, Jing
Meng, Wenjie
Xie, Caihong
Hou, Yubin
Xia, Zhigang
Lu, Qingyou
author_facet Li, Weixuan
Wang, Jihao
Zhang, Jing
Meng, Wenjie
Xie, Caihong
Hou, Yubin
Xia, Zhigang
Lu, Qingyou
author_sort Li, Weixuan
collection PubMed
description Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) can image material surfaces with atomic resolution, making it a useful tool in the areas of physics and materials. Many materials are synthesized at micron size, especially few-layer materials. Limited by their complex structure, very few STMs are capable of directly positioning and imaging a micron-sized sample with atomic resolution. Traditional STMs are designed to study the material behavior induced by temperature variation, while the physical properties induced by magnetic fields are rarely studied. In this paper, we present the design and construction of an atomic-resolution STM that can operate in a 9 T high magnetic field. More importantly, the homebuilt STM is capable of imaging micron-sized samples. The performance of the STM is demonstrated by high-quality atomic images obtained on a graphite surface, with low drift rates in the X–Y plane and Z direction. The atomic-resolution image obtained on a 32-μm graphite flake illustrates the new STM’s ability of positioning and imaging micron-sized samples. Finally, we present atomic resolution images at a magnetic field range from 0 T to 9 T. The above advantages make our STM a promising tool for investigating the quantum hall effect of micron-sized layered materials.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-9961884
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2023
publisher MDPI
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-99618842023-02-26 Atomic-Resolution Imaging of Micron-Sized Samples Realized by High Magnetic Field Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Li, Weixuan Wang, Jihao Zhang, Jing Meng, Wenjie Xie, Caihong Hou, Yubin Xia, Zhigang Lu, Qingyou Micromachines (Basel) Article Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) can image material surfaces with atomic resolution, making it a useful tool in the areas of physics and materials. Many materials are synthesized at micron size, especially few-layer materials. Limited by their complex structure, very few STMs are capable of directly positioning and imaging a micron-sized sample with atomic resolution. Traditional STMs are designed to study the material behavior induced by temperature variation, while the physical properties induced by magnetic fields are rarely studied. In this paper, we present the design and construction of an atomic-resolution STM that can operate in a 9 T high magnetic field. More importantly, the homebuilt STM is capable of imaging micron-sized samples. The performance of the STM is demonstrated by high-quality atomic images obtained on a graphite surface, with low drift rates in the X–Y plane and Z direction. The atomic-resolution image obtained on a 32-μm graphite flake illustrates the new STM’s ability of positioning and imaging micron-sized samples. Finally, we present atomic resolution images at a magnetic field range from 0 T to 9 T. The above advantages make our STM a promising tool for investigating the quantum hall effect of micron-sized layered materials. MDPI 2023-01-22 /pmc/articles/PMC9961884/ /pubmed/36837986 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/mi14020287 Text en © 2023 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Li, Weixuan
Wang, Jihao
Zhang, Jing
Meng, Wenjie
Xie, Caihong
Hou, Yubin
Xia, Zhigang
Lu, Qingyou
Atomic-Resolution Imaging of Micron-Sized Samples Realized by High Magnetic Field Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
title Atomic-Resolution Imaging of Micron-Sized Samples Realized by High Magnetic Field Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
title_full Atomic-Resolution Imaging of Micron-Sized Samples Realized by High Magnetic Field Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
title_fullStr Atomic-Resolution Imaging of Micron-Sized Samples Realized by High Magnetic Field Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
title_full_unstemmed Atomic-Resolution Imaging of Micron-Sized Samples Realized by High Magnetic Field Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
title_short Atomic-Resolution Imaging of Micron-Sized Samples Realized by High Magnetic Field Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
title_sort atomic-resolution imaging of micron-sized samples realized by high magnetic field scanning tunneling microscopy
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9961884/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36837986
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/mi14020287
work_keys_str_mv AT liweixuan atomicresolutionimagingofmicronsizedsamplesrealizedbyhighmagneticfieldscanningtunnelingmicroscopy
AT wangjihao atomicresolutionimagingofmicronsizedsamplesrealizedbyhighmagneticfieldscanningtunnelingmicroscopy
AT zhangjing atomicresolutionimagingofmicronsizedsamplesrealizedbyhighmagneticfieldscanningtunnelingmicroscopy
AT mengwenjie atomicresolutionimagingofmicronsizedsamplesrealizedbyhighmagneticfieldscanningtunnelingmicroscopy
AT xiecaihong atomicresolutionimagingofmicronsizedsamplesrealizedbyhighmagneticfieldscanningtunnelingmicroscopy
AT houyubin atomicresolutionimagingofmicronsizedsamplesrealizedbyhighmagneticfieldscanningtunnelingmicroscopy
AT xiazhigang atomicresolutionimagingofmicronsizedsamplesrealizedbyhighmagneticfieldscanningtunnelingmicroscopy
AT luqingyou atomicresolutionimagingofmicronsizedsamplesrealizedbyhighmagneticfieldscanningtunnelingmicroscopy