Ultrahigh vacuum low temperature scanning tunneling microscope with ultrahigh vacuum deposition capability

An Omicron ultrahigh vacuum low temperature scanning tunneling microscope has been combined with an ultrahigh vacuum deposition chamber equipped with molecular beam sources and a rotatable liquid helium cooled sample holder. This configuration permits the growth of films and structures on either heated or cooled substrates with the possibility of subsequent study by scanning probe techniques at low temperatures without exposing them to air. The versatility of the fabrication process and the configuration of the equipment lends itself to easily exploring many physical systems. The apparatus has been used to investigate the electronic properties of metal clusters prepared using buffer layer assisted growth. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.