Scanning probe microscopes are notoriously susceptible to disturbances, or mechanical noise, from the surrounding environment that couple to the probe–sample interaction. These disturbances include vibrations of mechanical components, piezo drift, and thermal expansion. Disturbance effects can be substantially reduced by designing a rigid microscope, incorporating effective vibration isolation,...

We performed four-terminal conductivity measurements on a CoSi2 nanowire (NW) at room temperature by using PtIr-coated carbon nanotube (CNT) tips in a four-tip scanning tunneling microscope. The physical stability and high aspect ratio of the CNT tips made it possible to reduce the probe spacing down to ca. 30 nm. The probe-spacing dependence of resistance showed diffusive transport even at 30 ...

We introduce a general approach for inherently suppressing out-of-plane disturbances in scanning probe microscopy that enables higher-resolution imaging, particularly in noisy environments. In this approach, two distinct sensors simultaneously measure the probe–sample separation. One sensor measures a spatial average over a large sample area while the other responds locally to topography undern...

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001 During the manufacturing of presentday integrated circuits, certain measurements must be made of the submicrometer structures composing the device with a high degree of repeatability. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and the various forms of scanning probe microscopies are major microscopical techniques...

An experimental setup for low temperature thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) integrated in an ultrahigh vacuum-chamber housing a high-end scanning probe microscope for comprehensive multi-tool surface science analysis is described. This setup enables the characterization with TDS at low temperatures (T > 22 K) of portable sample designs, as is the case for scanning probe optimized setups or ...

We consider various methods and techniques for measuring electron magnetization susceptibility, which are used in experimental condensed matter physics. The list of considered macroscopic measurements includes magnetomechanic, electromagnetic, modulation-type, also thermodynamic based on the chemical potential variation. local magnetic spin Hall effects NV-centers. Several scanning probe magnet...

We describe a two-color pump-probe scanning magneto-optical Kerr effect microscope which we have developed to investigate electron spin phenomena in semiconductors at cryogenic temperatures with picosecond time and micrometer spatial resolution. The key innovation of our microscope is the usage of an ultrafast "white light" supercontinuum fiber-laser source which provides access to the whole vi...

Three-fold symmetrically distributed GaN nanowire (NW) arrays have been epitaxially grown on GaN/sapphire substrates. The GaN NW possesses a triangular cross section enclosed by (0001), (2112), and (2112) planes, and the angle between the GaN NW and the substrate surface is approximately 62 degrees . The GaN NW arrays produce negative output voltage pulses when scanned by a conductive atomic fo...

The free boundary of smectic A (SmA), nematic and isotropic liquid phases were studied using a polarized optical microscope, an interferometric surface structure analyzer (ISSA), an atomic force microscope (AFM) and a scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM). Images of the SmA phase free surface obtained by the polarized microscope and ISSA are in good correlation and show a well-known foc...

We present a new type of piezoelectric nanopositioner called KoalaDrive which can have a diameter less than 2.5 mm and a length smaller than 10 mm. The new operating principle provides a smooth travel sequence and avoids shaking which is intrinsic to nanopositioners based on inertial motion with sawtooth driving signals. In scanning probe microscopy, the KoalaDrive can be used for the coarse ap...