Low noise, low heat dissipation, high gain AC-DC front end amplification for scanning probe microscopy.
- Materials Science Division
We report here on the design, construction and testing of a vacuum compatible AC-DC amplification system for low signal measurements with scanning probes. The most important feature of this new amplification system is incorporated within the head of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). This is achieved with a very low thermal dissipation radio frequency amplifier at the STM head. The amplifier gain is higher than 40 dB and has a 50 dB maximum. Further, the AC noise figure is 0.7 dB between 100 and 1000 MHz. The noise induced in the DC amplifier is less than 2 pA RMS (root mean square), which enables the microscope to scan over soft insulating molecular layers. Thermal drift at the STM tip-sample interface is below 0.1 nm min{sup -1} both in air and in vacuum operation. Atomic resolution on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite surfaces is reliably achieved. Spin noise measurements are provided as an example of an application.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC02-06CH11357
- OSTI ID:
- 1010899
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/MSD/JA-68799; TRN: US201109%%166
- Journal Information:
- Nanotechnology, Vol. 20, Issue Jan. 2009
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- ENGLISH
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