Cryogenic variable temperature vacuum scanning tunneling microscope
AssigneeNorthwestern University
InventorsMark C. Hersam, Edward T. Foley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cryogenic variable temperature scanning tunneling microscope of novel design and component configuration, for use in conjunction with a variety of low temperature methodologies.
Claims30
A cryogenic variable temperature scanning tunneling microscope apparatus, comprising a scanning tunneling microscope stage component and a cooling system, said cooling system comprising a plurality of interposed compartments, one said compartment between the periphery of another said compartment, said stage component comprising a scanning tunneling microscope scanner and positioned within one of said compartments.
A cryogenic variable temperature scanning tunneling microscope apparatus, comprising a scanning tunneling microscope stage component and a cooling system, said cooling system comprising a plurality of interposed inner and outer compartments, one said compartment between the periphery of another said compartment, said stage component comprising a scanning tunneling microscope concentric piezoelectric scanner and positioned within one of said compartments, said cooling system and said stage component within a vacuum chamber component.
A method of using a cryogenic variable temperature vacuum scanning tunneling microscope apparatus to quantitatively estimate molecular orbital energies of a single molecule, said method comprising:
- providing a substrate degeneratively p-type doped with a molecular component, as a sample in a cryogenic scanning tunneling microscope apparatus, said apparatus comprising a piezoelectric scanner tip;
- applying a positive bias across said sample, said bias inducing an increase in conduction;
- and
- obtaining a multiplicity of current-voltage measurements as a function of distance between said tip and said molecular component, said measurements obtained at a temperature sufficient to maintain a substantially constant tip-sample distance over said measurements, said bias sufficient to induce resonance with the highest occupied molecular orbital of said molecular component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.