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Register a new userBulk Cr tips for scanning tunneling microscopy and spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy
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Added by
Carlo Spartaco Casari
Publication date
2007
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
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A simple, reliable method for preparation of bulk Cr tips for Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) is proposed and its potentialities in performing high-quality and high-resolution STM and Spin Polarized-STM (SP-STM) are investigated. Cr tips show atomic resolution on ordered surfaces. Contrary to what happens with conventional W tips, rest atoms of the Si(111)-7x7 reconstruction can be routinely observed, probably due to a different electronic structure of the tip apex. SP-STM measurements of the Cr(001) surface showing magnetic contrast are reported. Our results reveal that the peculiar properties of these tips can be suited in a number of STM experimental situations.
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We predict the occurrence of metastable skyrmionic spin structures such as antiskyrmions and higher-order skyrmions in ultra-thin transition-metal films at surfaces using Monte Carlo simulations based on a spin Hamiltonian parametrized from density functional theory calculations. We show that such spin structures will appear with a similar contrast in spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM) images. Both skyrmions and antiskyrmions display a circular shape for out-of-plane magnetized tips and a two-lobe butterfly contrast for in-plane tips. An unambiguous distinction can be achieved by rotating the tip magnetization direction without requiring the information of all components of the magnetization.
Hard point-contact spectroscopy and scanning probe microscopy/spectroscopy are powerful techniques for investigating materials with strong expandability. To support these studies, tips with various physical and chemical properties are required. To ensure the reproducibility of experimental results, the fabrication of tips should be standardized, and a controllable and convenient system should be set up. Here a systematic methodology to fabricate various tips is proposed, involving electrochemical etching reactions. The reaction parameters fall into four categories: solution, power supply, immersion depth, and interruption. An etching system was designed and built so that these parameters could be accurately controlled. With this system, etching parameters for copper, silver, gold, platinum/iridium alloy, tungsten, lead, niobium, iron, nickel, cobalt, and permalloy were explored and standardized. Among these tips, silver and niobiums new recipes were explored and standardized. Optical and scanning electron microscopies were performed to characterize the sharp needles. Relevant point-contact experiments were carried out with an etched silver tip to confirm the suitability of the fabricated tips.
We compare STM investigations on two hexaboride compounds, SmB$_6$ and EuB$_6$, in an effort to provide a comprehensive picture of their surface structural properties. The latter is of particular importance for studying the nature of the surface states in SmB$_6$ by surface-sensitive tools. Beyond the often encountered atomically rough surface topographies of {it in situ}, low-temperature cleaved samples, differently reconstructed as well as B-terminated and, more rarely, rare-earth terminated areas could be found. With all the different surface topographies observed on both hexaborides, a reliable assignment of the surface terminations can be brought forward.
Spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM) measures tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) with atomic resolution. While various methods for achieving SP probes have been developed, each is limited with respect to fabrication, performance, and allowed operating conditions. In this study, we present the fabrication and use of SP-STM tips made from commercially available antiferromagnetic $rm{Mn_{88}Ni_{12}}$ foil. The tips are intrinsically SP, which is attractive for exploring magnetic phenomena in the zero field limit. The tip material is relatively ductile and straightforward to etch. We benchmark the conventional STM and spectroscopic performance of our tips and demonstrate their spin sensitivity by measuring the two-state switching of holmium single atom magnets on MgO/Ag(100).
Ni2MnGa(100) surface has been investigated in the premartensite and martensite phase by using scanning tunneling microscopy. The presence of twined morphology is observed in the premartensite phase for Mn excess surface which exhibit non-equispaced parallel bands in one side of the twin boundary. Moreover, in the flat region of the surface two domains of non-periodic parallel bands corresponding to the incommensurate CDW is observed. Although, stoichiometric surface also exhibit twining but the parallel bands are equispaced and have equal corrugation. Most interestingly, coexistence of twined morphology and the CDW pattern is observed in the premartensite phase for Ni excess surface which was not reported till date. In the martensite phase for Mn excess surface, incommensurate CDW is transformed to commensurate CDW corresponding to the equispaced parallel bands. In stark contrast, stoichiometric surface exhibit parallel bands that have different periodicity in different regions. Both the voltage dependent STM and STS measurement establishes that this morphology is also related to the CDW.
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