We report the design and performance of a cryogen-free, pulse-tube refrigerator (PTR)-based scanning probe microscopy (SPM) system capable of operating at a base temperature of near 5 K. We achieve this by combining a home-made interface design between the PTR cold head and the SPM head, with an automatic gas-handling system. The interface design isolates the PTR vibrations by a combination of polytetrafluoroethylene and stainless-steel bellows and by placing the SPM head on a passive vibration isolation table via two cold stages that are connected to thermal radiation shields using copper heat links. The gas-handling system regulates the helium heat-exchange gas pressures, facilitating both the cooldown to and maintenance of the base temperature. We discuss the effects of each component using measured vibration, current-noise, temperature, and pressure data. We demonstrate that our SPM system performance is comparable to known liquid-helium-based systems with the measurements of the superconducting gap spectrum of Pb, atomic-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy image and quasiparticle interference pattern of Au(111) surface, and non-contact atomic force microscopy image of NaCl(100) surface. Without the need for cryogen refills, the present SPM system enables uninterrupted low-temperature measurements.
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April 2022
Research Article|
April 27 2022
Development of a near-5-Kelvin, cryogen-free, pulse-tube refrigerator-based scanning probe microscope
Jun Kasai
;
Jun Kasai
UNISOKU Co., Ltd.
, Hirakata, Osaka 573-0131, Japan
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Tomoki Koyama;
Tomoki Koyama
UNISOKU Co., Ltd.
, Hirakata, Osaka 573-0131, Japan
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Munenori Yokota;
Munenori Yokota
UNISOKU Co., Ltd.
, Hirakata, Osaka 573-0131, Japan
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Katsuya Iwaya
Katsuya Iwaya
a)
UNISOKU Co., Ltd.
, Hirakata, Osaka 573-0131, Japan
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: katsuya_iwaya@unisoku.co.jp
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a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: katsuya_iwaya@unisoku.co.jp
Rev. Sci. Instrum. 93, 043711 (2022)
Article history
Received:
January 11 2022
Accepted:
April 03 2022
Citation
Jun Kasai, Tomoki Koyama, Munenori Yokota, Katsuya Iwaya; Development of a near-5-Kelvin, cryogen-free, pulse-tube refrigerator-based scanning probe microscope. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 1 April 2022; 93 (4): 043711. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0084888
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