Design and Construction of a Scanning Tunneling Microscope and a Compact Suitcase Suitable for 2D Material Research

Abstract

Surface science in quantum mechanics has been investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) based on a quantum tunneling e ect. For the advanced study, we made a variable-temperature STM with a Koala Drive nanopositioner as coarse approach inside a tube scanner, making it ultra-compact. Adding a XY stage of a Besocke-type STM to the Koala Drive with only Z-coarse motion, we accomplished both the compact design and all directional coarse motion. With the advantages, we studied the atomic and electron properties of transition dichalcogenides (TMDs), one of the celebrated materials. TMDs may exhibit novel physical properties as it becomes thinner at the atomic level. However, a surface of the thin sample can be easily contaminated so that scanning tunneling microscopy is not e ective on that. To overcome the di culty, we developed the ultra-compact suitcase that transfers the sample without any exposure to air. Protected by the suitcase, a sample fabricated in a glove box can be moved to the STM head with the quality in a good surface condition. Since the property of the sample is well preserved in the suitcase, the atomic and electronic properties are measured successfully, which leads to investigation of the surface science for the various TMDs.