30 T scanning tunnelling microscope in a hybrid magnet with essentially non-metallic design

Abstract

We report on the construction and performance of the first hybrid resistive-superconducting magnet (HM) based scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) above 30 T. This custom-design HM-STM features a novel design of the STM head unit, whose tip-sample approach is implemented using a slender piezoelectric tube (PZT). The scanner shares part of PZT by fixing a sapphire frame onto the front quarter of PZT to construct a compact tip-sample loop, realising an outer diameter of 8.8 mm, which makes it compatible with a narrow sample space. Its main components are made of non-metallic materials of sapphire, which allows it to be immune from eddy currents and to operate under the condition of strong magnetic field fluctuation from a hybrid magnet, as well as cryogen-free cryocooler magnet systems. To analyse the stiffness of the STM head unit, the eigenfrequencies with 11 kHz and 12 kHz in bending modes, 25 kHz in a torsional mode, and 67 kHz in a longitudinal mode were simulated by finite element analysis; also, the drifting rates of the STM in ambient conditions in the X-Y plane and Z direction were measured at 25.5 and 38.2 pm/min, respectively. We present the first atomic images in magnetic fields up to 30.1 T in an HM. The raw data show the stable and distinguished performance while ramping up to maximum fields, indicating the new device's potential capability of operating in the future 45T-hybrid magnet and hundred-field pulsed magnet. Meanwhile, our compact and concentric cylindrical STM insert can operate in the low-temperature tubular sample space housed by the HM bore to develop low-temperature and extreme high-magnetic field STM.