Construction of a transferable STM head for use in room temperature and low temperature environments*

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is a useful technique to study the electronic and topographic properties of surfaces. It is necessary to utilize STM in a variety of environments, such as low temperature, variable temperature, and high magnetic fields, to fully characterize samples. Typical STMs are hard-wired into systems, limiting their use to a single environment. Here, we report the construction of a novel transferable STM head (U.S. Patent No. 11,474,127) that can be used in multiple systems for operation in any environment. This head utilizes a compact and modular design. We demonstrate the stability of the structure by achieving atomic resolution on a table with no vibration damping in ambient conditions. Finally, we illustrate the operation of the STM head in a low temperature environment by transferring it into an ultra-high vacuum system cooled down to 0.3K via an innovative ultra-low vibration He-3 refrigerator.