We report a novel scanning probe electron energy spectrometer (SPEES) which combines a double toroidal analyzer with a scanning tunneling microscope to achieve both topography imaging and electron energy spectroscopy mapping of surface in situ. The spatial resolution of spectroscopy mapping is determined to be better than 0.7 ± 0.2 μm at a tip sample distance of 7 μm. Meanwhile, the size of the field emission electron beam spot on the surface is also measured, and is about 3.6 ± 0.8 μm in diameter. This unambiguously demonstrates that the spatial resolution of SPEES technique can be much better than the size of the incident electron beam.

An ultra-high vacuum (UHV) compatible electron spectrometer employing a double toroidal analyzer has been developed. It is designed to be combined with a custom-made scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to study the spatially localized electron energy spectrum on a surface. A tip-sample system composed of a piezo-driven field-emission tungsten tip and a sample of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) is employed to test the performance of the spectrometer. Two-dimensional images of the energy-resolved and angle-dispersed electrons backscattered from the surface of HOPG are obtained, the performance is optimized and the spectrometer is calibrated. A complete electron energy loss spectrum covering the elastic peak to the secondary electron peaks for the HOPG surface, acquired at a tip voltage of −140 V and a sample current of 0.5 pA, is presented, demonstrating the viability of the spectrometer.

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