An ultrahigh vacuum compatible sample holder for studying complex metal surfaces

Abstract

We present a design of a compact and versatile sample holder meant for studying complex (ternary) metallic crystals that require sputtering and annealing to high temperatures under ultrahigh vacuum (10(-10) mbar range) for obtaining the clean, ordered and stoichiometric surface. A resistive heater is fixed to the sample holder and not to the sample plate, and thus can be thoroughly degassed initially to high temperatures without heating the sample. The heater, which is mounted vertically on the sample holder frame, slides into the sample plate of rectangular cross-section during sample transfer. For efficient cooling that is required for adlayer deposition, Cu braids can be pressed on the sample plate from both sides through a screw mechanism. The sample holder has 5 degrees of freedom including a tilt rotation. The sample holder has been used to study different metal surfaces such as ferromagnetic shape memory alloys, alkali metal and Mn adlayers on Al-Pd-Mn quasicrystal, aluminum metal, and Al-Mn alloys. Here, our recent results on temperature dependent low energy electron diffraction study of Ni(2)MnGa(100) are presented.

Inverse photoemission and photoemission spectroscopic studies on sputter-annealed Ni–Mn–Sn and Ni–Mn–In surfaces

“…Resistive heating method was used for annealing the samples using the sample holder that is specifically designed to study the complex metals. [15] The surface composition was determined using XPS by measuring the following core-levels: Ni 3p, Mn 3p, Sn 4d, and In 4d appropriately. Since, the shallow core-level binding energies are in the same order of energy, the mean-freepath of the photoelectrons and analyzer transmission function are close to one another.…”

Photoemission study of Al adlayers on Mn

“…23 A thick layer of Mn, which acted as a template for the Al adlayers, was prepared by depositing high-purity Mn on an Al(111) substrate using a water cooled Knudsen cell. 24 During the deposition, the substrate, mounted on a specially designed sample holder, 25 was held at room temperature and a thick Mn layer was deposited that was not crystalline, as shown in our earlier work. 14 High-purity (99.999%) aluminum layers were prepared on the thick layer of Mn at the rates of 0.04-0.06Å/min.…”

Magnetic properties of Mn doped ZnO: the role of synthesis route

“…To analyze the surface valence states of the elements of Zn 0.98 Mn 0.02 samples XPS measurement was performed. XPS data were recorded with the specimen mounted on a specially designed sample holder [22] using an Al-K a laboratory X-ray source that was operated at 150 watts and an electron energy analyzer with five channeltrons from Specs GmbH, Germany. The data were recorded with 20 eV pass energy with 1 eV energy resolution.…”