A Quantum Toolbox Based on Multimodal Scanning Probe Measurements*
ORAL · Invited
Abstract
The year 2025 marks the 40th anniversary of my entry into the field of scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Over these four decades, I have seen the SPM transform from a surface structure probe in the 1980s into a comprehensive quantum microscope. This evolution has allowed us to unlock the secrets of the interacting quantum world, establishing SPM as the vital instrument in contemporary condensed matter research that we all admire today.
The instrumentation has advanced significantly, progressing to ever-lower temperatures—what started at liquid helium temperatures has more recently progressed to even lower temperatures, achieving levels as low as 5-10 mK in today’s instruments [1]. Moreover, the complexity has increased with the development of multimodal instruments [2], along with intricate multilayered samples and device architectures [3].
Recently, we completed the construction of our latest multimodal platform that consolidates four measurement capabilities into a self-contained “quantum toolbox.” These modalities incorporate scanning tunnelling microscopy, atomic force microscopy, electron spin resonance driven by RF excitation, and quantum transport measurements, all operating at millikelvin temperatures. In this presentation, I will discuss the unique features of this instrument and highlight its applications in several areas of recent interest.
[1]. Young Jae Song et al. A 10 mK scanning probe microscopy facility. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 121101, (2010). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.107.045427.
[2]. Johannes Schwenk et al. Achieving µeV Tunneling Resolution in an In-Operando Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, and Magnetotransport System for Quantum Materials Research. Rev. of Sci. Instr. 91, 071101, (2020). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0005320.
[3]. Sungmin Kim et al. Edge Channels of Broken-Symmetry Quantum Hall States in Graphene probed by Atomic Force Microscopy. Nature Communications 12, 2852, (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22886-7.
The instrumentation has advanced significantly, progressing to ever-lower temperatures—what started at liquid helium temperatures has more recently progressed to even lower temperatures, achieving levels as low as 5-10 mK in today’s instruments [1]. Moreover, the complexity has increased with the development of multimodal instruments [2], along with intricate multilayered samples and device architectures [3].
Recently, we completed the construction of our latest multimodal platform that consolidates four measurement capabilities into a self-contained “quantum toolbox.” These modalities incorporate scanning tunnelling microscopy, atomic force microscopy, electron spin resonance driven by RF excitation, and quantum transport measurements, all operating at millikelvin temperatures. In this presentation, I will discuss the unique features of this instrument and highlight its applications in several areas of recent interest.
[1]. Young Jae Song et al. A 10 mK scanning probe microscopy facility. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 121101, (2010). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.107.045427.
[2]. Johannes Schwenk et al. Achieving µeV Tunneling Resolution in an In-Operando Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, and Magnetotransport System for Quantum Materials Research. Rev. of Sci. Instr. 91, 071101, (2020). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0005320.
[3]. Sungmin Kim et al. Edge Channels of Broken-Symmetry Quantum Hall States in Graphene probed by Atomic Force Microscopy. Nature Communications 12, 2852, (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22886-7.
**We acknowledge the funding support from the Office of Naval Research (N00014-20-1-2352 ).
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Presenters
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Joseph A Stroscio
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology