|
A novel scanning probe microscope (SPM), providing an ultra high vacuum (UHV), gas or liquid environment, is presented. It is intended for nanoscale processing and surface research, such as for electrochemical applications or studies of catalytic effects. The SPM device is mounted on the preparation chamber of a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) UHV system. Tips and samples can be transfered under vacuum, to and from a small-volume UHV compatible SPM cell and has electrical feedthroughs and gas/liquid inlets which is closable from the MBE system. The air-side of the SPM cell is deformable with three (x,y,z) external piezoelectric actuators, controlling the tip-sample distance, and the (x,y) scanning. Displacement sensors, with nanometer resolution, enable nonlinearity corrections and correlations in scanning and other horizontal displacements. The actuators, sensors and coarse-approach units are all in a single scanning-unit in air which is easily removed for maintenance and for UHV system bake-out. Characterization measurements are presented of imaging capabilities in atomic resolution, of properties of the deformable cell and of properties of the horizontal displacement sensors. |