Publication: Etching of Cr tips for scanning tunneling microscopy of cleavable oxides
Date
2017
Published Version
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AIP Publishing
The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you.
Citation
Huang, Dennis, Stephen Liu, Ilija Zeljkovic, J. F. Mitchell, and Jennifer E. Hoffman. 2017. “Etching of Cr Tips for Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of Cleavable Oxides.” Review of Scientific Instruments 88 (2) (February): 023705. doi:10.1063/1.4976567.
Research Data
Abstract
We report a detailed three-step roadmap for the fabrication and characterization of bulk Cr tips for spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy. Our strategy uniquely circumvents the need for ultra-high vacuum preparation of clean surfaces or films. First, we demonstrate the role of ex-situ electrochemical etch parameters on Cr tip apex geometry, using scanning electron micrographs of over 70 etched tips. Second, we describe the suitability of the in-situ cleaved surface of the layered antiferromagnet La1.4Sr1.6Mn2O7 to evaluate the spin characteristics of the Cr tip, replacing the UHV-prepared test samples that have been used in prior studies. Third, we outline a statistical algorithm that can effectively delineate closely-spaced or irregular cleaved step edges, to maximize the accuracy of step height and spin-polarization measurements.
Description
Other Available Sources
Keywords
Terms of Use
This article is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Open Access Policy Articles (OAP), as set forth at Terms of Service