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| Hauptseite > Publikationsdatenbank > A miniature evaporator for in-operando deposition of isolated atoms in a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope |
| Hauptseite > Publikationsdatenbank > A miniature evaporator for in-operando deposition of isolated atoms in a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope |
| Preprint | FZJ-2026-04156 |
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2026
arXiv
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Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.48550/ARXIV.2608.18741
Abstract: Depositing dilute atomic ensembles onto cold samples is challenging in low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopes (STM) because radiation shields and restricted internal geometries often preclude a direct deposition path, particularly in instruments designed for millikelvin operation. We present a compact, milliwatt-range evaporation source fabricated from a commercial miniature incandescent lamp and integrated directly into a millikelvin STM head. The exposed tungsten filament is coated with a micrometre-thick Fe film and positioned about 1 cm from the sample. We deposit isolated Fe atoms onto MgO/Ag(100) while operating the microscope near 5 K. Evaporation increases the STM-body temperature by only about 2 K, and the same nanoscopic surface region can be readily scanned after deposition with a lateral displacement of less than 5 nm. Differential-conductance spectra displaying symmetric inelastic steps near $\pm$14 mV identify the deposited atoms on MgO as Fe. From STM images, we estimate a local deposition flux of $1.5\times10^{-5}~\mathrm{nm^{-2}\,s^{-1}}$, corresponding to a nominal evaporator lifetime of ~150 h. The fixed evaporator enables repeated low-flux deposition without a room-temperature line of sight, the need for movable radiation shields, or mechanical evaporator access after cooldown, while preserving access to the same atomic-scale surface region before and after deposition.
Keyword(s): Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) ; FOS: Physical sciences
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