Novel Low Temperature Sample Manipulator for Ultra-High Vacuum Studies

摘要

A novel design for a sample manipulator capable of operating at low temperature in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) is described. Cooling is achieved through the use of a liquid helium transfer line which extends into the UHV chamber and functions as the major support for the sample mounting block. The specimen mount can be rotated continuously at all temperatures about a vertical axis passing through the center line of the manipulator. In this report we describe the design of a manipulator for use in ultra-high vacuum systems in which the sample can be cooled to low temperatures and simultaneously rotated about a central vertical axis. This flexibility is important in studies where more than one type of surface analytical probe is utilized since it allows one to rotate the specimen to different positions for different analyses (eg. Auger anlysis, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermal desorption spectroscopy, argon ion sputter cleaning, etc.) while maintaining a constant temperature. Different sample mounts can be incorporated into the basic design that we describe here so that the manipulator can be easily ''customized'' to meet specific user needs without major modification. In addition to cooling the present design has samples mounted on indirectly heated holders so that specimens can also be routinely raised to temperatures in excess of 1200K. (ERA citation 10:049335)