Low conductive support for thermal insulation of a sample holder of a variable temperature scanning tunneling microscope

0395139 - ÚPT 2014 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Hanzelka, Pavel - Vonka, J. - Musilová, Věra
Low conductive support for thermal insulation of a sample holder of a variable temperature scanning tunneling microscope.
Review of Scientific Instruments. Roč. 84, č. 8 (2013), 085103:1-6. ISSN 0034-6748. E-ISSN 1089-7623
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT ED0017/01/01; GA TA ČR TE01020233
Institutional support: RVO:68081731
Keywords : Thermal conductiviy * Scanning tunneling microscope
Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering
Impact factor: 1.584, year: 2013

We have designed a supporting system to fix a sample holder of a scanning tunneling microscope in an UHV chamber at room temperature. The microscope will operate down to a temperature of 20 K. Low thermal conductance, high mechanical stiffness, and small dimensions are the main features of the supporting system. Three sets of four glass balls placed in vertices of a tetrahedron are used for thermal insulation based on small contact areas between the glass balls. We have analyzed the thermal conductivity of the contacts between the balls mutually and between a ball and a metallic plate while the results have been applied to the entire support. The calculation based on a simple model of the setup has been verified with some experimental measurements. In comparison with other feasible supporting structures, the designed support has the lowest thermal conductance.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0225277