Surface Science Instruments and Facilities
Existing Facilities at UTK
Omicron Variable Temperature - Scanning Tunneling Microscope
The Omicron Scanning Tunneling Microscope multiuser facility has been used for a great deal of exciting research, including the recent findings concerning the relationship between impurities and charge density waves. For more information and a partial list of publication, a web page is maintained specifically for the facility here.
Omicron Low Energy Electron Diffraction Current vs. Voltage Instrument
The LEED I-V instrument is used to determine the structure of the surface of crystals, both laterally across the surface itself, but also vertically into the crystal. This complements the variable temperature STM listed above, which provides information about the lateral physical and electronic structure of the surface. (Note: This instrument is part of the Combined Surface Analysis Center in room 310, Science and Engineering.)
Nonlinear Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect Facility
This instrument provides information about the magnetic structure of the crystal surfaces and interfaces. It utilizes a Spectra-Physics ultrafast Titanium-Sapphire pulsed laser, capable of producing light pulses as short as 40 femtoseconds (0.00000000000004s) with a peak wavelength tuneable from 690 nm (red) to 1000nm (infrared). After passing through various guiding and shaping optics, the light interacts with the surface atoms via a 2-photon process, and the frequency-doubled light is then filtered and detected, yielding data which are sensitive the local magnetic structure of the very topmost layers of the surface. The instrument is currently limited to air studies at relatively low fields (~0.4 Tesla), but it will be upgraded according to the following timetable.

June 2001 -- Nonlinear Vacuum studies with magnetic fields of 0.4 - 0.6 Tesla

August 2001 -- Linear capabilities added

November 2001 -- Superconducting magnet added with fields up to 4 Tesla.
XRay Photoelectron Spectroscopy / Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis
A PHI 5000LS xray/uv photoelectron spectroscopy instrument was acquired as a user facility for the greater UT community. There is a separate webpage maintained for the instrument here.