Regensburg 2025 – scientific programme
Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help
KFM: Fachverband Kristalline Festkörper und deren Mikrostruktur
KFM 5: Instrumentation, Microscopy and Tomography with X-ray Photons, Electrons, Ions and Positrons
KFM 5.3: Talk
Monday, March 17, 2025, 15:30–15:45, H9
Miniature device for in situ application of strain inside Scanning Tunnelling Microscope — •Uladzislau Mikhailau, Rashed Alhamli, and Peter Wahl — University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
Recent studies [1] have demonstrated that uniaxial strain significantly affects the macroscopic properties of strongly correlated electron systems. Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) is a powerful technique for investigating changes in the electronic structure induced by such lattice deformation. Controlled application of strain adds an additional degree of freedom to tune, e.g., Van Hove singularities in quantum materials [2] and thereby control their ground state. To perform such studies, we have developed a specialized STM sample holder capable of applying strain at cryogenic temperatures and in high magnetic fields. Strain is applied by bending a plate beneath the sample, with stress adjustable up to the crystal’s buckling limit. The device allows for the application of uniaxial or biaxial strain, depending on the configuration of the bending plate. With these capabilities, the system provides a versatile platform for exploring strain-induced phenomena through a powerful combination of atomic scale imaging in strain tuning.
[1] Clifford W. Hicks et al., Strong Increase of Tc of Sr2RuO4, Under Both Tensile and Compressive Strain. Science 344, 283 (2014).
[2] Chandrasekaran, A., Rhodes, L.C., Morales, E.A. et al. On the engineering of higher-order Van Hove singularities in two dimensions. Nat Commun 15, 9521 (2024).
Keywords: STM; Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy; Strain; Straining device