Erskine Surface Physics Group
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U.T. Austin Lab
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U.T. Austin Laboratory Facilities

In our Austin laboratory, we are equipped with a wide range of surface-sensitive probes, including various forms of EELS, AES, SMOKE, XPS and LEED. These instruments operate in six Ultra-High-Vacuum chambers on the premises.
Thin Film Growth and Analysis Chamber
Description
First placed in service circa 1980, this chamber incorporates double pass CMA, AES, LEED and a home-built MBE cell with ion flux and crystal microbalance film monitors. Electron beam sample heater and LN2 dewar allow sample termperature 80K - 2800K. Contact masks permit microstructure fabrication.

 

Inelastic Electron Scattering Spectrometer
Description
The mu-metal chamber on the right houses hemispherical analyzer based monochromator and analyzers for performing inelastic electron scattering. The preparation chamber, (left) incorporates LEED and AES characterization tools.

 

Inelastic Electron Scattering Spectrometer
Description
Commissioned in 1985, this chamber has been the training ground of many graduate students The system incorporates (upper level) MBE film growth with LEED/AES characterization as well as (lower level) a MOKE polarimeter with various magnets. The system has been used to study thin magnetic films, critical exponenets and scaling, perpendicular anisotropy, reorientation transitions, hysteresis dynamics and surface step-induced anisotropy.

Here, its most recent graduate, "Herr Doktor" Hector Mireles makes preparations for growing Fe on a continuously variably stepped W crystal as part of a study on Step-Induced Magnetic Anisotropy.

 

SPA-LEED: Spot Profile Analysis Low Energy Electron Diffraction
Description
This high resolution LEED instrument includes a high transfer width electron gun, which is used in conjunction with two MCP-RAE detector stacks. By observing the profile of individual electron diffraction spots, periodicities on the surface, (such as monolayer steps as small as 7 Angstroms wide) can be quantitatively determined.

David Lacina, (shown here talking to Microsoft customer service) has been with the group since June, 2000.

 

High-Speed, High-Resolution Kerr Polarimeter/Microscope
Description
This is a second-generation instrument for probing thin film magnetic properties that combines a long focal length polarized light (Kerr) microscope / CCD camera with a high-speed (100 Ms/sec) Kerr polarimeter with a small spot (few micron) focus.

The instrument is used to explore domain wall dynamics in ultra thin film microstructures.

 

High-Resolution Photoemission / Inelastic Scattering
Description
This instrument incorporates film growth and characterization with LEED / AES (upper level) and a high resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectrometer and 150 mm photoemission analyzer / Helium resonance lamp, (lower level). Both EELS and photoemission instruments achieve 5 meV energy resolution.

The instrument is used to study shallow core level, line shapes and surface phonons.

Last Revision: Nov 20, 2005 by Jusang Yang, jsyang@physics.utexas.edu
Copyright ¨Ï 2005 Erskine Surface Physics Group, All right reserved.