arXiv subjects

Michael Dreyer

Publications and source records attributed to Michael Dreyer.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Adding Radio Frequency Capabilities to a millikelvin Scanning Tunneling Microscope

We present a simple home made solution enabling in-situ RF reflectometry measurements with a millikelvin scanning tunneling microscope (mk-STM). The additions described below were made using RF best practices following similar detection schemes commonly employed in the quantum information science (QIS) community. Using a Niobium STM tip to form a superconductor-insulator-normal metal (SIN) tunnel junction, the evolution of coherence peaks at the SC-gap edge are carefully measured to characterize the RF losses and electron temperature. We further identify impedance matching as a crucial factor to achieve high sensitivity in the reflectometry by tuning the tip-sample capacitance as a function of approach distance. As a demonstration of this capability, we measure a 50x50 nm$^2$ area of island features that have been condensed onto the surface of a gold single crystal. Position dependent reflectometry losses allow us to image island sizes down to a total surface area of 5 nm$^2$ given our current sensitivity.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2022

Strain-tunable Berry curvature in quasi-two-dimensional chromium telluride

Magnetic transition metal chalcogenides form an emerging platform for exploring spin-orbit driven Berry phase phenomena owing to the nontrivial interplay between topology and magnetism. Here we show that the anomalous Hall effect in pristine Cr2Te3 thin films manifests a unique temperature-dependent sign reversal at nonzero magnetization, resulting from the momentum-space Berry curvature as established by first-principles simulations. The sign change is strain tunable, enabled by the sharp and well-defined substrate/film interface in the quasi-two-dimensional Cr2Te3 epitaxial films, revealed by scanning transmission electron microscopy and depth-sensitive polarized neutron reflectometry. This Berry phase effect further introduces hump-shaped Hall peaks in pristine Cr2Te3 near the coercive field during the magnetization switching process, owing to the presence of strain-modulated magnetic domains. The versatile interface tunability of Berry curvature in Cr2Te3 thin films offers new opportunities for topological electronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Imaging three phases of Iodine on Ag (111) using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy

We investigated the adsorption of iodine on silver (111) in ultra-high vacuum. Using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (LT-STM) measurements we catalog the complex surface structures on the local scale. We identified three distinct phases with increasing iodine coverage which we tentatively associate with three phases previously reported in LEED experiments (sqrt(3)x sqrt(3)R30, "triangular", "hexagonal"). We used Fourier space and real space analysis to fully characterize each phase. While Fourier analysis most easily connects our measurements to previous LEED studies, the real space inspection reveals local variations in the superstructures of the "hexagonal" and "triangular" phase. The latter, observed here for the first time by LT-STM, stabilized by one or two adatoms sitting at the center of a rosette-like iodine reconstruction. The most stunning discovery is that variation in the adatom separation of the "triangular" phase reconstruct the Ag (111) surface lattice.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Area-selective deposition and B $δ$-doping of Si(100) with BCl$_{3}$

B-doped $δ$-layers were fabricated in Si(100) using BCl$_{3}$ as a dopant precursor in ultrahigh vacuum. BCl$_{3}$ adsorbed readily at room temperature, as revealed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) imaging. Annealing at elevated temperatures facilitated B incorporation into the Si substrate. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) depth profiling demonstrated a peak B concentration $>$ 1.2(1) $\times$ 10$^{21}$ cm$^{-3}$ with a total areal dose of 1.85(1) $\times$ 10$^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$ resulting from a 30 L BCl$_{3}$ dose at 150 $^{\circ}$C. Hall bar measurements of a similar sample were performed at 3.0 K revealing a sheet resistance of $R_{\mathrm{s}}$ = 1.91 k$Ω\square^{-1}$, a hole concentration of $n$ = 1.90 $\times$ 10$^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$ and a hole mobility of $μ$ = 38.0 cm$^{2}$V$^{-1}$s$^{-1}$ without performing an incorporation anneal. Further, the conductivity of several B-doped $δ$-layers showed a log dependence on temperature suggestive of a two-dimensional system. Selective-area deposition of BCl$_{3}$ was also demonstrated using both H- and Cl-based monatomic resists. In comparison to a dosed area on bare Si, adsorption selectivity ratios for H and Cl resists were determined by SIMS to be 310(10):1 and 1529(5):1, respectively, further validating the use of BCl$_{3}$ as a dopant precursor for atomic precision fabrication of acceptor-doped devices in Si.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

STM-induced desorption and lithographic patterning of Cl-Si(100)-(2x1)

We investigated STM-induced chlorine desorption and lithographic patterning of Cl-terminated Si(100)-(2x1) surfaces at sample temperatures from 4 K to 600 K. STM lithography has previously focused on hydrogen-based chemistry for donor device fabrication. Here, to develop halogen-based chemistries for fabricating acceptor-based devices, we substituted the hydrogen resist with chlorine. Lithographic patterning was explored using both field emission patterning to desorb chlorine from large areas as well as atomic precision patterning to desorb chlorine along one to two dimer rows at a time. We varied the experimental parameters for lithographic patterning and found a positive correlation between pattern line widths and both sample bias voltage and total electron dose. Finally, the use of chlorine, bromine, and iodine as lithographic resists to broaden the range of available chemistries for future device fabrication utilizing halogen-based dopant precursors is discussed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Coulomb blockade regions in sputter-deposited titanium nitride films

We present topographic and spectroscopic scanning tunneling microscopy measurements taken on a 21 nm thick TiN film at a temperature of 4.2 K -- above the superconducting transition temperature (T_c = 3.8 K) of the sample. The film was polycrystalline with crystallite diameters of d~19 nm, consistent with other films prepared under similar conditions. The spectroscopic maps show on average a shallow V-shape around V_b = 0 V consistent with a sample near the Mott insulation transition. In selected regions on several samples we additionally observed signs of Coulomb blockade. The corresponding peak structures are typically asymmetric with respect to bias voltage indicating coupling to two very different tunneling barriers. Furthermore, the peak structures appear with constant peak-peak spacing which indicates quantum dot states within the Coulomb blockade island. In this paper we discuss one such Coulomb blockade area and its implications in detail.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

On local sensing of spin Hall effect in tungsten films by using STM-based measurements

The spin Hall effect in tungsten films has been experimentally studied by using STM-based measurements. These measurements have been performed by using tungsten and iron coated tungsten tips. In the case of tungsten tips, it has been observed that the current flow through the tungsten film results in an appreciable asymmetry in the tunneling current with respect to the change in the polarity of the tunneling voltage. It is reasoned that the cause of this asymmetry is the accumulation of spin polarized electrons on the tungsten film surface due to the spin Hall effect. This asymmetry is not affected by the change of the direction of the bias current through the film. However, in the case of iron coated tungsten tips, it has been observed that a change in the direction of the bias current does lead to an additional asymmetry in the tunneling current. It is thus experimentally demonstrated that this asymmetry is caused by the SHE and spin-dependent density of states of iron-coated tips.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

A scanning tunneling microscopy based potentiometry technique and its application to the local sensing of the spin Hall effect

A scanning tunneling microscopy based potentiometry technique for the measurements of the local surface electric potential is presented and illustrated by experiments performed on current-carrying thin tungsten films. The obtained results demonstrate a sub-millivolt resolution in the measured surface potential. The application of this potentiometry technique to the local sensing of the spin Hall effect is outlined and some experimental results are reported.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Nonuniform and coherent motion of superconducting vortices in the picometer-per-second regime

We investigated vortex dynamics in a single-crystal sample of type-II superconductor NbSe$_{2}$ using scanning tunneling microscopy at 4.2 K. The decay of the magnetic field at a few nT/s in our superconducting magnet induced the corresponding motion of vortices at a few pm/s. Starting with an initial magnetic field of 0.5 T, we continued to observe motion of vortices within a field of view of 400$\times$400 nm$^2$ subject to decay of the magnetic field over a week. Vortices moved collectively, and maintained triangular lattices due to strong vortex-vortex interactions during the motion. However, we observed two peculiar characteristics of vortex dynamics in this superconductor. First, the speed and direction of the vortex lattice motion were not uniform in time. Second, despite the non-uniform motion, we also found that there exists an energetically favored configuration of the moving vortices in the single-crystal sample of NbSe$_{2}$ based on the overlaid trajectories and their suppressed speeds. We model the system with weak bulk pinning, strong bulk pinning, and edge barrier effects.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Local distortions in slow moving vortex lattices

We observed slow moving vortex lattices in NbSe_2 using a home built STM at a temperature of 4.2 K and magnetic fields in the range of 250-500 mT. The vortex lattices move coherently at speeds of 1-10 pm/s due to a slow decay of our magnetic field of 0.5 mT/day. We observe collective speed variations which indicate pinning/depinning events. Furthermore, we found -- to our knowledge for the first time -- small and local deviations from the coherent behavior. Most noticeable were local lattice distortions with displacements of the vortices of ~2 nm from their ideal lattice position. We compared the observations to a 2-D simulation of a vortex lattice moving under similar conditions and found similar distortion effects near pinning sites. Thus, studying the distortion patterns could lead to a better understanding of the vortex-defect interaction.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Inertia-Dominated Capillary Channel Flow in Microgravity

The fluid dynamics video shows three-dimensional experimental and numerical investigations of open channel flows in microgravity. The dynamic reorientation of the free surface from 1g to 0g environment can be observed in a wedge-shaped channel for subcritical and for supercritical flow rate with a collapse of the interface. In addition three-dimensional computations determine important characteristics of the flow, such as the free surface shape, the velocity field, the dynamics of the reorientation and the flow rate depended collapse of the free surface. The good agreement validates the capabilities of the numerical solver.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2009

A versatile simulation of slow moving vortex lattices

We designed and implemented our own versatile simulation software in order to understand the velocity changes and track patterns observed in slow moving vortex lattices. The data was obtained from time series of STM images on NbSe$_2$ in a magnetic field range of 250-750 mT. The main thrust is to explore possible driving mechanism and to test the effect of various defect configuration on vortex velocity and tracks. The simulation uses the full vortex--vortex and vortex--defect interaction. It allows for periodic boundary conditions as well as a repulsive sample edge. In early versions the time intervals for recalculating the force were estimated for individual vortices. This, however, led to a positional 'noise' of unacceptable temperature of the vortex lattice and was hence replaced by a global time step control. We were able to produce similar track and velocity patterns as well as local lattice distortions near point defects as observed by STM. A detailed analysis is, however, beyond the scope of this paper.

physics.comp-ph↗