An externally cooled beetle type scanning tunneling microscope for imaging in cryogenic liquids

We describe a variable temperature cryogenic scanning tunneling microscope designed for imaging and research in cryogenic liquids. It has an external Dewar type large scale cooling system with a temperature control range of roughly 85–110 K using pressure controlled liquid nitrogen cooling. The liquid nitrogen is kept in a closed chamber surrounding the STM and maintained at a pressure to suit the chosen temperature. Several gases have triple points in this temperature range and can therefore be liquified, such as argon, methane, silane and germane. The STM is based on a beetle type design built into a small cube vacuum chamber to fit into the cooling dewar. The system has been used for atomic resolution of highly oriented graphite submerged in a methane liquid at a temperature of 100 K.