Combining electron spin resonance spectroscopy with scanning tunneling microscopy at high magnetic fields

The continuous increase in storage densities and the desire for quantum memories and computers push the limits of magnetic characterization techniques. Ultimately, a tool that is capable of coherently manipulating and detecting individual quantum spins is needed. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is the only technique that unites the prerequisites of high spatial and energy resolution, low temperature, and high magnetic fields to achieve this goal. Limitations in the available frequency range for electron spin resonance STM (ESR-STM) mean that many instruments operate in the thermal noise regime. We resolve challenges in signal delivery to extend the operational frequency range of ESR-STM by more than a factor of two and up to 100 GHz, making the Zeeman energy the dominant energy scale at achievable cryogenic temperatures of a few hundred millikelvin. We present a general method for augmenting existing instruments into ESR-STM to investigate spin dynamics in the high-field limit. We demonstrate the performance of the instrument by analyzing inelastic tunneling in a junction driven by a microwave signal and provide proof of principle measurements for ESR-STM. (c) 2022 Author(s).All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0078137

Automated summary

The article introduces a technique called electron spin resonance scanning tunneling microscopy (ESR-STM) that is capable of manipulating and detecting individual quantum spins under high-temperature and high-magnetic-field conditions. By overcoming challenges in signal delivery, the operational frequency range of ESR-STM has been extended to 100 GHz, enabling the study of spin dynamics in the high-field limit.