New nanodiffraction stage and in-situ AFM ready to accept users

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We have developed a new nanostage which allows to combine a focus spot (300*500nm2)  with a positioning stage with nanometer precision. The focusing is done either by a Fresnel zone plate or by Be compact refractive lenses. The flux in the spot is between 109 and 1010 photons/sec. The nano-positioning stage is based  on piezo elements with coarse  and fine  alignment capabilities, range 5*5mm² and 30um in x and y and 15 um in z, respectively. The setup can be used for nanodiffraction experiments with local resolution ( to study single nanosized objects for example). It has been commissioned and is mature enough to be offered to users (some of them have already used it with success!). The coherence and stability of the beam has also considerably been enhanced. Thus the new setup is also very well suited to do coherent diffraction imaging in forward direction and/or in Bragg diffraction, either from single nanostructures or from extended objects by ptychography.

The second good news is the commissioning of the new in-situ AFM (developed by “Small Infinity”). It is used not only for in-situ imaging and finding nm sized objects (invisible for optical microscopy); and placing them in the nanofocused beam, but also for manipulating nanostructures. In a first proof of principle experiment we have used the AFM tip for nanoindentation on a single SiGe epitaxial island and measured the corresponding lattice compression in-situ by nanodiffraction. This instrument is also ready to accept users.