Two designs are proposed for a miniature low-temperature STM head: the first overcomes thermal contraction problems by letting it cancel out between components and the second features a coarse positioning functionality at low temperature. The first design has been implemented and used in PCAR measurements to show an Andreev reflection peak in the superconducting band gap of CaPd₂As₂. The second and main design of this thesis is currently under construction: detailed dimensions and technical specifications are given and a vibration isolation system is discussed. Finally, a development plan is proposed for spreading and improving the STM design, consisting of a dedicated website with a community of contributing researchers and a series of workshops teaching the assembly and operat...[ Read more ]

Two designs are proposed for a miniature low-temperature STM head: the first overcomes thermal contraction problems by letting it cancel out between components and the second features a coarse positioning functionality at low temperature. The first design has been implemented and used in PCAR measurements to show an Andreev reflection peak in the superconducting band gap of CaPd₂As₂. The second and main design of this thesis is currently under construction: detailed dimensions and technical specifications are given and a vibration isolation system is discussed. Finally, a development plan is proposed for spreading and improving the STM design, consisting of a dedicated website with a community of contributing researchers and a series of workshops teaching the assembly and operation of the device.