Presentation Information
[17a-PA3-7]Development of an Automated Clean Surface Preparation System for Metal Oxide Surfaces toward Scanning Probe Microscopy
〇(B)Ryo Nakamura1, Rinhu Hou1, Hayato Yamashita1, Masayuki Abe1 (1.Univ. Osaka)
Keywords:
clean surface preparation,automation,annealing and sputtering process
Atomic-resolution observation by scanning probe microscopy requires a flat, clean surface, which has conventionally been prepared by combining annealing and Ar + sputtering. During annealing, temperature control is often operated in an open-loop manner, and Ar + sputtering requires continuous monitoring and adjustment of the chamber pressure. In addition, transitions between the steps are typically performed manually. These factors increase operator involvement and contribute to both prolonged operating time and sample-to-sample variability. To address these issues, we developed a clean-surface preparation system that automatically and continuously executes both processes via phase-based management and evaluated its control performance.