High-temperature goniometer for thin film growth and ion scattering studies

We have developed a laser-heated six-axis goniometer for oxide thin film gr owth and ion scattering studies. The goniometer requires only a single CF15 2 flange for mounting in a vacuum chamber and includes three positioning an d three rotational degrees of freedom. All translation and rotation axes ar e decoupled. A sample with a maximum size of 10 mmx10 mm can be heated to 1 200 degreesC in a pure oxygen environment. The heating source is a 300 W co ntinuous wave Nd:YAG laser. Light from the laser is brought to the sample s tage with a combination of flexible and rigid optical fibers. The goniomete r includes a motorized manipulator for two ablation targets, making it poss ible to grow thin films by pulsed laser ablation. Film growth and surface s tructure can be monitored by reflection high-energy electron diffraction an d coaxial impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy. Samples can also be transferred from the goniometer to a room-temperature scanning tunneling m icroscope inside the vacuum chamber. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics .