Labs and instruments

Materials Science Beamline

Materials Science Beamline (MSB) of the Charles University Prague at Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste

The MSB is a versatile beamline suitable for experiments in materials science, surface physics, catalysts and organic molecules on various surfaces. The tunability of the photon energy over a wide range (22 – 1000 eV), with mainly linearly polarized light from a bending magnet source, offers “classical” UPS and XPS with high energy resolution and tunable excitation energy for the best photoionization cross sections. The beamline also allows resonant photoemission (RESPES) and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopies. Sample rotation about two axes allows angle-resolved photoemission studies.

Contacts:
Nataliya Tsud
Tomas Skala
+39 040 375 8095 Beamline | +39 040 375 8059 Office

Technical specifications

The basicl instrument in the experimental chamber is the hemispherical energy analyzer (SPECS Phoibos 150) inclined 60° from the beamline axis. Samples are mounted in a holder on a manipulator with X, Y and Z linear axes and azimuthal and polar rotations. Furthermore, the manipulator also allows heating and cooling of the sample, together with Ar⁺ sputtering, gas lines with precision leak valves and a set of evaporators, which allows the preparation of well-defined surfaces of various materials in situ. The chamber is pumped by a combination of a turbomolecular pump and a Ti sublimation pump. Residual atmosphere, as well as gasses desorbed from the sample, can be measured by a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The base pressure of the main chamber is in the low 10^-10 mbar range.

Sample requirements

The available techniques require electrically conductive samples, otherwise charging distorts the spectra and renders them useless. Beamline scientists should be consulted during open access proposal writing concerning any new type of sample, especially when the electrical conductivity is not certain. The samples should be ultra-high vacuum compatible in the whole range of temperatures of the proposed experiment.

Detailed information can be found on the instrument’s webpage.