Abstract
A low-noise high-gain large-bandwidth transimpedance amplifier (TIA) for cryogenic scanning tunneling microscope (CryoSTM) is proposed. The TIA connected with the tip-sample component in CryoSTM is called as CryoSTM-TIA. The CryoSTM-TIA has a transimpedance gain of 10 G\(\Omega \), a bandwidth of over 100 kHz, and an equivalent input noise current power spectral density less than 4 \((\text {fA})^2/\text {Hz}\) at 100 kHz. The low inherent noise of the CryoSTM-TIA is due to its special design: (1) its pre-amplifier (Pre-Amp) is made of the low-noise cryogenic high electron mobility transistors; (2) the cascode-type configuration for the Pre-Amp is used to avoid Miller effect to reduce its input capacitance \(C_\text {A}\); (3) the capacitance of the cable connected the Pre-Amp input to the tip, i.e., \(C_\text {I}\), is minimized; (4) thermal noise sources, such as the feedback resistor, are placed in the cryogenic zone. Its high gain and large-bandwidth are realized together, due to the application of the frequency compensation in the feedback loop, the reduced \(C_\text {A}\), and the minimized \(C_\text {I}\). This apparatus can be used for fast high-energy-resolution measurements of scanning tunneling spectra for low conductivity materials, especially for measuring their scanning tunneling shot noise spectra.
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Liang, YX. Low-Noise High-Gain Large-Bandwidth Transimpedance Amplifier with Cascode-Type Preamplifier for Cryogenic STM. J Low Temp Phys 210, 357–375 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-022-02855-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-022-02855-0