We are always happy to welcome students interested in scanning probe microscopy techniques, either in the form of an internship, student work, or master’s project. Some seminar topics, as well as bachelors and masters thesis topics are listed below. We also have a PhD position available.
Feel free to contact us, if you are interested!
Available student projects
Benchmarking the combined STM/ncAFM
We are looking for a student to help with the upgrade of our current STM to enable non-contact AFM measurements. After installing the additional cabling required, the setup will be benchmarked by performing simultaneous STM and ncAFM measurements. This could be the topic of a bachelor or masters thesis, or just a fun summer project. You can expect to gain a lot of hands on experience including handling UHV equipment and cryogenic liquids, as well as learn about scanning probe techniques in general.
STM/ncAFM sensor fabrication and testing
Combined STM and non-contact AFM measurements will be performed using tips mounted on tuning forks, following the idea of the qPlus sensor. While these are commercially available, etching the tips without damaging the tuning fork is quite a challenge. During this hands-on project you would design a way to mount tips of different materials onto a tuning fork, investigate the performance of the sensor in a test setup and analyze the results. Optionally, modeling could be employed to better understand the sensor’s properties and propose further improvements.
Not sure if the proposed topics are interesting or are you interested in a specific topic not listed here? You are always welcome to visit the lab, learn about everything that is going on and discuss your ideas. Email us to arrange a visit!
There are currently no PostDoc positions available,. If you are interested in using or developing scanning probe techniques or are interested in correlated electron materials, charge density wave systems or molecular radicals on surfaces contact us to arrange a visit and discuss the details.
Useful links and resources
Description of STM measuring modes (in Slovenian)
Jožef Stefan Postgraduate School
Density of states slides
Presentation that covers some of the physics we do: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5