The design, construction and characterization of a low temperature scanning Hall probe microscope

Scanning Hall probe microscopy, which uses a Hall-effect sensor to non-invasively image magnetic fields at the surface of samples, is a powerful tool in condensed matter physics that can be used to study magnetism on mesoscopic length scales. The work done for this thesis was in the design, construction and characterization of a low temperature scanning Hall probe microscope for our lab. We have based some parts of our design, such as the 500 μm range piezo scanner, on other microscopes in the field. However, components such as the “double-gimbal” rotation stage for the sensor, and the sample stage with capacitive touch-down sensor and thermal control, are unique to our design. Already the first of its kind in Canada, with the intended addition of a scanning near-field optical probe to the same scanhead as the Hall probe, this microscope will have unique features not available in any other lab.