The Surface Science Laboratory Station (SSLS) is a state-of-the-art, modular ultra-high vacuum (UHV) infrastructure designed for the controlled synthesis and advanced characterization of surfaces and thin films, with a unique capability for actinide-compatible materials research.
The system is operated within a joint laboratory framework between Department 28 and Department 11 (Rare-earth and Actinides Science Research Group), ensuring shared expertise, coordinated access, and complementary scientific focus.
The ~7 m long infrastructure comprises dedicated chambers for thin-film growth, surface preparation, and advanced spectroscopy. Available methods include physical vapor deposition (PVD) and sputtering-based growth, controlled annealing and surface cleaning procedures, and a suite of electron spectroscopies: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) for occupied electronic states, and bremsstrahlung isochromat spectroscopy (BIS) for unoccupied states. Structural order is probed by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). The system further includes high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) for probing surface vibrational modes and electron–phonon coupling, and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) for analyzing adsorption–desorption kinetics, binding energies, and surface reaction pathways.
Together, these techniques provide a comprehensive platform for resolving the chemical composition, electronic structure, lattice dynamics, surface reactions, and atomic-scale order of complex materials.
For more information please see: SSLS web page