ANTARES

Introduction

This innovative scanning photoemission nanoscopy combines the extreme focalization of the polarized incident light with linear, deflexion and angle sweeps to perform precise electronic band structure with high energy, angular and lateral resolution. The imaging of selected electronic bands with a given binding energy and momentum thorough the investigated samples can be straightforwardly linked with a complete punctual band structure determination in selected areas of the samples, where the electronic heterogeneities are spotted. This exhaustive electronic characterization of the samples can furthermore be in situ combined with a detailed chemical imaging of a wide variety of materials by using high energy resolution photoemission (HRPES) of chemically shifted core level and X-ray absorption (XAS).  Complementary, compatible techniques as resonant photoemission (ResPES) and photoelectron diffraction in energy (PhD) and angular (XPD) scanning modes are also fully implemented at the ANTARES beamline. The highly developed automatic software facilitates an effortless operation to carry out studies using a multi-technique approach.

History of the ANTARES beamline

The project to build this Angle Resolved Electron Spectroscopy (ARPES) related BL at SOLEIL has its origin on the successful activities accomplished by the former BL at LURE, named “SU8” dedicated to perform classical ARPES, high resolution core levels (CL) and photoemission and Photoelectron Diffractions (PhD) experiments.  After the cloture of LURE at the end of 2003, a detailed document describing the new LB was produced in June 2007, whose evaluation and aprovation by the SOLEIL directors, ensured the green light for the construction of the new BL installation, at the brand new SOLEIL Campus.  Due to the technical complexity associated to the microscopic aspects of the new BL, its construction was recommended among the Phase II beamline SOLEIL portfolio.

The new BL ANTARES was designed, built and commissioned at SOLEIL from 2007 until December 2009. The acronym ANTARES stands for «Analysis Nano-spoT  Angle Resolved photoEmission Spectroscopy». The complete design of this BL was fully accomplished by SOLEIL teams and no external company was contracted to help in the conception, drafts and outlines required for its construction. The firsts expert users were welcomed at the BL during the last two months of 2009. Finally, the BL was declared fully operational and open to the General Users in January 2010. Even if the first years of operation considerable optimization have to be done due to the inherent early development of this new k-space nanoscope, the ANTARES BL has become the "First nanoARPES User Facility" open to the scientific and industrial community.

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