Patent ID: 7361893

Claim:
A device for treating a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip, the STM including an STM tip affixed in the tip fixture of a tip transfer, the tip carrier homed in a tip transfer unit, and the tip transfer unit homed in a reception stage mounted on a manipulator head, the device comprising: a high voltage spring contact in electrical contact with the tip fixture, said high voltage spring contact affixed to a contact block mounted on the tip transfer unit; a high voltage contact bar mounted on the reception stage, said high voltage contact bar in electrical contact with said contact block; a screening plate having an aperture, said screening plate mounted on the tip transfer unit such that said aperture is positioned directly over the apex of the STM tip; and a ring filament heater mounted on the reception stage with the ring portion of said ring filament heater positioned directly over said screening plate aperture, such that said ring portion of said ring filament heater, said screening plate aperture, and the apex of the STM tip are aligned on a common axis.