Force detected electron spin resonance at 94 GHz

• Published in: Review of scientific instruments 2007-01, Vol.78 (1), p.015101-015101-7
• Main Authors: Cruickshank, Paul A. S., Smith, Graham M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anisotropy; Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; Microwaves
• ISSN: 0034-6748; 1089-7623
• DOI: 10.1063/1.2424452

Force detected electron spin resonance (FDESR) detects the presence of unpaired electrons in a sample by measuring the change in force on a mechanical resonator as the magnetization of the sample is modulated under magnetic resonance conditions. The magnetization is coupled to the resonator via a magnetic field gradient. It has been used to both detect and image distributions of electron spins, and it offers both extremely high absolute sensitivity and high spatial imaging resolution. However, compared to conventional induction mode ESR the technique also has a comparatively poor concentration sensitivity and it introduces complications in interpreting and combining both spectroscopy and imaging. One method to improve both sensitivity and spectral resolution is to operate in high magnetic fields in order to increase the sample magnetization and g -factor resolution. In this article we present FDESR measurements on the organic conductor ( fluoranthene ) 2 P F 6 at 3.2 T , with a corresponding millimeter-wave frequency of 93.5 GHz , which we believe are the highest field results for FDESR reported in the literature to date. A magnet-on-cantilever approach was used, with a high-anisotropy microwave ferrite as the gradient source and employing cyclic saturation to modulate the magnetization at the cantilever fundamental frequency.