Users willing to attach their specific preparation/analysis system to the beamline will be able to easily and quickly transfer the samples in UHV to each endstation. Moreover the SPTR offers a docking port for the ALBA-vacuum suitcase allowing transferring samples within a wider range of systems.
The first official user group using the SPTR was in October 2014 when the system was used to couple HECTOR to an STM chamber (including sample preparation facilities) brought by the ICN2-Atomic Manipulation Spectroscopy group (A. Mugarza, G. Ceballos), in order to characterize with the STM microscope the samples prepared before transferring them to the HECTOR measurement chamber.
A big acknowledgement goes to everyone who worked hard on the installation: ALBA engineering division (A.C., C.C.) for design of the SPTR system together with scientific staff (P.G., M.V., E.P., J.H.), alignment group (M.L., J.L.), vacuum group (J.N., L.G.), ALBA workshop and crane team (J.F., O.B., K.M.), electronics (X.S., X.F.) and BL technicians (F.F., R.V.) who put a lot of effort to mount the whole system. Further acknowledgements go to VG-Scienta that manufactured the rack-and-pinion system at the base of the SPTR, Trinos Vacuum that built the three vacuum chambers, Ferrovac, Specs, VAT, MDC vacuum and Avactec for all the other manipulators, bellows, valves and UHV parts, Recam Laser and Blumeprot that manufactured the small parts of the system and Ambar that contributed to the electrical cabling of the endstation.
Fig. Boreas beamline after the SPTR installation: A) HECTOR vector magnet with preparation chamber, B) SPTR system. Right side panels: on top, a picture taken during installation and a close-up of the transfer carriage with the STM plate placed inside; beneath, the rack with the traveler entering the HECTOR preparation chamber.
