Implementing Microwave Impedance Microscopy in a Dilution Refrigerator

Abstract

We report the implementation of a dilution-refrigerator-based scanning microwave impedance microscope (MIM) with a base temperature of ~ 100 mK. The vibration noise of our apparatus with tuning-fork feedback control is as low as 1 nm. Using this setup, we have demonstrated the imaging of quantum anomalous Hall states in magnetically (Cr and V) doped (Bi, Sb)2Te3 thin films grown on mica substrates. Both the conductive edge modes and topological phase transitions near coercive fields of Cr-doped and V-doped layers are visualized in the field-dependent results. Our work establishes the experimental platform for investigating nanoscale quantum phenomena under ultralow temperatures.