High-sensitivity broadband microwave spectroscopy with small nonresonant coils

Abstract

The use of a small, nonresonant, coil of μm dimensions as the microwave magnetic field structure of a broadband electron-spin-resonance (ESR) spectrometer is described. The coil is driven by a broadband microwave generator which operates between 0.1 and 8.5 GHz. The samples may fill the coil to approximately 100%. It is shown that for small size samples this system offers higher sensitivity than a conventional cavity spectrometer. Because the system is broadband, either frequency scans or the conventional magnetic field scans can be used to traverse the resonance. Examples for DPPH and for the spin glass AgMn using this method are reported. Since the sample coil is small, it has many potential applications, such as insertion into the mixing chamber of a dilution refrigerator or high-pressure cell, efficient use of power in ENDOR and other double resonance experiments, and rapid recovery from transients in pulsed ESR experiments.