At PEEM station, a sample is irradiated with monochromatic light from a varied line-spacing plane-grating monochromator. Electrons, created by photoemission and photoabsorption processes, are projected by a set of magnetic lenses onto a micro-channelplate intensifier and a phosphor screen, where the final image forms. By scanning incident photon energy and capturing PEEM image at each energy step, a series of images that contain photoabsorption spectra from nanometer-sized areas of the sample can be obtained. Alternatively, the photon energy is fixed, and an electron energy analyzer is used to determine the photoemission spectrum of photoelectrons emitted from specific areas of the sample.

         The electron gun enables structural characterization of crystalline surfaces through Low Energy Electron Microscopy (LEEM), which is highly sensitive to surface topography, atomic step edges, and surface termination. LEEM is typically used to monitor real-time thin-film growth, structural domain formation, gas adsorption, and phase transitions. In reciprocal space mode, the electron gun allows Micro Low-Energy Electron Diffraction (μ-LEED) from regions as small as 0.5 mm using an illumination aperture. By scanning the incident electron energy, LEED intensity curves can be efficiently recorded. It is also possible to select an off-normal LEED spot to form LEEM images in dark-field mode, thereby enhancing contrast between structural islands