A sample holder with integrated laser optics for an ELMITEC photoemission electron microscope.

We present a new sample holder compatible with ELMITEC Photoemission Electron Microscopes (PEEMs) containing an optical lens and a mirror. With the integrated optical elements, a laser beam is focused from the back side of the sample at normal incidence, yielding a minimum spot size of about 1 μm. This opens up new possibilities for local laser excitations in PEEM experiments such as imaging all-optical magnetization switching at a small length scale.