Large-angle illumination STEM: Toward three-dimensional atom-by-atom imaging

Abstract

To fully understand and control materials and their properties, it is of critical importance to determine their atomic structures in all three dimensions. Recent revolutionary advances in electron optics - the inventions of geometric and chromatic aberration correctors as well as electron source monochromators - have provided fertile ground for performing optical depth sectioning at atomic-scale dimensions. In this study we theoretically demonstrate the imaging of top/sub-surface atomic structures and identify the depth of single dopants, single vacancies and the other point defects within materials by large-angle illumination scanning transmission electron microscopy (LAI-STEM). The proposed method also allows us to measure specimen properties such as thickness or three-dimensional surface morphology using observations from a single crystallographic orientation.

4D-Data Acquisition in Scanning Confocal Electron Microscopy for Depth-Sectioned Imaging

“…3. While a similar depth-sectioning technique has been reported in the literature [38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54], we note that all the Co particles in the view field are observed irrespective of the used defocus values.…”

Towards 3D Mapping of BO6 Octahedron Rotations at Perovskite Heterointerfaces, Unit Cell by Unit Cell

“…45 Ultrathin specimens (several nanometers) and annular bright field phase imaging 46 can potentially relieve this problem by providing quantitative interpretable oxygen images. Future microscopy development 47 will also bring atomic resolution in specimen thickness direction (parallel to the electron beam), which might enable depth-resolved mapping of the heterointerface structure through the sample including 3D BO 6 rotation information.…”

The growth and degradation of binary and ternary octahedral Pt–Ni-based fuel cell catalyst nanoparticles studied using advanced transmission electron microscopy

“…A visionary three-dimensional imaging approach was investigated theoretically by Ishikawa et al They examined the prospects of using a confocal STEM approach for atom-by-atom imaging [94], demonstrating the feasibility to image surface atomic structures, three-dimensional atomistic morphologies and the depth locations of single dopant atoms using large-angle illumination STEM in a single crystallographic orientation. This technique would also allow depth-sensitive spectroscopy to be performed.…”