TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhanced light element imaging in atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy
AU - Findlay, S. D.
AU - Kohno, Y.
AU - Cardamone, L. A.
AU - Ikuhara, Y.
AU - Shibata, N.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank N. Saito and K. Nayuki for their assistance in specimen preparation and image processing. This research was supported under the Discovery Projects funding scheme of the Australian Research Council (Project No. DP110101570 ). A part of this work was also supported by JSPS through its FIRST Program and by the GRENE project in Advanced Environmental Materials sponsored by MEXT, Japan . N.S. acknowledges support from PRESTO, JST and JSPS KAKENHI Grant number 23686093 . Part of this work was conducted in Research Hub for Advanced Nano Characterization, The University of Tokyo, supported by MEXT, Japan .
PY - 2014/1
Y1 - 2014/1
N2 - We show that an imaging mode based on taking the difference between signals recorded from the bright field (forward scattering region) in atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy provides an enhancement of the detectability of light elements over existing techniques. In some instances this is an enhancement of the visibility of the light element columns relative to heavy element columns. In all cases explored it is an enhancement in the signal-to-noise ratio of the image at the light column site. The image formation mechanisms are explained and the technique is compared with earlier approaches. Experimental data, supported by simulation, are presented for imaging the oxygen columns in LaAlO3. Case studies looking at imaging hydrogen columns in YH2 and lithium columns in Al3Li are also explored through simulation, particularly with respect to the dependence on defocus, probe-forming aperture angle and detector collection aperture angles.
AB - We show that an imaging mode based on taking the difference between signals recorded from the bright field (forward scattering region) in atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy provides an enhancement of the detectability of light elements over existing techniques. In some instances this is an enhancement of the visibility of the light element columns relative to heavy element columns. In all cases explored it is an enhancement in the signal-to-noise ratio of the image at the light column site. The image formation mechanisms are explained and the technique is compared with earlier approaches. Experimental data, supported by simulation, are presented for imaging the oxygen columns in LaAlO3. Case studies looking at imaging hydrogen columns in YH2 and lithium columns in Al3Li are also explored through simulation, particularly with respect to the dependence on defocus, probe-forming aperture angle and detector collection aperture angles.
KW - Annular bright field (ABF)
KW - Atomic resolution imaging
KW - Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM)
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ultramic.2013.07.019
DO - 10.1016/j.ultramic.2013.07.019
M3 - Article
C2 - 24012933
AN - SCOPUS:84883767958
SN - 0304-3991
VL - 136
SP - 31
EP - 41
JO - Ultramicroscopy
JF - Ultramicroscopy
ER -