Field ion microscope investigations of atomic processes at surfaces

1989 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 228-229
Author(s):  
G. L. Kellogg ◽  
P. R. Schwoebel
Keyword(s):  
Single Crystal ◽  
Crystal Surface ◽  
Linear Chain ◽  
Atom Probe ◽  
Nucleation And Growth ◽  
Single Atom ◽  
Initial Structure ◽  
Atomic Processes ◽  
Single Crystal Surfaces ◽  
Field Ion Microscope

Although no longer unique in its ability to resolve individual single atoms on surfaces, the field ion microscope remains a powerful tool for the quantitative characterization of atomic processes on single-crystal surfaces. Investigations of single-atom surface diffusion, adatom-adatom interactions, surface reconstructions, cluster nucleation and growth, and a variety of surface chemical reactions have provided new insights to the atomic nature of surfaces. Moreover, the ability to determine the chemical identity of selected atoms seen in the field ion microscope image by atom-probe mass spectroscopy has increased or even changed our understanding of solid-state-reaction processes such as ordering, clustering, precipitation and segregation in alloys. This presentation focuses on the operational principles of the field-ion microscope and atom-probe mass spectrometer and some very recent applications of the field ion microscope to the nucleation and growth of metal clusters on metal surfaces.The structure assumed by clusters of atoms on a single-crystal surface yields fundamental information on the adatom-adatom interactions important in crystal growth. It was discovered in previous investigations with the field ion microscope that, contrary to intuition, the initial structure of clusters of Pt, Pd, Ir and Ni atoms on W(110) is a linear chain oriented in the <111> direction of the substrate.

Atomic Spectroscopy in the FIM

1986 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 758-761
Author(s):  
J. J. Hren ◽  
S. D. Walck
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Electric Fields ◽  
Atom Probe ◽  
Atomic Spectroscopy ◽  
Single Atom ◽  
Statistical Sampling ◽  
Commercial Instrument ◽  
Available Technology ◽  
High Electric Fields ◽  
Field Ion Microscope

The field ion microscope (FIM) has had the ability to routinely image the surface atoms of metals since Mueller perfected it in 1956. Since 1967, the TOF Atom Probe has had single atom sensitivity in conjunction with the FIM. “Why then hasn't the FIM enjoyed the success of the electron microscope?” The answer is closely related to the evolution of FIM/Atom Probe techniques and the available technology. This paper will review this evolution from Mueller's early discoveries, to the development of a viable commercial instrument. It will touch upon some important contributions of individuals and groups, but will not attempt to be all inclusive. Variations in instrumentation that define the class of problems for which the FIM/AP is uniquely suited and those for which it is not will be described. The influence of high electric fields inherent to the technique on the specimens studied will also be discussed. The specimen geometry as it relates to preparation, statistical sampling and compatibility with the TEM will be examined.

Experiments on REM and SREM using a Tem/Stem Microscope with a Configurable Angle-Resolving Detector

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 338-339
Author(s):  
H. Banzhof ◽  
I. Daberkow
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Single Crystal ◽  
Crystal Surface ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Contrast Effects ◽  
Atomic Steps ◽  
Single Crystal Surfaces ◽  
Platinum Single Crystal ◽  
Reflection Electron Microscopy ◽  
Beam Reflection

A Philips EM 420 electron microscope equipped with a field emission gun and an external STEM unit was used to compare images of single crystal surfaces taken by conventional reflection electron microscopy (REM) and scanning reflection electron microscopy (SREM). In addition an angle-resolving detector system developed by Daberkow and Herrmann was used to record SREM images with the detector shape adjusted to different details of the convergent beam reflection high energy electron diffraction (CBRHEED) pattern.Platinum single crystal spheres with smooth facets, prepared by melting a thin Pt wire in an oxyhydrogen flame, served as objects. Fig. 1 gives a conventional REM image of a (111)Pt single crystal surface, while Fig. 2 shows a SREM record of the same area. Both images were taken with the (555) reflection near the azimuth. A comparison shows that the contrast effects of atomic steps are similar for both techniques, although the depth of focus of the SREM image is reduced as a result of the large illuminating aperture. But differences are observed at the lengthened images of small depressions and protrusions formed by atomic steps, which give a symmetrical contrast profile in the REM image, while an asymmetric black-white contrast is observed in the SREM micrograph. Furthermore the irregular structures which may be seen in the middle of Fig. 2 are not visible in the REM image, although it was taken after the SREM record.

My Life With Erwin: The Beginning of an Atom-Probe Legacy

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-279
Author(s):  
John A. Panitz
Keyword(s):  
Field Emission ◽  
National Science Foundation ◽  
Atom Probe ◽  
Single Atom ◽  
National Bureau ◽  
State University ◽  
Pennsylvania State University ◽  
Probe Field ◽  
National Science ◽  
Field Ion Microscope

AbstractThe atom-probe field ion microscope was introduced in 1967 at the 14th Field Emission Symposium held at the National Bureau of Standards (now, NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The atom-probe field ion microscope was, and remains, the only instrument capable of determining “the nature of one single atom seen on a metal surface and selected from neighboring atoms at the discretion of the observer”. The development of the atom-probe is a story of an instrument that one National Science Foundation (NSF) reviewer called “impossible because single atoms could not be detected”. It is also a story of my life with Erwin Wilhelm Müller as his graduate student in the Field Emission Laboratory at the Pennsylvania State University in the late 1960s and his strong and volatile personality, perhaps fostered by his pedigree as Gustav Hertz’s student in the Berlin of the 1930s. It is the story that has defined by scientific career.

scholarly journals Spatial Resolution in the Atom Probe Field Ion Microscope

1997 ◽  
Vol 3 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1189-1190
Author(s):  
M. K. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Atom Probe ◽  
Single Atom ◽  
Field Evaporation ◽  
Sensitive Detector ◽  
Probe Field ◽  
3 Dimensional ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Field Ion Microscope

The atom probe field ion microscope can resolve and identify individual atoms. This ability is demonstrated in a pair of field ion micrographs of an Ni3Al specimen, Fig. 1, in which the individual atoms on the close packed (111) plane are clearly resolved. Comparison of these two micrographs reveals that an individual atom was field evaporated between the micrographs. Due to the hemispherical nature of the specimen, the ability to resolve this two dimensional atomic arrangement is only possible on low index plane facets. The spatial resolution in field ion images is determined by a number of factors including specimen temperature, material, microstructural features, specimen geometry, and crystallographic location.The spatial resolution of the data obtained in atom probe and 3 dimensional atom probe compositional analyses can be evaluated with the use of field evaporation or field desorption images. The field evaporation images are formed from the surface atoms with the use of a single atom sensitive detector whereas the field ion image is formed from the projection of a continuous supply of ionized image gas atoms.

MECHANISMS AND ENERGETICS OF SURFACE ATOMIC PROCESSES, AN ATOM-PROBE FIELD ION MICROSCOPE STUDY

1991 ◽  
Vol 05 (11) ◽  
pp. 1871-1898 ◽  
Author(s):  
TIEN T. TSONG
Keyword(s):  
Atom Probe ◽  
Atomic Clusters ◽  
Atomic Processes ◽  
Surface Layers ◽  
Probe Field ◽  
Adsorption Sites ◽  
Microscope Images ◽  
Adsorbed Atoms ◽  
Kink Site ◽  
Field Ion Microscope

The energies involved in various surface atomic processes such as surface diffusion, the binding of small atomic clusters on the surface, the interaction between two adsorbed atoms, the dissociation of an atom from a small cluster or from a surface layer, the binding of kink site atoms or atoms at different adsorption sites to the surface etc., can be derived from an analysis of atomically resolved field ion microscope images and a kinetic energy measurement of low temperature field desorbed ions using the time-of-flight atom-probe field ion microscope. These energies can be used to compare with theories and to understand the transport of atoms on the surface in atomic reconstructions, epitaxial growth of surface layers and crystal growth, adsorption layer superstructure formation, and also why an atomic ordering or atomic reconstruction at the surface is energetically favored. Mechanisms of some of the surface atomic processes are also clarified from these quantitative, atomic resolution studies. Very recent work in this area is briefly reviewed.

High resolution studies of the solid state amorphization reaction in the ZrCo system with the atom probe/field ion microscope

1994 ◽  
Vol 343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Schneider ◽  
Ralf Busch ◽  
Konrad Samwer
Keyword(s):  
Solid State ◽  
Single Crystal ◽  
Grain Boundaries ◽  
Amorphous Phase ◽  
Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry ◽  
Atom Probe ◽  
Nanometer Scale ◽  
Probe Field ◽  
Field Ion Microscope ◽  
State Amorphization

ABSTRACTThe atom probe/field ion microscope is introduced as a new powerful investigation device to study the early stages of the solid state amorphization reaction (SSAR). A bilayer of Zr and Co was condensed under UHV conditions on W wire tips and analyzed in a field ion microscope (FIM) combined with an atom probe (AP). The reaction of Co with Zr has been studied at room temperature. FIM pictures and AP analysis have shown that even at low temperatures an amorphous phase is formed at the Zr/Co interface and in the Zr grain boundaries. In these areas concentration profiles have been taken on a nanometer scale. Most likely, the extended solid solution of Co found in α- Zr grain boundaries causes the formation of the amorphous phase. Further, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) suggests that even point defects and dislocations at the surface of an α- Zr single crystal are sufficient to initiate the SSAR between a polycrystalline Co layer vapour- deposited onto that single crystal.

Applications of Atom Probe Microanalysis in Materials Science

MRS Bulletin ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 27-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.K. Miller ◽  
G.D.W. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Grain Boundaries ◽  
Materials Science ◽  
Direct Method ◽  
Light Element ◽  
Atom Probe ◽  
Single Atom ◽  
Probe Field ◽  
Probe Technique ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Field Ion Microscope

The atom probe field ion microscope is the most powerful and direct method for the analysis of materials at the atomic level. Since analyses are performed by collecting atoms one at a time from a small volume, it is possible to conduct fundamental characterization of materials at this level. The atom probe technique is applicable to a wide range of materials since its only restriction is that the material under analysis must possess at least some limited electrical conductance. Therefore, since its introduction in 1968, the atom probe field ion microscope has been used in many diverse applications in most branches of materials science. Many of the applications have exploited its high spatial resolution capabilities to perform microstructural characterizations of features such as grain boundaries and other interfaces and ultrafine scale precipitation that are not possible with other microanaly tical techniques. This article briefly outlines some of the capabilities and applications of the atom probe. The details of the atom probe technique are described elsewhere.The power of the atom probe may be demonstrated by its ability to see and identify a single atom, which is particularly useful in characterizing solute segregation to grain boundaries or other interfaces. An example of a brightly-imaging solute atom at a grain boundary in a nickel aluminide is shown in Figure 1. In order to conclusively determine its identity, its image is aligned with the probe aperture in the center of the imaging screen and then the selected atom is carefully removed by field evaporation and analyzed in the time-of-flight mass spectrometer. This and many other bright spots in this material were shown to be boron atoms. This example also illustrates the light element analytical capability of the atom probe. In fact, the atom probe may to used to analyze all elements in the periodic table and has had applications ranging from characterizing the distribution of implanted hydrogen to phase transformations in uranium alloys.

Mechanisms and Energetics of Surface Atomic Processes, an Atom-Probe Field Ion Microscope Study

1992 ◽  
Vol 295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tien T. Tsong
Keyword(s):  
Dynamical Behavior ◽  
Atom Probe ◽  
Solid Surfaces ◽  
Atomic Scale ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Composition Analysis ◽  
Atomic Processes ◽  
Probe Field ◽  
Atomic Image ◽  
Field Ion Microscope

AbstractAtom-probe field ion microscopy is capable of imaging solid surfaces with atomic resolution, and at the same time chemically analyzing atoms selected by the observer from the atomic image. The samples are restricted to those having a tip shape, but in many cases this is no longer a drawback since structures in high-tech materials are reducing in size to that comparable to or smaller than the field ion emitter tip. This technique is finding many applications in different areas. Our recent applications of this technique to the study of the dynamical behavior of surfaces and surface atoms and their mechanisms and energetics, and the atomic scale chemical and composition analysis will be briefly described.

Mechanisms and Energetics of Surface Atomic Processes, an Atom-Probe Field ion Microscope Study

1992 ◽  
Vol 280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tien T. Tsong
Keyword(s):  
Dynamical Behavior ◽  
Atom Probe ◽  
Solid Surfaces ◽  
Atomic Scale ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Composition Analysis ◽  
Atomic Processes ◽  
Probe Field ◽  
Atomic Image ◽  
Field Ion Microscope

ABSTRACTAtom-probe field ion microscopy is capable of imaging solid surfaces with atomic resolution, and at the same time chemically analyzing atoms selected by the observer from the atomic image. The samples are restricted to those having a tip shape, but in many cases this is no longer a drawback since structures in high-tech materials are reducing in size to that comparable to or smaller than the field ion emitter tip. This technique is finding many applications in different areas. Our recent applications of this technique to the study of the dynamical behavior of surfaces and surface atoms and their mechanisms and energetics, and the atomic scale chemical and composition analysis will be briefly described.

Advances of Field Ion Microscopy by the Atom-Probe Fim

1970 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 530-531
Author(s):  
Erwin W. Müller
Keyword(s):  
Point Defects ◽  
Unique Feature ◽  
Atom Probe ◽  
Single Atom ◽  
Physical Metallurgy ◽  
Field Evaporation ◽  
Bulk Structure ◽  
Field Ion Microscope ◽  
Atom Layer

Since its conception 15 years ago the field ion microscope has remained the only device capable of imaging a specimen in atomic detail. The unique feature of seeing point defects, dislocation cores and the atomic structure of grain boundaries and precipitates made the instrument a useful tool of physical metallurgy, particularly since various in-situ treatments and the capability of dissecting the specimen atom layer by atom layer with the help of controlled field evaporation made the bulk structure accessible. As different atoms look very much alike, a way of identifying them was needed. The most unambiguous identification, by mass spectrometry, has now been obtained with the atom-probe FIM. A single atom, as seen in the million times magnified image, can be chosen by the microscopist, picked up and sent through a mass spectrometer.

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