Microscopy and nanotechnology with extremely slow electrons

0495025 - ÚPT 2019 IN eng A - Abstract
Frank, Luděk - Mikmeková, Eliška
Microscopy and nanotechnology with extremely slow electrons.
lnternational Conference on Recent Trends in Materials Science and Technology. ICMST 2018. Proceedings. Thiruvananthapuram: Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, 2018.
[lnternational Conference on Recent Trends in Materials Science and Technology. ICMST 2018. 10.10.2018-13.10.2018, Thiruvananthapuram]
Institutional support: RVO:68081731
Keywords : extremely slow electrons * microscopy * nanotechnology
OECD category: Nano-materials (production and properties)

Reduction of the energy of electrons in electron optical or technological devices with a loaded target to be observed or machined leads to diminution of the volume within which electrons
interact with the target. This results in increased surface sensitivity and reduced lateral diffusion of electrons and, therefore, in better localized information or action when imaging or processing. On the other hand, slow electrons interact more intensively with samples, thereby providing much higher image contrasts in low-energy STEM which enables one, for example, to observe islands of overlapped graphene flakes or to avoid contrasting procedures with specimens composed of light elements such as tissue sections. From the technological point of view, variations of the energy of incident electrons influences their action. An important example is the possibility of controlling the
interaction of electrons with hydrocarbon molecules either intentionally deposited on a surface or spontaneously adsorbed. Electron-beam-induced deposition of carbon from hydrocarbon precursors is one of the acknowledged tools for creation on surfaces of 3D structures of dimensions in nanometers. On the other hand, the same effect poses a challenge to electron microscopists working
under standard vacuum conditions when the illuminated fields are exposed to carbon contamination that devalues micrographs and even hides details of a structure under observation.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0288059