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Electron ptychographic phase imaging of light elements in crystalline materials using Wigner distribution
Hao Yang1, Ian MacLaren2, Lewys Jones3
1Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
Ultramicroscopy
|April 25, 2017
Summary
Electron ptychography, using fast detectors, achieves atomic-resolution phase imaging for crystalline materials. This technique enhances sensitivity for light elements, even in samples with defects, using Wigner distribution deconvolution.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Microscopy
- Physics
Background:
- Fast pixelated detectors enable four-dimensional (4D) datasets in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM).
- Electron ptychography excels at coherent phase imaging of weakly scattering objects using focused electron probes.
- Combining coherent phase contrast with incoherent Z-contrast imaging offers high sensitivity for both light and heavy elements at atomic resolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore electron ptychography for atomic-resolution imaging of strongly scattering crystalline specimens.
- To investigate the application of ptychography in aberration-corrected STEM under dynamical channelling conditions.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of Wigner distribution deconvolution (WDD) for crystalline material imaging.
Main Methods:
- Utilized fast pixelated detector technology to record 2D diffraction patterns at each probe position in STEM.
- Applied electron ptychography with a focused electron probe to generate 4D datasets.
- Implemented the Wigner distribution deconvolution (WDD) method for ptychographic reconstruction.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated atomic-resolution phase imaging of crystalline specimens, including those with defects.
- Showcased enhanced sensitivity for imaging light elements at atomic resolution in thin crystalline materials.
- Experimental and simulation results confirmed the interpretability of ptychographic phase images.
Conclusions:
- Electron ptychography is effective for atomic-resolution imaging of crystalline materials, including defect analysis.
- The WDD method provides readily interpretable phase images with high sensitivity for light elements.
- This technique offers a powerful approach for analyzing complex crystalline structures at the atomic scale.
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