Sub-nanometer depth resolution and single dopant visualization achieved by tilt-coupled multislice electron...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Physics
• Chemistry

Background:

• Real-space, 3D atomic imaging is crucial but challenging.
• Current electron microscopy methods offer limited depth resolution (2-3 nm).
• Atomic electron tomography requires extensive sample tilting and projections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve depth resolution in 3D atomic imaging.
• To enable visualization of individual dopants and lattice distortions.
• To develop a practical technique for widely available electron microscopes.

Main Methods:

• Extension of multislice electron ptychography.
• Utilizes a few small-angle projections.
• Coupled with hybrid pixel detectors and high-performance computing.

Main Results:

• Achieved depth resolution improvement of over threefold, reaching sub-nanometer scale.
• Maintained high resolving power for both light and heavy atoms.
• Successfully visualized dilute praseodymium dopants in Ca2Co2O5 and lattice distortions.

Conclusions:

• The developed technique significantly enhances 3D atomic imaging capabilities.
• It offers a pathway to atomic-level depth resolution.
• This method is applicable to a wide range of materials and dopant studies.