Lorentz transmission electron microscopy studies on topological magnetic domains

Lorentz transmission electron microscopy(TEM) is a powerful tool to study the crystal structures and magnetic domain structures in correlation with novel physical properties. Nanometric topological magnetic configurations such as vortices, bubbles, and skyrmions have received enormous attention from the viewpoint of both fundamental science and potential applications in magnetic logic and memory devices, in which understanding the physical properties of magnetic nanodomains is essential. In this review article, several magnetic imaging methods in Lorentz TEM including the Fresnel and Foucault modes, electron holography, and differential phase contrast(DPC) techniques are discussed, where the novel properties of topological magnetic domains are well addressed. In addition, in situ Lorentz TEM demonstrates that the topological domains can be efficiently manipulated by electric currents, magnetic fields, and temperatures, exhibiting novel phenomena under external fields, which advances the development of topological nanodomain-based spintronics.     

Electron holography of biological samples

In this paper, we summarise the development of off-axis electron holography on biological samples starting in 1986 with the first results on ferritin from the group of Tonomura. In the middle of the 1990s strong interest was evoked, but then stagnation took place because the results obtained at that stage did not reach the contrast and the resolution achieved by conventional electron microscopy.

To date, there exist only a few (12) publications on electron holography of biological objects, thus this topic is quite small and concise. The reason for this could be that holography is mostly established in materials science by physicists. Therefore, applications for off-axis holography were powerfully pushed forward in the area of imaging, e.g. electric or magnetic micro- and nanofields. Unstained biological systems investigated by means of off-axis electron holography up to now are ferritin, tobacco mosaic virus, a bacterial flagellum, T5 bacteriophage virus, hexagonal packed intermediate layer of bacteria and the Semliki Forest virus. New results of the authors on collagen fibres and surface layer of bacteria, the so-called S-layer 2D crystal lattice are presented in this review. For the sake of completeness, we will shortly discuss in-line holography of biological samples and off-axis holography of materials related to biological systems, such as biomaterial composites or magnetotactic bacteria.     

A quantitative analysis of magnetic vortices in Permalloy nanoparticles characterized by electron holography

The present work investigates experimentally curling magnetic configurations locally observed in almost dispersed Permalloy nanoparticles in the remanent state. Magnetic analysis is performed in a field emission TEM using off-axis electron holography. Particularly, electron holography is used to characterize the magnetic microstructure of Fe₃₀Ni₇₀ nanoparticles, whose average diameter (50 nm) is expected to be close to the critical size for a curling magnetic structure (vortex) formation. The vortex core diameter D_core and the bulk magnetic profile of the vortex are measured and compared with a “rigid vortex” micromagnetic model. The connection between vortex structure and the characteristic micromagnetic length of the system deduced from magnetization curve measurements is discussed.     

Comparison of the ferromagnetic phase transitions in La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 and single crystal nickel by micromagnetic imaging

There is considerable controversy surrounding the nature of the paramagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition in La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃. We have used transmission electron microscopy to perform micromagnetic imaging in order to determine whether the phase change is first or second order. On warming through the transition point, the ferromagnetic phase retreats from the sample surface as it is replaced by the paramagnetic phase. This coexistence of ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases indicates a primarily first-order transition. However, there is also a continuous loss of magnetization which precedes the phase transition. We compare this with the ferromagnetic transition in nickel which displays a purely continuous phase change. We discuss the accuracy and range of applicability of the micromagnetic imaging techniques of electron holography and Fresnel imaging which were used in this investigation.     

Digital holography for quantitative phase-contrast imaging

We present a new application of digital holography for phase-contrast imaging and optical metrology. This holographic imaging technique uses a CCD camera for recording of a digital Fresnel off-axis hologram and a numerical method for hologram reconstruction. The method simultaneously provides an amplitude-contrast image and a quantitative phase-contrast image. An application to surface profilometry is presented and shows excellent agreement with contact-stylus probe measurements.     

In situ characterization of optoelectronic nanostructures and nanodevices

One-dimensional (1-D) semiconductor nanostructures can effectively transport electrons and photons, and are considered to be promising building blocks for future optoelectronic nanodevices. In this review, we present our recent efforts to integrate optical techniques and in situ electron microscopy for comprehensively characterizing individual 1-D optoelectronic nanostructures and nanodevices. The technical strategies and their applications in “green” emission and optical confinement in 1-D ZnO nanostructures will be introduced. We also show in situ assembly and characterization of nanostructures for optoelectronic device purposes. Using these examples, we demonstrate that the combination of optical techniques and in situ electron microscopy can be powerful for the studies of optoelectronic nanomaterials and nanodevices.     

Mapping of electrostatic potential in deep submicron CMOS devices by electron holography

Quantitative two-dimensional maps of electrostatic potential in device structures are obtained using off-axis electron holography with a spatial resolution of 6 nm and a sensitivity of 0.17 V. Estimates of junction depth and variation in electrostatic potential obtained by electron holography, process simulation, and secondary ion mass spectroscopy show close agreement. Measurement artifacts due to sample charging and surface "dead layers" do not need to be considered provided that proper care is taken with sample preparation. The results demonstrate that electron holography could become an effective method for quantitative 2D analysis of dopant diffusion in deep-submicron devices.     

An introduction to off-axis electron holography

The technique of off-axis electron holography is introduced and reviewed. The history of the topic is discussed briefly looking at the origin of electron holography and the reasons for its growth in recent years around the world. The formation and numerical reconstruction of the hologram is discussed in detail on a theoretical and practical level. The spread of holography is illustrated through a number of applications ranging from ultra high resolution studies of crystal structures, the imaging of magnetic and electric fields, the determination of sample composition and morphology and the use of holography for imaging biological specimens.     

Twin-image elimination in optical scanning holography

We propose a novel multiplexing technique to solve the twin image problem in optical scanning holography without the use of a spatial carrier, as commonly used in conventional off-axis holography. The technique involves simultaneously acquiring sine and cosine Fresnel zone-lens plate coded images by optical scanning. A complex addition of the two coded images will then be performed and decoded to give a twin-image rejection reconstruction. Computer simulations will be presented to demonstrate the validity of the idea.     

High resolution digital holography

In digital Fresnel holography, present specifications of charge-coupled device cameras require the incident beams to be quasi-parallel. That implies large speckle grain size and low lateral resolution in reconstructed images. Better lateral resolutions are demonstrated in our work, down to 8 μm, allowing the observation of sub-millimetre objects by digital holography. The experimental set-up built samples the incident light distribution with a definition of 500 pixels mm⁻¹. The maximum acceptable angle is then widened and the hologram recording and reconstruction distances are drastically reduced, as well as the speckle size. Interferometric holography was implemented for the measurement of the deformation of a sub-millimetre silicon cantilever and results in phase-contrasts imaging are also reported. The design of dedicated complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor active pixel sensor cameras is also discussed.     

Digital holography at millimetre wavelengths

In this paper, we describe a method for wavefront reconstruction at millimetre wavelengths using off-axis holography, a frequently used image recording technique at visible wavelengths first demonstrated in the 1960’s. Millimetre radiation has been highlighted recently in the imaging of non-conducting materials and objects, which often show significant transparency at these long wavelengths, even though opaque at visible and infrared wavelengths. Holography provides a method for recording a lens-less image of an object thus reducing loss of spatial frequency information, which is important for obtaining maximum resolution at long wavelengths. An experimental arrangement based on a simple form of Fresnel off-axis holography is described, with the object illumination and reference beams derived using two radiating horn antennas fed by a single coherent source (a Gunn diode oscillator operating at 100 GHz – wavelength 3 mm) via a 3 dB cross-guide coupler. The process is discussed in the context of imaging and in the validation of millimetre wave radiation sources (horns). We show that the entire fields from these and other components can be analysed using computational optics with data derived from a single measurement obtained using inexpensive equipment.     

Design of off-axis reflective projection lens using spherical Fresnel surface

In this paper, an off-axis reflective projection lens with single Fresnel reflective surface and three aspheric surfaces were designed. The design method of reflective lens using spherical Fresnel surface is discussed. The MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) of the off-axis reflective lens, with optical magnification 100×, F-number 2.5 and field of view 120°, is over 40% at 0.6 lp/mm on the image side, the distortion is less than 2%. This design method can provide reference for application of Fresnel surface in wide field of view imaging, and possesses a bright future with the continuous development of fabrication technique.     

Aspects of nanometer scale imaging with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) laboratory sources

Imaging systems with nanometer resolution are instrumental to the development of the fast evolving field of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Decreasing the wavelength of illumination is a direct way to improve the spatial resolution in photon-based imaging systems and motivated a strong interest in short wavelength imaging techniques in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) region. In this review paper, various EUV imaging techniques, such as 2D and 3D holography, EUV microscopy using Fresnel zone plates, EUV reconstruction of computer generated hologram (CGH) and generalized Talbot self-imaging will be presented utilizing both coherent and incoherent compact laboratory EUV sources. Some of the results lead to the imaging with spatial resolution reaching 50 nm in a very short exposure time. These techniques can be used in a variety of applications from actinic mask inspection in the EUV lithography, biological imaging to mask-less lithographic processes in nanofabrication.     

Strain mapping of semiconductor specimens with nm-scale resolution in a transmission electron microscope

The last few years have seen a great deal of progress in the development of transmission electron microscopy based techniques for strain mapping. New techniques have appeared such as dark field electron holography and nanobeam diffraction and better known ones such as geometrical phase analysis have been improved by using aberration corrected ultra-stable modern electron microscopes. In this paper we apply dark field electron holography, the geometrical phase analysis of high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy images, nanobeam diffraction and precession diffraction, all performed at the state-of-the-art to five different types of semiconductor samples. These include a simple calibration structure comprising 10-nm-thick SiGe layers to benchmark the techniques. A SiGe recessed source and drain device has been examined in order to test their capabilities on 2D structures. Devices that have been strained using a nitride stressor have been examined to test the sensitivity of the different techniques when applied to systems containing low values of deformation. To test the techniques on modern semiconductors, an electrically tested device grown on a SOI wafer has been examined. Finally a GaN/AlN superlattice was tested in order to assess the different methods of measuring deformation on specimens that do not have a perfect crystalline structure. The different deformation mapping techniques have been compared to one another and the strengths and weaknesses of each are discussed.     

显微数字全息中物光波前重建方法研究和比较

根据全息理论和线性系统理论,采用离轴无透镜傅里叶变换全息记录光路,对利用菲涅耳近似法、基于瑞利—索末菲衍射积分的卷积法以及角谱理论方法数值重建全息图进行了比较研究,并做了计算机模拟验证.结果表明：菲涅耳近似法和角谱方法重建像质比较好,且菲涅耳方法重建速度快;在记录距离极小的情况下,尽管记录距离不满足通常的菲涅耳近似条件,菲涅耳近似公式仍然成立;自由空间脉冲响应的快速傅里叶变换的性质与距离有关,由卷积方法得到的再现像只在某一特定距离下比较理想;对于极小物场、大孔径显微数字全息来说,菲涅耳近似重建方法是较为有效的方法.     

Investigating carbonization and graphitization using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in the transmission electron microscope (TEM)

Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) is explored as a useful characterization technique in the study of carbonization and graphitization of organic precursors. A model series of carbon materials was prepared from highly graphitizable petroleum pitch heat treated in the range 200–2730°C. Initial characterization was performed using the established techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD), He pycnometry, TEM, electron diffraction and high-resolution lattice imaging (HREM). EELS in the TEM was then examined. Two routes are presented to quantify the change in the proportion of sp ² type hybridization accompanying the heat treatment as the material transforms to the graphitic state. Both routes suggest an initial relative sp ² content of ～70%, rapidly increasing to ～90% during mesophase development and carbonization, and then slowly increasing to 100% during graphitization. The peak position of the bulk valence plasmon (π?+?σ) is shown to be an excellent measure of the degree of graphitic character, and its fundamental dependence upon sample density (ρ) is confirmed. The appearance and definition of features within the core loss region representing the density of unoccupied σ* states are demonstrated to be an excellent measure of the extent of order. Finally, a method is established by which to extract the C–C bond length from core loss EELS spectra with an accuracy of ±0.1?pm. This method suggests an average bond length of 1.44?Å in samples with low heat treatment temperatures, decreasing to the theoretical length of 1.42?Å as both the heteroatom content and proportion of non-sp ²-type hybridized carbon atoms decrease.     

数字全息成像系统的景深和焦深分析

根据全息理论,分析了数字全息成像系统的景深和焦深.针对数字全息不同的记录光路结构,分别给出了焦深的近似表达式.结果表明：数字全息系统的景深和焦深不仅与记录波长以及记录时的数值孔径有关,还与记录时参考光波的偏置情况有关;在记录距离和CCD参量一定的条件下,离轴无透镜傅里叶变换全息对称偏置下的焦深比非对称偏置下的稍小;显微成像情况下离轴无透镜傅里叶变换全息系统的焦深大于同轴菲涅耳数字全息系统的焦深,计算机模拟表明了结果的正确性.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In situ</Emphasis> characterization of optoelectronic nanostructures and nanodevices

One-dimensional (1-D) semiconductor nanostructures can effectively transport electrons and photons, and are considered to be promising building blocks for future optoelectronic nanodevices. In this review, we present our recent efforts to integrate optical techniques and in situ electron microscopy for comprehensively characterizing individual 1-D optoelectronic nanostructures and nanodevices. The technical strategies and their applications in “green” emission and optical confinement in 1-D ZnO nanostructures will be introduced. We also show in situ assembly and characterization of nanostructures for optoelectronic device purposes. Using these examples, we demonstrate that the combination of optical techniques and in situ electron microscopy can be powerful for the studies of optoelectronic nanomaterials and nanodevices.     

基于位相变更的非相干数字全息自适应成像

菲涅耳非相干数字全息作为一种非扫描的三维成像技术具有其独特的优势,但其成像过程中会受到各种像差的影响,导致成像分辨率、再现像的质量降低.为了解决这一问题,可以结合适当的自适应光学技术对波前像差进行探测和校正.位相变更是一种基于两幅具有已知位相差的强度图像实现波前探测和像差校正的技术.本文发展了基于位相变更的非相干数字全息自适应成像技术,不需要引入引导星,利用全息记录过程中的两幅相移全息图,实现波前像差的探测.本文给出了所发展技术的数值仿真和实验结果,结合位相变更算法求解出系统像差的位相分布,将像差的共轭位相加载到光瞳面上,在全息图记录的同时校正像差,从而提高重建像的质量.     

Three-dimensional solid particle positions in a flow via multiangle off-axis digital holography

We present a new development of digital off-axis (OA) holography for determining the instantaneous solid particle positions in a flow. This holographic imaging method uses a CCD camera for the simultaneous digital recording of two views of digital Fresnel OA holograms on the same support. The reconstruction is obtained numerically. The method provides two orthogonal views of the same flow area of interest at the same instant. It helps to overcome the depth of focus problem existing for the particle image reconstructions and that is inherent to the method. This method has the advantage of being simpler than the methods presently available, and it does not suffer from the flaws of in-line holographic configuration. Furthermore it is completely digital and thus avoids the cumbersome analysis following hologram recording. Digital holograms and digital reconstructions are obtained for solid particles of 200 mum moving into a stirred flow cell of 5 cm(3).