Helium migration in palladium I. Concentration dependence of helium release

Abstract

High temperature gas release from helium-implanted palladium has been investigated for He/Pd atom fractions from 5 × 10^?6 to 5 × 10^?2. The temperature required for 25 per cent He release increases with increasing dose to an atom fraction of 10^?4, where a sudden reversal occurs for higher concentrations. The release is associated with dramatic changes in the surface features of the palladium. A qualitative physical model is presented to explain the data.     

Confocal laser scanning microscopy and scanning electron microscopy of tissue Ti-implant interfaces.

Microscopic inspection of heterogenous three-dimensional (3D) objects such as oral implants, or implants in general, is conventionally performed either on ground sections of methyl-metacrylate-embedded material, at the cellular level by histologic analysis of the peri-implant tissue by light microscopy (LM), or at the supramolecular level by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Alternatively, the architecture of the tissue/implant interface is visualized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The two approaches exclude each other because of the sample preparation.We elaborate conditions for the non-invasive analysis of tissue/implant interfaces by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) in buffer, hoping to obtain a 3D view of fluorescently labeled tissue constituents at the tissue implant interface and, through subsequent SEM, of the metal surface. The use of water-immersion objectives, originally developed for high LM under physiological conditions is essential.In an exploratory approach, the tissue/Ti-interfaces of two retrieved dental implants were analyzed. One was a step-cylinder used for orthodontic anchoring and the other was an endosseous step-screw implant retrieved after infection-related loosening prior to load. The adhering tissue fragments were fluorescently triple-labeled for actin, fibronectin, and sm-alpha-actin. Optical sections for fluorescent images and for the laser reflection map were registered concomitantly. This approach allowed the labeled structures to be located on the metal surface. Subsequently, the same implants were prepared for SEM of the tissue/implant interface, and upon removal of the adhering structures, of the underlying metal surface. Thus, specific proteins can be identified and their spatial architecture as well as that of the underlying metal surface can be visualized for one and the same implant. The immediate visualization after fluorescence labeling in buffer by means of water immersion objective lenses proved most critical.     

Structural examination of lithium niobate ferroelectric crystals by combining scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy

The structure of lithium niobate single crystals is studied by a complex technique that combines scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. By implementing the piezoresponse force method on an atomic force microscope, the domain structure of lithium niobate crystals, which was not revealed without electron beam irradiation, is visualized     

The image potential in scanning transmission electron microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy

Abstract

We sketch developments in the theory of the self-energy of charged particles moving near condensed matter surfaces. Some applications to experimental results from spectroscopy with electrons localized in microprobe beams and to electrons tunneling across a gap between two metals are considered.     

Some aspects of scanning electron microscopy

The main components of the SEM are the signal generation and the signal detection and display systems. A finely focussed electron beam scans the specimen surface. Due to the interaction between electrons and solid, signals such as secondary emission, light, X-radiation and currents are generated. Depending on the selected detection system the displayed images provide a variety of information, such as topography, element distribution, surface voltage, luminescence, conductivity, etc. The useful application of the SEM ranges from surface study to bulk analysis to device fabrication.     

Visualization of electron orbitals in scanning tunneling microscopy

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is one of the main techniques for direct visualization of the surface electronic structure and chemical analysis of multi-component surfaces at the atomic scale. This review is focused on the role of the tip orbital structure and tip-surface interaction in STM imaging with picometer spatial resolution. Fabrication of STM probes with well-defined structure and selective visualization of individual electron orbitals in the STM experiments with controlled tunneling gap and probe structure are demonstrated.     

Scanning ion conductance microscopy for imaging biological samples in liquid: a comparative study with atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy

The present study was designed to show the applicability of scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) for imaging different types of biological samples. For this purpose, we first applied SICM to image collagen fibrils and showed the usefulness of the approach-retract scanning (ARS)/hopping mode for such samples with steep slopes. Comparison of SICM images with those obtained by AFM revealed that the ARS/hopping SICM mode can probe the surface topography of collagen fibrils and chromosomes at nanoscale resolution under liquid conditions. In addition, we successfully imaged cultured HeLa cells, with 15 μm in height by ARS/hopping SICM mode. Because SICM can obtain non-contact (or force-free) images, delicate cellular projections were visualized on the surface of the fixed cell. SICM imaging of live HeLa cells further demonstrated its applicability to study the morphological dynamics associated with biological processes on the time scale of minutes under liquid conditions. We further applied SICM for imaging the luminal surface of the trachea and succeeded in visualizing the surface of both ciliated and non-ciliated cells. These SICM images were comparable with those obtained by scanning electron microscopy. Although the dynamic mode of AFM provides better resolution than the ARS/hopping mode of SICM in some samples, only the latter can obtain contact-free images of samples with steep slopes, rendering it an important tool for observing live cells as well as unfixed or fixed soft samples with complicated shapes. Taken together, we demonstrate that SICM imaging, especially using an ARS/hopping mode, is a useful technique with unique capabilities for imaging the three-dimensional topography of a range of biological samples under physiologically relevant aqueous conditions.     

Z衬度扫描透射电子显微术的前沿进展

文章介绍了Z衬度扫描透射电子显微术(Z-scanning transmission electron microscopy，Z-STEM，Z为原子序数)的最新进展：Z-STEM可以直接“观察”到晶体中原子的真实位置，Z衬度图像的分辨率在经过球差校正后可达0．6A；在利用Z衬度成像技术对材料的阴极荧光(cathodoluminescence，CL)性质的研究中，首次观察到了“死层”(dead layer)的存在．然后，文章以半导体与结晶氧化物界面结构、Al72Ni20Co8十角形准晶结构以及SrTiO3晶界结构为例，具体介绍了Z衬度成像在测定物质结构与化学组成方面独特的优势。     

Electron tomography algorithms in scanning transmission electron microscopy

Different weighting filters used in tomographic algorithms are investigated. Algorithms for the recovery of tomographic structures are produced for general application in graphic processors. Software for a Carl Zeiss Libra 200FE microscope that enables us to record a series of projections in the STEM mode is developed. Calculation experiments show the improvement in tomogram quality when using cosine and 1/z ² filters instead of a linear filter at high noise levels for objects larger than 25 points.     

Structure and mass analysis by scanning transmission electron microscopy.

In the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) an electron beam of a few angstroms diameter is raster scanned over a thin sample and the scattered electrons are sequentially measured for each sample element irradiated. The mass, the elemental composition and the structure of a protein can be simultaneously assessed if all detector systems of the STEM are used. Aspects affecting the accuracy of the mass measurement technique and the demands placed on the instrument's dark-field detector system are outlined. In addition, the influences of some sample preparation techniques are noted and the mass-loss induced at ambient temperatures by the incidence of 80kV electrons on various biological samples is reported. Finally, the importance of the STEM for the structural analysis of proteins is documented by examples.     

Secondary-electron emission of ion-implanted semiconductors in scanning electron microscopy

Signals from a modified Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) in Secondary-Electron (SE) and Voltage-Contrast (VC) regimes were used to visualize and quantitatively analyze the Ion-Implanted Layer (IIL) in semiconductors. Silicon was used as substrate material for implantation. Various ion species were implanted and the dependence of the SE signal and the potential of the IIL upon doses were studied. The physical model for the explanation of the mechanism by which implantation influences SE emission of semiconductors is suggested. Certain applications of a new technique and method, particularly for the investigation of surface amorphization, the lateral extent of implanted ions and radiation damages and the kinetic of defect annealing and ion activation are discussed.On leave from the Electronics Department, State Engineering University of Armenia, 375009 Yerevan, Armenia, under the NRC CAST Program     

Image formation in scanning electron microscopy of ultracold atoms

Imaging ultracold atoms by means of scanning electron microscopy involves several aspects that are different from standard optical imaging techniques. The quality of the images depends on the properties of the electron beam, and the signal depends on the details of the ionization process and subsequent detection strategy. We discuss the alignment and characterization procedure of the electron beam, the handling of different charge states that are produced upon electron impact, and correction algorithms to compensate for relative drifts between the field of view of the electron beam and the atomic target.     

Increasing spatial resolution in the backscattered electron mode of scanning electron microscopy

A new method for increasing spatial resolution in the detection of backscattered electrons and induced current in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is proposed in terms of regularized Fourier transform. The real size of an electron probe and its blurring in a solid target sample are considered in forming the algorithm. The experiments reveal an almost 100% improvement in resolution in the processed images.     

Image contrast in the backscattered electron mode in scanning electron microscopy and microtomography

The problem of image contrast production in the backscattered electron (BSE) mode in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) in bulk and film structures is discussed. The considerable influence of the parameters of a semiconductor detector on the image contrast is shown. Calculations for contrast in dependence on the composition of target sections, the energy of primary electrons, and the signal detection technique are presented.     

高分辨扫描透射电子显微镜原理及其应用

扫描透射电子显微术是目前应用最广泛的电子显微表征手段之一,具有分辨率高、对化学成分敏感和图像直观易解释等特点。其中高分辨扫描电子显微镜可以直接获得原子分辨率的Z 衬度像,结合X射线能谱(EDS)和电子能量损失谱(EELS),可在亚埃尺度上对材料的原子和电子结构进行分析。文章简述了扫描透射电子显微镜的基本原理及其应用现状,重点论述了高角环形暗场(HAADF)和环形明场(ABF)像的成像原理、特征和应用。此外,文中还对原子尺度分辨率的X射线能谱及电子能量损失谱元素分析方法进行了简述。     

Characterization of LiBC by phase-contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy

LiBC was used as a model compound for probing the applicability of phase-contrast (PC) imaging in an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) to visualize lithium distributions. In the LiBC structure, boron and carbon are arranged to hetero graphite layers between which lithium is incorporated. The crystal structure is reflected in the PC-STEM images recorded perpendicular to the layers. The experimental images and their defocus dependence match with multi-slice simulations calculated utilizing the reciprocity principle. The observation that a part of the Li positions is not occupied is likely an effect of the intense electron beam triggering Li displacement.     

Observations of the intestinal mucosa using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM); comparison with conventional scanning electron microscopy (CSEM)

In order to evaluate the potential use of environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) in biology, structural changes of the jejunal villi of rats were studied after periods of fasting and refeeding, using a conventional scanning electron microscope (CSEM) and ESEM. While observation using the CSEM, involves chemical fixation, drying and coating, observation of fresh, unprepared materials can be directly realized with the ESEM. Environmental microscopy provides a relatively new technology for imaging hydrated materials without specimen preparation and conductive coating. Direct observation of biological samples in their native state is therefore possible with an ESEM.

After fasting, the jejunal mucosa is dramatically reduced in size, splits and holes appearing at the tip of the villi. These changes were observed whatever the type of technique used. Artifacts due to the sample preparation for CSEM observation (drying, coating) can therefore be excluded. However, CSEM and ESEM must be used jointly. While, CSEM must be preferred for surface analysis involving high magnifications, ESEM observation, on the other hand, can prove valuable for determining the living aspect of the samples.     

Atomic-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy imaging in aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy

The "delocalization" of inelastic scattering is an important issue for the ultimate spatial resolution of innershell spectroscopy in the electron microscope. It is demonstrated in a nonlocal model for electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) that delocalization of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images for single, isolated atoms is primarily determined by the width of the probe, even for light atoms. We present experimental data and theoretical simulations for Ti L-shell EELS in a [100] SrTiO3 crystal showing that, in this case, delocalization is not significantly increased by dynamical propagation. Issues relating to the use of aberration correctors in the STEM geometry are discussed.