Efficient linear phase contrast in scanning transmission electron microscopy with matched illumination and detector interferometry

Colin Ophus (), Jim Ciston, Jordan Pierce, Tyler R. Harvey, Jordan Chess, Benjamin J. McMorran, Cory Czarnik, Harald H. Rose and Peter Ercius ()
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Colin Ophus: National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Jim Ciston: National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Jordan Pierce: University of Oregon
Tyler R. Harvey: University of Oregon
Jordan Chess: University of Oregon
Benjamin J. McMorran: University of Oregon
Cory Czarnik: Gatan Inc.
Harald H. Rose: Center for Electron Microscopy, Ulm University
Peter Ercius: National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract The ability to image light elements in soft matter at atomic resolution enables unprecedented insight into the structure and properties of molecular heterostructures and beam-sensitive nanomaterials. In this study, we introduce a scanning transmission electron microscopy technique combining a pre-specimen phase plate designed to produce a probe with structured phase with a high-speed direct electron detector to generate nearly linear contrast images with high efficiency. We demonstrate this method by using both experiment and simulation to simultaneously image the atomic-scale structure of weakly scattering amorphous carbon and strongly scattering gold nanoparticles. Our method demonstrates strong contrast for both materials, making it a promising candidate for structural determination of heterogeneous soft/hard matter samples even at low electron doses comparable to traditional phase-contrast transmission electron microscopy. Simulated images demonstrate the extension of this technique to the challenging problem of structural determination of biological material at the surface of inorganic crystals.

Date: 2016
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms10719

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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10719

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