Electric field imaging of single atoms

Naoya Shibata (), Takehito Seki, Gabriel Sánchez-Santolino, Scott D. Findlay, Yuji Kohno, Takao Matsumoto, Ryo Ishikawa and Yuichi Ikuhara
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Naoya Shibata: Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Takehito Seki: Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Gabriel Sánchez-Santolino: Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Scott D. Findlay: School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University
Yuji Kohno: JEOL Ltd.
Takao Matsumoto: Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Ryo Ishikawa: Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Yuichi Ikuhara: Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract In scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), single atoms can be imaged by detecting electrons scattered through high angles using post-specimen, annular-type detectors. Recently, it has been shown that the atomic-scale electric field of both the positive atomic nuclei and the surrounding negative electrons within crystalline materials can be probed by atomic-resolution differential phase contrast STEM. Here we demonstrate the real-space imaging of the (projected) atomic electric field distribution inside single Au atoms, using sub-Å spatial resolution STEM combined with a high-speed segmented detector. We directly visualize that the electric field distribution (blurred by the sub-Å size electron probe) drastically changes within the single Au atom in a shape that relates to the spatial variation of total charge density within the atom. Atomic-resolution electric field mapping with single-atom sensitivity enables us to examine their detailed internal and boundary structures.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15631

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