Correlative investigations by HAADF‐STEM and Atom Probe Tomography

摘要: The ultimate capabilities achieved by electron microscopies and their associated techniques inevitably raise the following question: is there room for conceiving new ways of investigating materials at the nano‐scale? Indeed, most recent TEMs and STEMs easily achieve sub‐Angström spatial resolution, while allowing elemental mapping at the same scale. Meanwhile, electron tomography has unambiguously demonstrated the possibility to image atomic positions and defects. In these instruments, some physical properties (e.g. optical, magnetic) are now accessible, again with increased resolution. However, as far as an ultimate machine would allow correlating physical properties with a “perfect” determination of atomic species and atomic positions in 3D, one must recognize that such a tool is not yet available. Aside from electron microscopes, Atom Probe Tomography (APT), which is intrinsically a 3D technique …