Crystallographic Dependence of Field Evaporation Energy Barrier in Metals Using Field Evaporation Energy Loss Spectroscopy Mapping.

Atom probe tomography data are composed of a list of coordinates of the reconstructed atoms in the probed volume. The elemental identity of each atom is derived from time-of-flight mass spectrometry, with no local chemical information readily available. In this study, we use a data processing technique referred to as field evaporation energy loss spectroscopy (FEELS), which analyzes the tails of mass peaks.

Super-resolution Optical Spectroscopy of Nanoscale Emitters within a Photonic Atom Probe.

Atom Probe Tomography (APT) is a microscopy technique allowing for the 3D reconstruction of the chemical composition of a nanoscale needle-shaped sample with a precision close to the atomic scale. The photonic atom probe (PAP) is an evolution of APT featuring in situ and operando detection of the photoluminescence signal. The optical signatures of the light-emitting centers can be correlated with the structural and chemical information obtained by the analysis of the evaporated ions.

Conduction mechanisms and voltage drop during field electron emission from diamond needles.

We report results of experimental investigation of field electron emission from diamond nanoemitters. The measurements were performed with single crystal diamond needles fixed at tungsten tips. The voltage drop along diamond needles during emission was revealed and measured using electron energy spectroscopy.

Unraveling the Metastability of C ( n = 2-4) Clusters.

Pure carbon clusters have received considerable attention for a long time. However, fundamental questions, such as what the smallest stable carbon cluster dication is, remain unclear. We investigated the stability and fragmentation behavior of C ( n = 2-4) dications using state-of-the-art atom probe tomography.

Field-Dependent Measurement of GaAs Composition by Atom Probe Tomography.

The composition of GaAs measured by laser-assisted atom probe tomography may be inaccurate depending on the experimental conditions. In this work, we assess the role of the DC field and the impinging laser energy on such compositional bias. The DC field is found to have a major influence, while the laser energy has a weaker one within the range of parameters explored.

Carrier Localization in GaN/AlN Quantum Dots As Revealed by Three-Dimensional Multimicroscopy.

The localization of carrier states in GaN/AlN self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) is studied by correlative multimicroscopy relying on microphotoluminescence, electron tomography, and atom probe tomography (APT). Optically active field emission tip specimens were prepared by focused ion beam from an epitaxial film containing a stack of quantum dot layers and analyzed with different techniques applied subsequently on the same tip. The transition energies of single QDs were calculated in the framework of a 6-bands k.

Optimizing Atom Probe Analysis with Synchronous Laser Pulsing and Voltage Pulsing.

Atom probe has been developed for investigating materials at the atomic scale and in three dimensions by using either high-voltage (HV) pulses or laser pulses to trigger the field evaporation of surface atoms. In this paper, we propose an atom probe setup with pulsed evaporation achieved by simultaneous application of both methods. This provides a simple way to improve mass resolution without degrading the intrinsic spatial resolution of the instrument.

Dissociation Dynamics of Molecular Ions in High dc Electric Field.

In an atom probe, molecular ions can be field evaporated from the analyzed material and, then, can dissociate under the very intense electric field close to the field emitter. In this work, field evaporation of ZnO reveals the emission of Zn2O2(2+) ions and their dissociation into ZnO(+) ions. It is shown that the repulsion between the produced ZnO(+) ions is large enough to have a measurable effect on both the ion trajectories and times of flight.

Correlation of microphotoluminescence spectroscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and atom probe tomography on a single nano-object containing an InGaN/GaN multiquantum well system.

A single nanoscale object containing a set of InGaN/GaN nonpolar multiple-quantum wells has been analyzed by microphotoluminescence spectroscopy (μPL), high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (HR-STEM) and atom probe tomography (APT). The correlated measurements constitute a rich and coherent set of data supporting the interpretation that the observed μPL narrow emission lines, polarized perpendicularly to the crystal c-axis and with energies in the interval 2.9-3.

High-performance bulk thermoelectrics with all-scale hierarchical architectures.

With about two-thirds of all used energy being lost as waste heat, there is a compelling need for high-performance thermoelectric materials that can directly and reversibly convert heat to electrical energy. However, the practical realization of thermoelectric materials is limited by their hitherto low figure of merit, ZT, which governs the Carnot efficiency according to the second law of thermodynamics. The recent successful strategy of nanostructuring to reduce thermal conductivity has achieved record-high ZT values in the range 1.