No Arabic abstract
Single atoms can be considered as basic objects for electron microscopy to test the microscope performance and basic concepts for modeling of image contrast. In this work high-resolution transmission electron microscopy was applied to image single platinum atoms in an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope. The atoms are deposited on a self-assembled monolayer substrate which induces only negligible contrast. Single-atom contrast simulations were performed on the basis of Weickenmeier-Kohl and Doyle-Turner scattering factors. Experimental and simulated intensities are in full agreement on an absolute scale.
For quantitative electron microscopy high precision position information is necessary so that besides an adequate resolution and sufficiently strong contrast of atoms, small width of peaks which represent atoms in structural images is needed. Size of peak is determined by point spread (PS) of instruments as well as that of atoms when point resolution reach the subangstrom scale and thus PS of instruments is comparable with that of atoms. In this article, relationship between PS with atomic numbers, sample thickness, and spherical aberration coefficients will be studied in both negative Cs imaging (NCSI) and positive Cs imaging (PCSI) modes by means of dynamical image simulation. Through comparing the peak width with different thickness and different values of spherical aberration, NCSI mode is found to be superior to PCSI considering smaller peak width in the structural image.
Quantitative differential phase contrast imaging of materials in atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy using segmented detectors is limited by various factors, including coherent and incoherent aberrations, detector positioning and uniformity, and scan-distortion. By comparing experimental case studies of monolayer and few-layer graphene with image simulations, we explore which parameters require the most precise characterisation for reliable and quantitative interpretation of the reconstructed phases. Coherent and incoherent lens aberrations are found to have the most significant impact. For images over a large field of view, the impact of noise and non-periodic boundary conditions are appreciable, but in this case study have less of an impact than artefacts introduced by beam deflections coupling to beam scanning (imperfect tilt-shift purity).
Machine learning has emerged as a powerful tool for the analysis of mesoscopic and atomically resolved images and spectroscopy in electron and scanning probe microscopy, with the applications ranging from feature extraction to information compression and elucidation of relevant order parameters to inversion of imaging data to reconstruct structural models. However, the fundamental limitation of machine learning methods is their correlative nature, leading to extreme susceptibility to confounding factors. Here, we implement the workflow for causal analysis of structural scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) data and explore the interplay between physical and chemical effects in ferroelectric perovskite across the ferroelectric-antiferroelectric phase transitions. The combinatorial library of the Sm-doped BiFeO3 is grown to cover the composition range from pure ferroelectric BFO to orthorhombic 20% Sm-doped BFO. Atomically resolved STEM images are acquired for selected compositions and are used to create a set of local compositional, structural, and polarization field descriptors. The information-geometric causal inference (IGCI) and additive noise model (ANM) analysis are used to establish the pairwise causal directions between the descriptors, ordering the data set in the causal direction. The causal chain for IGCI and ANM across the composition is compared and suggests the presence of common causal mechanisms across the composition series. Ultimately, we believe that the causal analysis of the multimodal data will allow exploring the causal links between multiple competing mechanisms that control the emergence of unique functionalities of morphotropic materials and ferroelectric relaxors.
Thin film oxides are a source of endless fascination for the materials scientist. These materials are highly flexible, can be integrated into almost limitless combinations, and exhibit many useful functionalities for device applications. While precision synthesis techniques, such as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and pulsed laser deposition (PLD), provide a high degree of control over these systems, there remains a disconnect between ideal and realized materials. Because thin films adopt structures and chemistries distinct from their bulk counterparts, it is often difficult to predict what properties will emerge. The complex energy landscape of the synthesis process is also strongly influenced by non-equilibrium growth conditions imposed by the substrate, as well as the kinetics of thin film crystallization and fluctuations in process variables, all of which can lead to significant deviations from targeted outcomes. High-resolution structural and chemical characterization techniques, as described in this volume, are needed to verify growth models, bound theoretical calculations, and guide materials design. While many characterization options exist, most are spatially-averaged or indirect, providing only partial insight into the complex behavior of these systems. Over the past several decades, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) has become a cornerstone of oxide heterostructure characterization owing to its ability to simultaneously resolve structure, chemistry, and defects at the highest spatial resolution. STEM methods are an essential complement to averaged scattering techniques, offering a direct picture of resulting materials that can inform and refine the growth process to achieve targeted properties. There is arguably no other technique that can provide such a broad array of information at the atomic-scale, all within a single experimental session.
Recording atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images is becoming increasingly routine. A new bottleneck is then analyzing this information, which often involves time-consuming manual structural identification. We have developed a deep learning-based algorithm for recognition of the local structure in TEM images, which is stable to microscope parameters and noise. The neural network is trained entirely from simulation but is capable of making reliable predictions on experimental images. We apply the method to single sheets of defected graphene, and to metallic nanoparticles on an oxide support.