Recent Advances in Electron Tomography: TEM and HAADF-STEM Tomography for Materials Science and Semiconductor Applications

Electron tomography is a well-established technique for three-dimensional structure determination of (almost) amorphous specimens in life sciences applications. With the recent advances in nanotechnology and the semiconductor industry, there is also an increasing need for high-resolution three-dimen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microscopy and microanalysis 2005-10, Vol.11 (5), p.378-400
Main Authors: Kübel, Christian, Voigt, Andreas, Schoenmakers, Remco, Otten, Max, Su, David, Lee, Tan-Chen, Carlsson, Anna, Bradley, John
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Catalysis
Catalysts
Imaging, Three-Dimensional
Life sciences
Materials science
Medical imaging
Methods
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning Transmission - methods
Microscopy, Electron, Transmission - methods
Nanostructured materials
Nanotechnology
Semiconductors
Special Issue: Frontiers of Electron Microscopy in Materials Science
Surface roughness
Transmission electron microscopy
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Summary:Electron tomography is a well-established technique for three-dimensional structure determination of (almost) amorphous specimens in life sciences applications. With the recent advances in nanotechnology and the semiconductor industry, there is also an increasing need for high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) structural information in physical sciences. In this article, we evaluate the capabilities and limitations of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-angle-annular-dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) tomography for the 3D structural characterization of partially crystalline to highly crystalline materials. Our analysis of catalysts, a hydrogen storage material, and different semiconductor devices shows that features with a diameter as small as 1–2 nm can be resolved in three dimensions by electron tomography. For partially crystalline materials with small single crystalline domains, bright-field TEM tomography provides reliable 3D structural information. HAADF-STEM tomography is more versatile and can also be used for high-resolution 3D imaging of highly crystalline materials such as semiconductor devices.
ISSN:1431-9276
1435-8115
DOI:10.1017/S1431927605050361