A chemical circular communication network at the nanoscale

During these last 10 years, high performance correction procedures have been developed for classical EPMA, and it is nowadays possible to obtain accurate quantitative analysis even for soft X-ray radiations. It is also possible to perform EPMA by adapting this accurate quantitative procedures to unusual applications such as the measurement of the segregation on wide areas in as-cast and sheet steel products.The main objection for analysis of segregation in steel by means of a line-scan mode is that it requires a very heavy sampling plan to make sure that the most significant points are analyzed. Moreover only local chemical information is obtained whereas mechanical properties are also dependant on the volume fraction and the spatial distribution of highly segregated zones. For these reasons we have chosen to systematically acquire X-ray calibrated mappings which give pictures similar to optical micrographs. Although mapping requires lengthy acquisition time there is a corresponding increase in the information given by image anlysis.

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High Resolution Electron Microscopy of internal interfaces in layered materials

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100174734 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 320-321

Author(s):

Yoichi Ishida ◽

Hideki Ichinose ◽

Yutaka Takahashi ◽

Jin-yeh Wang

Keyword(s):

Grain Boundaries ◽

Mirror Symmetry ◽

Functional Materials ◽

High Resolution Electron Microscopy ◽

Layered Materials ◽

Plane Boundary ◽

Chemical Information ◽

Layer Plane ◽

High Tc ◽

Cubic Metals

Layered materials draw attention in recent years in response to the world-wide drive to discover new functional materials. High-Tc superconducting oxide is one example. Internal interfaces in such layered materials differ significantly from those of cubic metals. They are often parallel to the layer of the neighboring crystals in sintered samples(layer plane boundary), while periodically ordered interfaces with the two neighboring crystals in mirror symmetry to each other are relatively rare. Consequently, the atomistic features of the interface differ significantly from those of cubic metals. In this paper grain boundaries in sintered high-Tc superconducting oxides, joined interfaces between engineering ceramics with metals, and polytype interfaces in vapor-deposited bicrystal are examined to collect atomic information of the interfaces in layered materials. The analysis proved that they are not neccessarily more complicated than that of simple grain boundaries in cubic metals. The interfaces are majorly layer plane type which is parallel to the compound layer. Secondly, chemical information is often available, which helps the interpretation of the interface atomic structure.

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X-ray microprobe for materials science

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100168013 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 52 ◽

pp. 56-57

Author(s):

G.E. Ice

Keyword(s):

Crystallographic Orientation ◽

Local Structure ◽

Materials Science ◽

Chemical Information ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

Ray Optics ◽

X Ray ◽

Novel Materials ◽

New Information ◽

Elemental Sensitivity

The increasing availability of synchrotron x-ray sources has stimulated the development of advanced hard x-ray (E≥5 keV) microprobes. With new x-ray optics these microprobes can achieve micron and submicron spatial resolutions. The inherent elemental and crystallographic sensitivity of an x-ray microprobe and its inherently nondestructive and penetrating nature will have important applications to materials science. For example, x-ray fluorescent microanalysis of materials can reveal elemental distributions with greater sensitivity than alternative nondestructive probes. In materials, segregation and nonuniform distributions are the rule rather than the exception. Common interfaces to whichsegregation occurs are surfaces, grain and precipitate boundaries, dislocations, and surfaces formed by defects such as vacancy and interstitial configurations. In addition to chemical information, an x-ray diffraction microprobe can reveal the local structure of a material by detecting its phase, crystallographic orientation and strain.Demonstration experiments have already exploited the penetrating nature of an x-ray microprobe and its inherent elemental sensitivity to provide new information about elemental distributions in novel materials.

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The Possibilities for Analytical Methods in Photoemission and Low-Energy Electron Microscopy

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100180495 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 348-349

Author(s):

Ernst Bauer

Keyword(s):

Chemical Characterization ◽

Emission Angle ◽

Relative Energy ◽

Objective Lens ◽

Chemical Information ◽

Magnetic Lens ◽

Incident Intensity ◽

X Ray ◽

Leed Pattern ◽

Image Position

One of the major shortcomings of conventional PEEM and of LEEM is the lack of chemical information about the surface. Although the imaging of the LEED pattern in the back focal plane of the objective lens of a LEEM instrument allows chemical characterization via the crystalline structure derived from the LEED pattern, this method fails in the absence of a characteristic LEED pattern. Direct information about the atomic composition of the surface is then needed which can be best obtained from inner shell electrons either directly by x-ray-induced photoemission (XPEEM) or by x-ray- or electron-induced Auger electron emission (AEEM). These modes of excitation and imaging can be combined with conventional PEEM and LEEM in one instrument which is presently being developed. Thus a complete structural and chemical characterization becomes possible in one instrument, with parallel detection and high resolution.In contrast to LEEM, in which up to more than 50% of the incident intensity is available for image formation, the intensity of the emitted electrons is much lower in XPEEM and AEEM and the signal is much lower than the background in AEEM. Therefore, intensity I and resolution d have to be optimized simultaneously which is best done by maximizing Q = I/d2 with respect to maximum emission angle α and relative energy distribution ε = ΔVo/V accepted by the instrument. For a well-designed magnetic lens section of the cathode lens its aberrations are determined by the accelerating field F in front of the specimen. For a homogeneous accelerating field F and a cosine emission distribution one obtains for the optimum α and ε values αo,εo a radius of the minimum disc of confusion of

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