The Synthescope: A Vision for Combining Synthesis with Atomic Fabrication

The scanning transmission electron microscope, a workhorse instrument in materials characterization, is being transformed into an atomic‐scale material‐manipulation platform. With an eye on the trajectory of recent developments and the obstacles toward progress in this field, a vision for a path toward an expanded set of capabilities and applications is provided. The microscope is reconceptualized as an instrument for fabrication and synthesis with the capability to image and characterize atomic‐scale structural formation as it occurs. Further development and refinement of this approach may have substantial impact on research in microelectronics, quantum information science, and catalysis, where precise control over atomic‐scale structure and chemistry of a few “active sites” can have a dramatic impact on larger‐scale functionality and where developing a better understanding of atomic‐scale processes can help point the way to larger‐scale synthesis approaches. Efforts toward atom‐by‐atom fabrication have gathered momentum. Recent results with electron‐beam manipulation illustrate a significant advance toward atomic‐scale patterning. In this work, the case is made that future efforts in this direction will benefit from reconceptualizing the scanning transmission electron microscope as a combined synthesis and manipulation platform, and simple strategies to incorporate synthesis processes with existing hardware are provided.