Analytical and in situ Applications Using Aberration Corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope

Sensitivity of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) has been significantly improved with a recent detection system with large-sized silicon drift detectors (SDDs). The detection solid angle for the latest system, composed of two windowless SDDs, is better than 2 steradians. In combination with a spherical aberration corrector for STEM, the system allows us to observe an atomic resolution elemental map. On the other hand, in situ experiments under various conditions such as heating, cooling, and gas environments have been conducted by using chip-based specimen holders, which are developed owing to fabrication technology of micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS). The aberration corrected microscopy with such a special holder allows us to observe morphological and chemical changes of samples under various conditions at atomic resolution. In this paper, the observation and analysis results of in situ applications is reported by using the aberration corrected microscope with the EDS system and the in situ sample holders. [DOI: 10.1380/ejssnt.2018.286]