Nearly nondiffracting electron lattice beams generated by polygonal slits

A method for generating electron lattice beams carrying vortices using nanofabricated polygonal slits in a transmission electron microscope is proposed. Experimental and simulation study of the intensity of the beams verified their Bessel beam-like nearly nondiffracting behavior. Phase analysis using a diffractive imaging method found arrays of quantized vortices, forming an electron beam lattice with cylindrical intensity distribution in the propagation direction. Such vortex lattice beams may be used in a variety of applications including nanofabrication, particle manipulation or a new electron imaging method.