Materials Applications of Photoelectron Emission Microscopy
Photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) is a versatile technique that can image a variety of materials including metals, semiconductors and even insulators. Under favorable conditions the most advanced aberration corrected instruments have a spatial resolution approaching 2 nm. Although PEEM cannot compete with transmission or scanning electron microscopies for ultimate resolution, the technique is much more gentle and has the unique advantage of imaging structure as well as electronic and magnetic states on the nanoscale. Since the image contrast is derived from spatial variations in electron photoemission intensity, PEEM is ideal for interrogating both static and dynamic electronic properties of complex nanostructured materials. PEEM can be performed using a variety of photoexcitation sources including synchrotron emission, femtosecond laser pulses and conventional UV lamp emission. Each source has advantages, for example, fs laser excitation enables time-resolved imaging for study of ultrafast dynamics of surface intermediate states while tunable synchrotron sources allow chemically specific excitation. Even more detail can be extracted from energy resolved PEEM. Here, we review the key principles and contrast mechanisms of PEEM and briefly summarize materials applications of PEEM with examples of a thermally-induced structural phase transformation in barium titanate, inter-diffusion between thin metal copper and ruthenium layers, and multiphoton imaging of polystyrene nanoparticles on a silver coated substrate.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab. (EMSL)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 1002183
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-74908; 39092; KC0301020; TRN: US1100489
- Journal Information:
- JOM. The Journal of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, 62(12):90-93, Vol. 62, Issue 12
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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