Enhanced phase contrast transfer using ptychography combined with a pre-specimen phase plate in a scanning transmission electron microscope

Yang, Hao; Ercius, Peter; Nellist, Peter D.; Ophus, Colin

doi:10.1016/j.ultramic.2016.09.002

Enhanced phase contrast transfer using ptychography combined with a pre-specimen phase plate in a scanning transmission electron microscope

Journal Article · Wed Sep 14 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Ultramicroscopy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultramic.2016.09.002· OSTI ID:1436608

Yang, Hao ^[1]; Ercius, Peter ^[1]; Nellist, Peter D. ^[2]; Ophus, Colin ^[1]

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Molecular Foundry
University of Oxford (United Kingdom)

We report the ability to image light elements in both crystalline and noncrystalline materials at near atomic resolution with an enhanced contrast is highly advantageous to understand the structure and properties of a wide range of beam sensitive materials including biological specimens and molecular hetero-structures. This requires the imaging system to have an efficient phase contrast transfer at both low and high spatial frequencies. Here, we introduce a new phase contrast imaging method in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) using a pre-specimen phase plate in the probe forming aperture, combined with a fast pixelated detector to record diffraction patterns at every probe position, and phase reconstruction using ptychography. The phase plate significantly enhances the contrast transfer of low spatial frequency information, and ptychography maximizes the extraction of the phase information at all spatial frequencies. In addition, the STEM probe with the presence of the phase plate retains its atomic resolution, allowing simultaneous incoherent Z-contrast imaging to be obtained along with the ptychographic phase image. An experimental image of Au nanoparticles on a carbon support shows high contrast for both materials. Multislice image simulations of a DNA molecule shows the capability of imaging soft matter at low dose conditions, which implies potential applications of low dose imaging of a wide range of beam sensitive materials.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 1436608

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 22637737
OSTI ID: 1396812

Journal Information:: Ultramicroscopy, Journal Name: Ultramicroscopy Journal Issue: C Vol. 171; ISSN 0304-3991

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
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PCTF
STEM
phase contrast
phase plate
pixelated detectors
ptychography

Enhanced phase contrast transfer using ptychography combined with a pre-specimen phase plate in a scanning transmission electron microscope

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