A high resolution scanning electron microscope for in situ investigation of swift heavy ion induced modification of solid surfaces

Journal Article · Mon Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Review of Scientific Instruments

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3316803· OSTI ID:22053955

Amirthapandian, S; Schuchart, F; Bolse, W ^[1]

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1. Institut fuer Halbleiteroptik und Funktionelle Grenzflaechen, Universitaet Stuttgart, Allmandring 3, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany)

A new in situ high resolution electron microscope (HRSEM) setup has been designed and integrated into the materials science beamline (M-branch) of the universal linear accelerator at Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt for in situ investigations of swift heavy ion induced surface modifications. Special ports for in situ experiments are installed at the HRSEM chamber to connect it to the high vacuum beamline, which is equipped with suitable beam control and shaping devices. In order to demonstrate the feasibility and power of this new instrument, first experiments were performed on a 50-nm-thick Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} film on Si substrate, which exhibited submicrometer size holes due to irradiation induced dewetting in a previous experiment. We have demonstrated that with our new instrument, the development of individual dewetting holes as a function of the ion fluence can be investigated and even the interaction between them can be studied. To illustrate pattern formation during grazing incidence, 3.6 MeV/u {sup 131}Xe ion irradiation was carried out on a 25-nm-thick NiO film on SiO{sub 2}/Si at a tilt angle of 75 deg. The SEM image sequence recorded during the experiment reveals the development of a lamellaelike structure also seen before in ex situ experiments. With our new in situ setup, however, we are able to not only investigate the overall average pattern formation, but also to track the formation and decay of individual linking structures, which would be hardly possible in a standard ex situ experiment.

• OSTI ID: 22053955
• Journal Information: Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 81, Issue 3; Other Information: (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0034-6748
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ELECTRON MICROSCOPES
HEAVY IONS
ION BEAMS
IRON OXIDES
LINEAR ACCELERATORS
MEV RANGE
NICKEL OXIDES
RESOLUTION
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SILICON
SILICON OXIDES
SURFACES
THIN FILMS
XENON 131
XENON IONS