Invited Paper IE-MoA8
In-situ Probing and Manipulation of Dynamical Processes on the Nanoscale using Combined Scanning Tunneling and Transmission Electron Microscopy

Monday, October 15, 2007, 4:20 pm, Room 618

Properties on all scales are influenced and sometimes dominated by the atomic arrangement at individual defects and interfaces. Both scanning tunneling and transmission electron microscopy can be used to extract information about the structure of materials with high spatial resolution. The techniques are complementary where the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) allows us to image surfaces and perform spectroscopy on the nano- and subnanoscale. However, it is not possible to image and measure simultaneously. In addition, the images contain information about the surface while processes below the surface are not directly accessible. We have developed a combined STM and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to enable the recording of dynamical processes on the nanoscale and direct correlation between local atomic structure and properties.¹ This talk will address experiments on carbon nanotubes including electromigration and a nanopipette function.² Another example concerns gold nanoparticles and the effect of laser irradiation on individual particles as well as ensembles of particles. An intense nanosecond laser pulse can cause melting, evaporation and diffusion which induce changes in particle size distribution, morphology, structural and properties.³ Nanostructures are inherently small and often electron transparent without specimen preparation. However, it may be necessary to develop methods to extract the individual nanostructures or to manipulate and follow the changes of individual nanoparticles during dynamical processes. A combined focused ion beam workstation and scanning electron microscope with an in-situ manipulator provides the ability to reach into nanostructures and enables reproducible techniques of local extraction and identification.^3,4

¹K. Svensson, Y. Jompol, H. Olin and E. Olsson, Rev. Sci. Instr. 74, 4945 (2003).
²K. Svensson, H. Olin and E. Olsson, "Nanopipettes for Metal Transport", Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 145901 (2004).
³L. Eurenius, K. Wettergren, Y. Alaverdyan, M. Käll, B. Kasemo, D. Chakarov and E. Olsson, "Microstructural changes in supported gold particle ensembles and individual particles upon pulsed laser irradiation", in manuscript.
⁴L. de Knoop, K. Svensson, H. Pettersson and E. Olsson, "Extraction of Individual Carbon Nanotubes for Local Probing of Transport Properties", AIP, 786, 118 (2005).