AVS 58th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition
    Helium Ion Microscopy Focus Topic Wednesday Sessions
       Session HI+AS+BI+NS-WeM

Paper HI+AS+BI+NS-WeM6
Imaging of Graphenoid Nanomembranes with Helium-Ion Microscopy

Wednesday, November 2, 2011, 9:40 am, Room 106

Session: Nano- and Bio- Imaging with Helium Ion Microscopy
Presenter: André Beyer, University of Bielefeld, Germany
Authors: A. Beyer, University of Bielefeld, Germany
A. Turchanin, University of Bielefeld, Germany
A. Gölzhäuser, University of Bielefeld, Germany
Correspondent: Click to Email

Helium-ion microscopy is known for its high surface sensitivity. Here we present a study about imaging extremely thin nano-scale objects: graphenoid nanomembranes which consist exclusively of atoms near the surface. Such freestanding nanomembranes with a thickness of 1 nm are made from self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) by cross-linking and subsequent transfer to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grids or other suitable substrates. We show that these nanomembranes exhibit a substantially higher contrast in helium-ion microscopes as compared to electron microscopes.

Cross-linking of SAMs is performed by large area exposures with electrons or photons which yield extended nanomembranes. On the other hand, patterned exposures allow the fabrication of nanosieves, i.e. perforated nanomembranes. Advantages in imaging such patterned cross-linked SAMs as well as freestanding nanosieves with the helium-ion microscope will be discussed.