| AVS 66th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Advanced Ion Microscopy and Ion Beam Nano-engineering Focus Topic | Thursday Sessions |
| Session HI+NS-ThA |
| Session: | Emerging Ion Sources, Optics, and Applications |
| Presenter: | Bodil Holst, University of Bergen, Norway |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Neutral helium microscopy is a new imaging technique currently under development. In a neutral helium microscope a beam of neutral helium atoms is created through supersonic expansion from a nozzle and focussed onto the surface to create a scanning instrument. The resolution is determined by the beam spotsize on the surface. The neutral helium microscope has several advantages: the very low energy of the beam (less than 0.02 eV compared to several keV for helium ion or electron microscope) , charge neutrality, and inertness of the helium atoms, a potential large depth of field, and the fact that at thermal energies the helium atoms do not penetrate into any solid material. This opens the possibility, among others, for the creation of an instrument that can measure surface topology on the nanoscale, even on surfaces with high aspect ratios. The helium microscope currently exist in two configurations: The pinhole microscope and the zone plate microscope, both are covered in this paper. We begin with a series of images which demonstrate and explores the unique contrast mechanisms of the new instrument. This is followed by a general discussion of helium microscope designs and resolution.