The Nanoaquarium: A Platform for In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy in Liquid Media
The Nanoaquarium: A Platform for In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy in Liquid Media
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DOI：
10.1109/jmems.2010.2051321
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发表时间：
2010-08-01
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
Bau, Haim H.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Grogan, Joseph M.;Bau, Haim H.
透射电子显微镜（TEM）和扫描透射电子显微镜（STEM）是在纳米尺度上成像的强大工具。这些显微镜不能典型地用于在液体介质中发生的成像过程，因为液体在显微镜的高真空环境中简单地蒸发。为了观察液体样品，因此需要将液体限制在密封容器中以防止蒸发。此外，液体层必须非常薄，以使悬浮介质的电子散射最小化。为了解决这些问题，我们开发了一种高度为几十纳米的流动池，夹在两层薄氮化硅膜之间。该单元配备有用于致动和感测的电极。这种电池足够薄，可以传输电子，并对悬浮在液体中的纳米颗粒进行实时成像。本文详细介绍了依赖于等离子体激活晶片键合的制造工艺。我们的nanoaquarium的一些优势包括任何原位TEM/STEM设备中最薄的观察室，用于传感和驱动的集成电极，以及允许批量设备生产的晶圆级处理。通过悬浮在水中的金和聚苯乙烯纳米颗粒的STEM成像以优异的分辨率证明了器件性能。该装置的潜在应用包括胶体晶体形成、聚集、纳米线生长、电化学沉积和生物相互作用的成像。[2010-0023]
Transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) and scanning transmission electron microscopes (STEMs) are powerful tools for imaging on the nanoscale. These microscopes cannot be typically used to image processes taking place in liquid media because liquid simply evaporates in the high-vacuum environment of the microscope. In order to view a liquid sample, it is thus necessary to confine the liquid in a sealed vessel to prevent evaporation. Additionally, the liquid layer must be very thin to minimize electron scattering by the suspending medium. To address these issues, we have developed a flow cell with a height of tens of nanometers, sandwiched between two thin silicon nitride membranes. The cell is equipped with electrodes for actuation and sensing. The cell is thin enough to allow the transmission of electrons and the real-time imaging of nanoparticles suspended in liquid. This paper details the fabrication process, which relies on plasma-activated wafer bonding. Some of the advantages of our nanoaquarium include the thinnest observation chamber of any reported in situ TEM/STEM device, integrated electrodes for sensing and actuation, and wafer-scale processing that allows bulk device production. Device performance was demonstrated by STEM imaging of gold and polystyrene nanoparticles suspended in water with excellent resolution. Potential applications of the device include imaging of colloidal crystal formation, aggregation, nanowire growth, electrochemical deposition, and biological interactions. [2010-0023]