Microscopy with neutral helium atoms: A wide-ranging new technique for delicate samples

中性氦原子显微镜：适用于精细样品的广泛新技术

• 批准号: EP/R008272/1
• 负责人: Andrew Jardine
• 金额: $ 142.31万
• 依托单位: University of Cambridge
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2017 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FR008272%2F1
• 关键词: Microscopy; neutral; helium; atoms; wide

Microscopy is vitally important across a wide range of scientific and technological fields. However, despite the multitude of techniques available, there are many materials that are inaccessible to conventional tools: conventional light microscopy is limited to around micron length-scales; electron microscopy often leads to sample damage or charging; and scanning probe methods (such as atomic force microscopy) are limited to small areas on predominantly flat surfaces. Such problems are particularly acute in the case of delicate materials: for example, organic electronic thin films that are damaged by high-energy electrons, or fine polymer structures, where charging obscures the image.The main aim of this proposal is to develop a revolutionary new technique - Scanning Helium Microscopy (SHeM) - that generates images using a low-energy beam of neutral atoms and so obviates the above problems. The new technique has great potential, but it is essential to improve its spatial resolution and to make it possible for non-specialists to perform helium microscopy easily. The applicants are ideally positioned to lead these developments, by exploiting the technology they developed. The research programme is designed to firmly establish helium microscopy as a cutting-edge research tool. The main themes are:1. To develop a new high resolution microscope that will achieve nanoscale resolution and an imaging rate comparable with scanning probe techniques. The new microscope will make possible a wide range of new experiments. It will be suitable for use by non-specialists and made available to users through a facility-like access model.2. To establish and promote the nascent field of helium-microscopy by performing a broad range of collaborative experiments, spanning multiple applications. These will establish applicability of the technique, and help to develop the imaging modalities required to optimise image contrast arises from a variety of atom-surface scattering mechanisms.3. To develop advanced image collection and reconstruction methods, including making use of the compressibility of natural images, to minimise acquisition time and maximise the information content that can be obtained during any given experimental period. By applying such cutting-edge algorithms to a low-signal scanned probe microscopy for the first time, we anticipate the impact of this theme extending far beyond the present project.The programme is inherently collaborative: the new microscope will be developed and constructed at the Cavendish Laboratory (Physics, Cambridge), supported by nano-fabrication of key components in the Materials Physics group, Glasgow. Researchers in Applied Maths (Cambridge) will develop accelerated imaging methods, while a further series of international collaborators have agreed to provide samples, time and expertise, to explore helium imaging in a diverse range of fields.Microscopy with helium will have impact across a wide range of scientific and technological fields, wherever it is difficult to image delicate samples. Applications that are already foreseen include semiconductor devices, composite materials, organic films and the high aspect-ratio structures used in MEMS devices; but the scope for this new microscopy has yet to be fully explored. Success in the project will lead to the commercialisation of a new imaging technology, the impact of which the UK is uniquely positioned to exploit.

显微镜在广泛的科学和技术领域中至关重要。然而，尽管有许多可用的技术，但仍有许多材料是传统工具无法触及的：传统的光学显微镜仅限于微米左右的长度尺度;电子显微镜通常会导致样品损坏或带电;扫描探针方法（如原子力显微镜）仅限于主要平坦表面上的小区域。这些问题在精细材料的情况下尤其严重：例如，被高能电子破坏的有机电子薄膜，或精细的聚合物结构，其中充电会使图像模糊不清。该提案的主要目的是开发一种革命性的新技术-扫描氦显微镜（SHeM）-使用中性原子的低能束生成图像，从而消除上述问题。这项新技术具有巨大的潜力，但必须提高其空间分辨率，并使非专业人员能够轻松地进行氦显微镜。申请人通过利用他们开发的技术，理想地定位于领导这些发展。该研究计划旨在牢固地建立氦显微镜作为一种尖端的研究工具。主要的主题是：1.开发一种新型高分辨率显微镜，实现纳米级分辨率和与扫描探针技术相当的成像速率。新的显微镜将使广泛的新实验成为可能。它将适合非专业人员使用，并通过类似设施的访问模式提供给用户。建立和促进氦显微镜的新生领域进行广泛的合作实验，跨越多种应用。这些将建立该技术的适用性，并有助于开发优化图像对比度所需的成像方式，这些对比度来自各种原子表面散射机制。开发先进的图像收集和重建方法，包括利用自然图像的可压缩性，以最大限度地减少采集时间，并最大限度地提高在任何给定的实验期间可以获得的信息内容。通过首次将这种尖端算法应用于低信号扫描探针显微镜，我们预计这一主题的影响将远远超出目前的项目。该计划本质上是合作的：新的显微镜将在卡文迪什实验室（物理学，剑桥）开发和建造，由格拉斯哥材料物理组的关键部件的纳米制造提供支持。应用数学（剑桥）的研究人员将开发加速成像方法，而另一系列国际合作者已同意提供样品、时间和专业知识，以探索氦成像在不同领域的应用。氦显微镜将在广泛的科学和技术领域产生影响，在那里很难对精细样品进行成像。已经预见的应用包括半导体器件，复合材料，有机薄膜和MEMS器件中使用的高纵横比结构;但这种新显微镜的范围尚未得到充分探索。该项目的成功将导致一种新的成像技术的商业化，英国在利用这种技术的影响方面处于独特的地位。

项目成果

A method for constrained optimisation of the design of a scanning helium microscope.

一种扫描氦显微镜设计的约束优化方法。

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2019.112833
• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: Ultramicroscopy
• 影响因子: 2.2
• 作者: Bergin M

Observation of diffraction contrast in scanning helium microscopy

扫描氦显微镜中衍射对比的观察

• DOI: 10.17863/cam.64337
• 发表时间: 2020
• 作者: Bergin M

Complex optical elements for scanning helium microscopy through 3D printing

• DOI: 10.1088/1361-6463/ac3a3e
• 发表时间: 2022-03-03
• 期刊: JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
• 影响因子: 3.4
• 作者: Bergin, M.;Myles, T. A.;Dastoor, P. C.
• 通讯作者: Dastoor, P. C.