SuperSTEM - the UK aberration-corrected STEM facility

电子显微镜使科学家能够在原子尺度上观察和分析固体材料。传统的电子显微镜存在畸变，这限制了它们分辨精细细节的能力。这些像差现在可以矫正，就像人类的视力缺陷可以通过眼镜矫正一样。SuperSTEM项目包括开发和测试两台特殊的像差校正显微镜，其中第二台将于2005年底安装。这些显微镜使科学家能够确定半导体器件、催化剂和环境微粒等材料中特定原子和小群原子的性质和位置。该提案旨在使两台SuperSTEM显微镜能够为一系列科学和技术重要性领域的应用提供实验结果，并为英国研究人员和学生提供世界领先的分析技术专业知识。我们建议做的事情包括：*开发收集信息的智能方法，这样我们就可以很长时间地观察一列原子，即使它在轻微移动。*开发新的方法来模拟原子和晶体缺陷在像差校正后的STEM中应该是什么样子，这样我们就可以通过与预测图像的比较来解释我们所看到的。*寻求合作伙伴，以发展对能量损失过程的理解，因为探针变得比原子间距小*开发一种新型的x射线探测器，这样我们就可以在原子尺度上使用x射线和能量损失光谱仪进行分析，或同时使用x射线和能量损失光谱仪，哪一种最合适。*确定仅依赖少量原子运行的小型半导体器件结构中掺杂原子的位置。*分析对催化剂、强力材料、污染物颗粒、量子点、磁性纳米粒子和肝脏中的铁的运作或效果最重要的原子。培养下一代科学家，使他们能够利用这项优秀的技术为人类造福。

Electron microscopes allow scientists to see and analyse solid materials on the atomic scale. Conventional electron microscopes suffer from aberrations which limit their ability to resolve fine detail. These aberrations can now be corrected, just as defects in human vision can be corrected by glasses. The SuperSTEM project has involved the development and testing of two special aberration-corrected microscopes, the second of which is being installed at the end of 2005. These microscopes enable scientists to determine the nature and position of specific atoms and small groups of atoms in materials such as semiconductor devices, catalysts and environmental particulates. This proposal is to enable the two SuperSTEM microscopes to produce experimental results for applications a range of fields of scientific and technological importance and to give UK researchers and students world-leading expertise in analytical techniques.Among the things we propose to do are:* Develop smart ways of collecting information, so that we can look at a single column of atoms for a very long time, even if it is moving slightly.* Develop new ways of simulating what atoms and crystal defects should look like in an aberration-corrected STEM, so that we can interpret what we see by comparison with predicted images.* Seek collaborators to develop the understanding of the energy loss process as the probe becomes smaller than the atom spacing * Develop a new type of x-ray detector so that we can analyse at the atomic scale using either or both x-rays and energy loss spectrometers, whichever is most appropriate.* Determine where dopants atoms are in small semiconductor device structures which rely on only a few atoms to operate.* Analyse the atoms which are most significant to the operation or effect of catalysts, strong materials, pollutant particles, quantum dots, magnetic nanoparticles and iron in the liver.* Train the next generation of scientists who will be able to exploit this excellent technology for the benefit of mankind.