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像差，这限制了它们分辨细微细节的能力。这些像差现在可以被纠正，就像人类视力的缺陷可以通过眼镜纠正一样。SuperSTEM项目涉及开发和测试两个特殊的像差校正显微镜，第二个将于2005年底安装。这些显微镜使科学家能够确定半导体设备、催化剂和环境颗粒物等材料中特定原子和小原子组的性质和位置。这项提议是为了使两台SuperSTEM显微镜能够为应用程序产生一系列具有科学和技术重要性的实验结果，并为英国的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，以便我们能够长时间观察单个原子列，即使它在轻微移动。*开发新的方法来模拟经过像差校正的STEM中的原子和晶体缺陷应该是什么样子。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。*寻找合作者来发展对探测器变得小于原子间距时的能量损失过程的理解*开发一种新型的X射线探测器，这样我们就可以使用X射线和能量损失光谱仪中的一种或两种最合适地在原子尺度上进行分析。*确定掺杂原子在小型半导体设备结构中的位置，这些结构只依赖几个原子来操作。*分析对催化剂、强材料、污染物颗粒、量子点的操作或效果最重要的原子磁性纳米颗粒和肝脏中的铁。*培养下一代科学家，他们将能够利用这项卓越的技术造福人类。

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.