Enhancement of resolution in core-loss and low-loss spectroscopy in a monochromated microscope

Disentangling Cathodoluminescence Spectra in Nanophotonics: Particle Eigenmodes vs Transition Radiation

Cathodoluminescence spectroscopy performed in an electron microscope has proven a versatile tool for analyzing the near- and far-field optical response of plasmonic and dielectric nanostructures. Nevertheless, the transition radiation produced by electron impact is often disregarded in the interpretation of the spectra recorded from resonant nanoparticles. Here we show, experimentally and theoretically, that transition radiation can by itself generate distinct resonances that, depending on the time-of-flight of the electron beam inside the particle, can result from constructive or destructive interference in time. Superimposed on the eigenmodes of the investigated structures, these resonances can distort the recorded spectrum and lead to potentially erroneous assignment of modal characters to the spectral features. We develop an intuitive analogy that helps distinguish between the two contributions. As an example, we focus on the case of silicon nanospheres and show that our analysis facilitates the unambiguous interpretation of experimental measurements on Mie-resonant nanoparticles.

Optoelectronic Properties of Atomically Thin MoxW(1-x)S2 Nanoflakes Probed by Spatially-Resolved Monochromated EELS

Band gap engineering of atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials has attracted a huge amount of interest as a key aspect to the application of these materials in nanooptoelectronics and nanophotonics. Low-loss electron energy loss spectroscopy has been employed to perform a direct measurement of the band gap in atomically thin MoxW(1-x)S2 nanoflakes. The results show a bowing effect with the alloying degree, which fits previous studies focused on excitonic transitions. Additional properties regarding the Van Hove singularities in the density of states of these materials, as well as high energy excitonic transition, have been analysed as well.

Enhancing hyperspectral EELS analysis of complex plasmonic nanostructures with pan-sharpening

Nanoscale hyperspectral techniques-such as electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS)-are critical to understand the optical response in plasmonic nanostructures, but as systems become increasingly complex, the required sampling density and acquisition times become prohibitive for instrumental and specimen stability. As a result, there has been a recent push for new experimental methodologies that can provide comprehensive information about a complex system, while significantly reducing the duration of the experiment. Here, we present a pan-sharpening approach to hyperspectral EELS analysis, where we acquire two datasets from the same region (one with high spatial resolution and one with high spectral fidelity) and combine them to achieve a single dataset with the beneficial properties of both. This work outlines a straightforward, reproducible pathway to reduced experiment times and higher signal-to-noise ratios, while retaining the relevant physical parameters of the plasmonic response, and is generally applicable to a wide range of spectroscopy modalities.

Improvement of the energy resolution of energy dispersive spectrometers (EDS) using Richardson-Lucy deconvolution

A serious limitation in the use of energy dispersive spectrometers (EDS) for materials characterization arises from the fact that these x-ray detectors provide a poor energy resolution compared to other x-ray techniques. This is mainly due to the broadening function generated by the electronics of the detector. However, new windowless detectors are now capable of resolving low energy peaks like Li Kα with modified electronics and show a system peak full width at half maximum (FWHM) of around 30 eV. In this paper, we investigated how the Richardson-Lucy algorithm can be used to remove, or at least attenuate, the contribution of the broadening function to experimental spectra. This method proved to be efficient in improving the energy resolution at any energy in the EDS spectrum. The resulting system peak FWHM was reduced to as low as 7-8 eV and the separation of low energy x-ray peaks were demonstrated in the low energy range of the spectra. The method was also efficient in reducing the peak broadening at higher energies (Cu Kα) and the broadening function of the detector could be experimentally determined to provide higher accuracy in predicting peak broadening. Although some critical artefacts were noted on the restored spectra, like energy shifts and intensity variations, the method explored in this work is worth to be considered for further quantification tests.

Emerging Electron Microscopy Techniques for Probing Functional Interfaces in Energy Materials

Interfaces play a fundamental role in many areas of chemistry. However, their localized nature requires characterization techniques with high spatial resolution in order to fully understand their structure and properties. State-of-the-art atomic resolution or in situ scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy are indispensable tools for characterizing the local structure and chemistry of materials with single-atom resolution, but they are not able to measure many properties that dictate function, such as vibrational modes or charge transfer, and are limited to room-temperature samples containing no liquids. Here, we outline emerging electron microscopy techniques that are allowing these limitations to be overcome and highlight several recent studies that were enabled by these techniques. We then provide a vision for how these techniques can be paired with each other and with in situ methods to deliver new insights into the static and dynamic behavior of functional interfaces.

Measurement of Diffusion and Segregation in Semiconductor Quantum Dots and Quantum Wells by Transmission Electron Microscopy: A Guide

Strategies are discussed to distinguish interdiffusion and segregation and to measure key parameters such as diffusivities and segregation lengths in semiconductor quantum dots and quantum wells by electron microscopy methods. Spectroscopic methods are usually necessary when the materials systems are complex while imaging methods may suffice for binary or simple ternary compounds where atomic intermixing is restricted to one type of sub-lattice. The emphasis on methodology should assist microscopists in evaluating and quantifying signals from electron micrographs and related spectroscopic data. Examples presented include CdS/ZnS core/shell particles and SiGe, InGaAs and InGaN quantum wells.

Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) with a cold-field emission scanning electron microscope at low accelerating voltage in transmission mode

A commercial electron energy-loss spectrometer (EELS) attached to a high-resolution cold-field emission scanning electron microscope in transmission mode (STEM) is evaluated and its potential for characterizing materials science thin specimens at low accelerating voltage is reviewed. Despite the increased beam radiation damage at SEM voltages on sensitive compounds, we describe some potential applications which benefit from lowering the primary electrons voltage on less-sensitive specimens. We report bandgap measurements on several dielectrics which were facilitated by the lack of Cherenkov radiation losses at 30 kV. The possibility of volume plasmon imaging to probe local composition changes in complex materials was demonstrated using energy-filtered STEM, either via spectrum imaging or elemental mapping using the "three-windows" method. As plasmonic materials are increasing used for energy, electronics or biomedical applications, the ability of reliably evaluate their properties at low accelerating voltage in a SEM is very appealing and is demonstrated. The energy resolution of the spectrometer, taken as the full width at half maximum of the zero-loss peak, was routinely measured at around 0.55 eV and it is demonstrated that t/λ ratios up to 1.5 allowed practical EEL spectroscopy at 30 kV.

Exploring the capabilities of monochromated electron energy loss spectroscopy in the infrared regime

Monochromated electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) is one of the leading techniques to study materials properties that correspond to low (<5 eV) energy losses (i.e. band-gaps, plasmons, and excitons) with nanoscale spatial resolution. Recently a new generation of monochromators have become available, opening regimes and unlocking excitations that were previously unobservable in the electron microscope. The capabilities of these new instruments are still being explored, and here we study the effect of monochromation on various aspects of EELS analysis in the infrared (<1 eV) regime. We investigate the effect of varying levels of monochromation on energy resolution, zero-loss peak (ZLP) tail reduction, ZLP tail shape, signal-to-noise-ratio, and spatial resolution. From these experiments, the new capabilities of monochromated EELS are shown to be highly promising for the future of localized spectroscopic analysis.

A spectromicroscope for nanophysics

The new generation of spectromicroscopes opens up new fields of nanophysics. Beyond the impressive spatial and spectral resolutions delivered by these new instruments - an obvious example being the Hermes machine conceived, designed and built by O. L. Krivanek, who is honoured in this journal issue - here we wish to address the motivations and conditions required to get the best out of them. We first coarsely sketch the panorama of physical excitations worth motivating the use of ultra-high resolution spectroscopy techniques in STEMs. We then give general considerations on the use of combined spectroscopy techniques, reciprocal space measurements and additional time-resolved experiments to complement the wealth of the physical insights provided by the new-generation spectromicroscopes. We then comment on the newly enhanced mechanical and high voltage stabilities and their effects on the accuracy of spectroscopic measurements. The use of temperature-dependent experiments, to bring electron spectroscopy techniques to the standard of other condensed matter physics techniques such as optical and X-ray spectroscopy, is also described. We finish by evaluating the impact of other breakthrough developments, such as energy gain electron spectroscopy or electron-phase manipulation, on the use of ultra-high resolution spectromicroscopes.

Effect of the van der Waals interaction on the electron energy-loss near edge structure theoretical calculation

The effect of the van der Waals (vdW) interaction on the simulation of the electron energy-loss near edge structure (ELNES) by a first-principles band-structure calculation is reported. The effect of the vdW interaction is considered by the Tkatchenko-Scheffler scheme, and the change of the spectrum profile and the energy shift are discussed. We perform calculations on systems in the solid, liquid and gaseous states. The transition energy shifts to lower energy by approximately 0.1eV in the condensed (solid and liquid) systems by introducing the vdW effect into the calculation, whereas the energy shift in the gaseous models is negligible owing to the long intermolecular distance. We reveal that the vdW interaction exhibits a larger effect on the excited state than the ground state owing to the presence of an excited electron in the unoccupied band. Moreover, the vdW effect is found to depend on the local electron density and the molecular coordination. In addition, this study suggests that the detection of the vdW interactions exhibited within materials is possible by a very stable and high resolution observation.

Correlated 3D Nanoscale Mapping and Simulation of Coupled Plasmonic Nanoparticles

Electron tomography in combination with electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) experiments and simulations was used to unravel the interplay between structure and plasmonic properties of a silver nanocuboid dimer. The precise 3D geometry of the particles fabricated by means of electron beam lithography was reconstructed through electron tomography, and the full three-dimensional information was used as an input for simulations of energy-loss spectra and plasmon resonance maps. Excellent agreement between experiment and theory was found throughout, bringing the comparison between EELS imaging and simulations to a quantitative and correlative level. In addition, interface mode patterns, normally masked by the projection nature of a transmission microscopy investigation, could be unambiguously identified through tomographic reconstruction. This work overcomes the need for geometrical assumptions or symmetry restrictions of the sample in simulations and paves the way for detailed investigations of realistic and complex plasmonic nanostructures.

Tuning Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance in Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy Probes

A reproducible route for tuning localized surface plasmon resonance in scattering type near-field optical microscopy probes is presented. The method is based on the production of a focused-ion-beam milled single groove near the apex of electrochemically etched gold tips. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy are employed to obtain highly spatially and spectroscopically resolved maps of the milled probes, revealing localized surface plasmon resonance at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. By changing the distance L between the groove and the probe apex, the localized surface plasmon resonance energy can be fine-tuned at a desired absorption channel. Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy is applied as a test platform, and the results prove the reliability of the method to produce efficient scattering type near-field optical microscopy probes.

Toward 10 meV electron energy-loss spectroscopy resolution for plasmonics

Energy resolution is one of the most important parameters in electron energy-loss spectroscopy. This is especially true for measurement of surface plasmon resonances, where high-energy resolution is crucial for resolving individual resonance peaks, in particular close to the zero-loss peak. In this work, we improve the energy resolution of electron energy-loss spectra of surface plasmon resonances, acquired with a monochromated beam in a scanning transmission electron microscope, by the use of the Richardson-Lucy deconvolution algorithm. We test the performance of the algorithm in a simulated spectrum and then apply it to experimental energy-loss spectra of a lithographically patterned silver nanorod. By reduction of the point spread function of the spectrum, we are able to identify low-energy surface plasmon peaks in spectra, more localized features, and higher contrast in surface plasmon energy-filtered maps. Thanks to the combination of a monochromated beam and the Richardson-Lucy algorithm, we improve the effective resolution down to 30 meV, and evidence of success up to 10 meV resolution for losses below 1 eV. We also propose, implement, and test two methods to limit the number of iterations in the algorithm. The first method is based on noise measurement and analysis, while in the second we monitor the change of slope in the deconvolved spectrum.

Thickness measurements using photonic modes in monochromated electron energy-loss spectroscopy

Characteristic energies of photonic modes are a sensitive function of a nanostructures' geometrical parameters. In the case of translationally invariant planar waveguides, the eigen-energies reside in the infrared to ultraviolet parts of the optical spectrum and they sensitively depend on the thickness of the waveguide. Using swift electrons and the inherent Cherenkov radiation in dielectrics, the energies of such photonic states can be effectively probed via monochromated electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). Here, by exploiting the strong photonic signals in EELS with 200 keV electrons, we correlate the energies of waveguide peaks in the 0.5-3.5 eV range with planar thicknesses of the samples. This procedure enables us to measure the thicknesses of cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy samples over a 1-500 nm range and with best-case accuracies below ± 2%. The measurements are absolute with the only requirement being the optical dielectric function of the material. Furthermore, we provide empirical formulation for rapid and direct thickness estimations for a 50-500 nm range. We demonstrate the methodology for two semiconducting materials, silicon and gallium arsenide, and discuss how it can be applied to other dielectrics that produce strong optical fingerprints in EELS. The asymptotic form of the loss function for two-dimensional materials is also discussed.

Signatures of Fano interferences in the electron energy loss spectroscopy and cathodoluminescence of symmetry-broken nanorod dimers

Through numerical simulation, we predict the existence of the Fano interference effect in the electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and cathodoluminescence (CL) of symmetry-broken nanorod dimers that are heterogeneous in material composition and asymmetric in length. The differing selection rules of the electron probe in comparison to the photon of a plane wave allow for the simultaneous excitation of both optically bright and dark plasmons of each monomer unit, suggesting that Fano resonances will not arise in EELS and CL. Yet, interferences are manifested in the dimer's scattered near- and far-fields and are evident in EELS and CL due to the rapid π-phase offset in the polarizations between super-radiant and subradiant hybridized plasmon modes of the dimer as a function of the energy loss suffered by the impinging electron. Depending upon the location of the electron beam, we demonstrate the conditions under which Fano interferences will be present in both optical and electron spectroscopies (EELS and CL) as well as a new class of Fano interferences that are uniquely electron-driven and are absent in the optical response. Among other things, the knowledge gained from this work bears impact upon the design of some of the world's most sensitive sensors, which are currently based upon Fano resonances.

Understanding Plasmonic Properties in Metallic Nanostructures by Correlating Photonic and Electronic Excitations

A large number of optical phenomena rely on the excitation of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR) in metallic nanostructures. Electron-energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) has emerged as a technique capable of mapping plasmonic properties on length scales 100 times smaller than optical wavelengths. While this technique is promising, the connection between electron-driven plasmons, encountered in EELS, and photon-driven plasmons, encountered in plasmonic devices, is not well understood. This Perspective highlights some of the contributions that have been made in correlating optical scattering and STEM/EELS from the exact same nanostructures. The experimental observations are further elucidated by comparison with theoretical calculations obtained from the electron-driven discrete dipole approximation, which provides a method to calculate EEL spectra for nanoparticles of arbitrary shape. Applications of plasmon mapping to the electromagnetic hot-spots encountered in single-molecule surface-enhanced Raman scattering and electron beam induced damage in silver nanocubes are discussed. It is anticipated that the complementarity of both techniques will address issues in fundamental and applied plasmonics going forward.

Quantifying the low-energy limit and spectral resolution in valence electron energy loss spectroscopy

While the development of monochromators for scanning transmission electron microscopes (STEM) has improved our ability to resolve spectral features in the 0-5 eV energy range of the electron energy loss spectrum, the overall benefits relative to unfiltered microscopes have been difficult to quantify. Simple curve fitting and reciprocal space models that extrapolate the expected behavior of the zero-loss peak are not enough to fully exploit the optimal spectral limit and can hinder the ease of interpreting the resulting spectra due to processing-induced artifacts. To address this issue, here we present a quantitative comparison of two processing methods for performing ZLP removal and for defining the low-energy spectral limit applied to three microscopes with different intrinsic emission and energy resolutions. Applying the processing techniques to spectroscopic data obtained from each instrument leads in each case to a marked improvement in the spectroscopic limit, regardless of the technique implemented or the microscope setup. The example application chosen to benchmark these processing techniques is the energy limit obtained from a silicon wedge sample as a function of thickness. Based on these results, we conclude on the possibility to resolve statistically significant spectral features to within a hundred meV of the native instrumental energy spread, opening up the future prospect of tracking phonon peaks as new and improved hardware becomes available.

Single-photon generation by electron beams

We propose a drastically new method for generating single photons in a deterministic way by interaction of electron beams with optical waveguides. We find a single swift electron to produce a guided photon with large probability. The change in energy and propagation direction of the electron reveals the creation of a photon, with the photon energy directly read from the energy-loss spectrum or the beam displacement. Our study demonstrates the viability of deterministically creating single guided photons using electron beams with better than picosecond time uncertainty, thus opening a new avenue for making room temperature, heralded frequency-tunable sources affordable for scientific and commercial developments.

High resolution mapping of surface reduction in ceria nanoparticles

Surface reduction of ceria nano octahedra with predominant {111} and {100} type surfaces is studied using a combination of aberration-corrected Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and spatially resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) at high energy resolution and atomic spatial resolution. The valency of cerium ions at the surface of the nanoparticles is mapped using the fine structure of the Ce M(4,5) edge as a fingerprint. The valency of the surface cerium ions is found to change from 4+ to 3+ owing to oxygen deficiency (vacancies) close to the surface. The thickness of this Ce(3+) shell is measured using atomic-resolution Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM)-EELS mapping over a {111} surface (the predominant facet for this ceria morphology), {111} type surface island steps and {100} terminating planes. For the {111} facets and for {111} surface islands, the reduction shell is found to extend over a single fully reduced surface plane and 1-2 underlying mixed valency planes. For the {100} facets the reduction shell extends over a larger area of 5-6 oxygen vacancy-rich planes. This finding provides a plausible explanation for the higher catalytic activity of the {100} surface facets in ceria.

Measuring the dielectric constant of materials from valence EELS

Valence EELS combined with STEM provides an approach to determine the dielectric constant of materials in the optical range of frequencies. The paper describes the experimental procedure and discusses the critical aspects of valence electron energy-loss spectroscopy (VEELS) treatment. In particular, the relativistic losses might affect strongly the results, and therefore they have to be subtracted from the spectra prior the analysis. The normalization of the energy-loss function is performed assuming an uniform thickness of the investigated area, which is reasonably fulfilled for carefully prepared FIB samples. This procedure requires the presence of at least one reference material with known dielectric properties to determine the absolute thickness. Examples of measuring the dielectric constant for several materials and structures are presented.

Optical gap measurements on individual boron nitride nanotubes by electron energy loss spectroscopy

Electromagnetic response of individual boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) has been studied by spatially resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). We demonstrate how dedicated EELS methods using subnanometer electron probes permit the analysis of local dielectric properties of a material on a nanometer scale. The continuum dielectric model has been used to analyze the low-loss EEL spectra recorded from these tubes. Using this model, we demonstrate the weak influence of the out-of-plane contribution to the dielectric response of BNNTs. The optical gap, which can be deduced from the measurements, is found to be equal to 5.8 +/- 0.2 eV, which is close to that of the hexagonal boron nitride. This value is found to be independent of the nanotubes configuration (diameter, helicity, number of walls, and interaction between the different walls).

Fourier-ratio deconvolution and its Bayesian equivalent

We discuss how an inner-shell electron energy-loss spectrum can be processed using Bayesian (maximum-entropy or maximum-likelihood) deconvolution to simultaneously remove plural scattering and improve the energy resolution. As in Fourier-ratio deconvolution, a low-loss spectrum (recorded from the same area of specimen) is used as a kernel or resolution function. This procedure avoids the need to record the zero-loss peak in the absence of a specimen and uncertainties related to the width of the zero-loss peak. Unlike the case of Fourier-ratio deconvolution, we find that core-loss data do not require pre-edge background subtraction and extrapolation towards zero intensity; simply matching the intensity at both ends of the region is usually sufficient to avoid oscillatory artifacts. Using the low-loss spectrum as both data and kernel yields a zero-loss peak whose width provides an indication of the energy resolution as a function of the number of iterations. Finally, we argue that Fourier-ratio deconvolution or its Bayesian equivalent is the correct way to remove the substrate or matrix contribution to an energy-loss spectrum recorded from a particle on a substrate or embedded in a matrix.