A Correlative Study of Interfacial Segregation in a Cu-Doped TiNiSn Thermoelectric half-Heusler Alloy

The performance of thermoelectric materials depends on both their atomic-scale chemistry and the nature of microstructural details such as grain boundaries and inclusions. Here, the elemental distribution throughout a TiNiCu_0.1Sn thermoelectric material has been examined in a correlative study deploying atom-probe tomography (APT) and electron microscopies and spectroscopies. Elemental mapping and electron diffraction reveal two distinct types of grain boundary that are either topologically rough and meandering in profile or more regular and geometric. Transmission electron microscopy studies indicate that the Cu dopant segregates at both grain boundary types, attributed to extrusion from the bulk during hot-pressing. The geometric boundaries are found to have a degree of crystallographic coherence between neighboring grains; the rough boundaries are decorated with oxide impurity precipitates. APT was used to study the three-dimensional character of rough grain boundaries and reveals that Cu is present as discrete, elongated nanoprecipitates cosegregating alongside larger substoichiometric titanium oxide precipitates. Away from the grain boundary, the alloy microstructure is relatively homogeneous, and the atom-probe results suggest a statistical and uniform distribution of Cu with no evidence for segregation within grains. The extrusion suggests a solubility limit for Cu in the bulk material, with the potential to influence carrier and phonon transport properties across grain boundaries. These results underline the importance of fully understanding localized variations in chemistry that influence the functionality of materials, particularly at grain boundaries.

Open and strong-scaling tools for atom-probe crystallography: high-throughput methods for indexing crystal structure and orientation

Volumetric crystal structure indexing and orientation mapping are key data processing steps for virtually any quantitative study of spatial correlations between the local chemical composition features and the microstructure of a material. For electron and X-ray diffraction methods it is possible to develop indexing tools which compare measured and analytically computed patterns to decode the structure and relative orientation within local regions of interest. Consequently, a number of numerically efficient and automated software tools exist to solve the above characterization tasks. For atom-probe tomography (APT) experiments, however, the strategy of making comparisons between measured and analytically computed patterns is less robust because many APT data sets contain substantial noise. Given that sufficiently general predictive models for such noise remain elusive, crystallography tools for APT face several limitations: their robustness to noise is limited, and therefore so too is their capability to identify and distinguish different crystal structures and orientations. In addition, the tools are sequential and demand substantial manual interaction. In combination, this makes robust uncertainty quantification with automated high-throughput studies of the latent crystallographic information a difficult task with APT data. To improve the situation, the existing methods are reviewed and how they link to the methods currently used by the electron and X-ray diffraction communities is discussed. As a result of this, some of the APT methods are modified to yield more robust descriptors of the atomic arrangement. Also reported is how this enables the development of an open-source software tool for strong scaling and automated identification of a crystal structure, and the mapping of crystal orientation in nanocrystalline APT data sets with multiple phases.

My Life With Erwin: The Beginning of an Atom-Probe Legacy

The atom-probe field ion microscope was introduced in 1967 at the 14th Field Emission Symposium held at the National Bureau of Standards (now, NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The atom-probe field ion microscope was, and remains, the only instrument capable of determining "the nature of one single atom seen on a metal surface and selected from neighboring atoms at the discretion of the observer". The development of the atom-probe is a story of an instrument that one National Science Foundation (NSF) reviewer called "impossible because single atoms could not be detected". It is also a story of my life with Erwin Wilhelm Müller as his graduate student in the Field Emission Laboratory at the Pennsylvania State University in the late 1960s and his strong and volatile personality, perhaps fostered by his pedigree as Gustav Hertz's student in the Berlin of the 1930s. It is the story that has defined by scientific career.

Three-Dimensional Atomistic Tomography of W-Based Alloyed Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

Increased interest in two-dimensional (2D) materials and heterostructures for use as components of electrical devices has led to the use of an atomically mixed phase between semiconducting and metallic transition metal dichalcogenides that exhibited enhanced interfacial characteristics. To understand the lattice structure and properties of 2D materials on the atomic scale, diverse characterization methods such as Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) have been applied. However, determination of the exact chemical distribution, which is a critical factor for the interfacial layer, was hindered by limitations of these typical methods. In this work, atom-probe tomography (APT) was introduced for the first time to analyze the three-dimensional atomic distribution and composition variation of the atomic-scale multilayered alloy structure W _xNb_{(1- x)}Se₂. Composition profiles and theoretical calculations for each atom demonstrated the reaction kinetics and stoichiometric inhomogeneity of the W _xNb_{(1- x)}Se₂ layer. The role of the intermediate layer was investigated by fabrication of a WSe₂-based field-effect transistor. Introduction of W _xNb_{(1- x)}Se₂ between metallic NbSe₂ and semiconducting WSe₂ layers resulted in improved charge transport with lowering of the contact barrier.

1-D Metal Nanobead Arrays within Encapsulated Nanowires via a Red-Ox-Induced Dewetting: Mechanism Study by Atom-Probe Tomography

Metal nanoparticle arrays are excellent candidates for a variety of applications due to the versatility of their morphology and structure at the nanoscale. Bottom-up self-assembly of metal nanoparticles provides an important complementary alternative to the traditional top-down lithography method and makes it possible to assemble structures with higher-order complexity, for example, nanospheres, nanocubes, and core-shell nanostructures. Here we present a mechanism study of the self-assembly process of 1-D noble metal nanoparticles arrays, composed of Au, Ag, and AuAg alloy nanoparticles. These are prepared within an encapsulated germanium nanowire, obtained by the oxidation of a metal-germanium nanowire hybrid structure. The resulting structure is a 1-D array of equidistant metal nanoparticles with the same diameter, the so-called nanobead (NB) array structure. Atom-probe tomography and transmission electron microscopy were utilized to investigate the details of the morphological and chemical evolution during the oxidation of the encapsulated metal-germanium nanowire hybrid-structures. The self-assembly of nanoparticles relies on the formation of a metal-germanium liquid alloy and the migration of the liquid alloy into the nanowire, followed by dewetting of the liquid during shape-confined oxidation where the liquid column breaks-up into nanoparticles due to the Plateau-Rayleigh instability. Our results demonstrate that the encapsulating oxide layer serves as a structural scaffold, retaining the overall shape during the eutectic liquid formation and demonstrates the relationship between the oxide mechanical properties and the final structural characteristics of the 1-D arrays. The mechanistic details revealed here provide a versatile tool-box for the bottom-up fabrication of 1-D arrays nanopatterning that can be modified for multiple applications according to the RedOx properties of the material system components.

Nanowire Kinking Modulates Doping Profiles by Reshaping the Liquid-Solid Growth Interface

Dopants modify the electronic properties of semiconductors, including their susceptibility to etching. In semiconductor nanowires doped during growth by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process, it has been shown that nanofaceting of the liquid-solid growth interface influences strongly the radial distribution of dopants. Hence, the combination of facet-dependent doping and dopant selective etching provides a means to tune simultaneously the electronic properties and morphologies of nanowires. Using atom-probe tomography, we investigated the boron dopant distribution in Au catalyzed VLS grown silicon nanowires, which regularly kink between equivalent ⟨112⟩ directions. Segments alternate between radially uniform and nonuniform doping profiles, which we attribute to switching between a concave and convex faceted liquid-solid interface. Dopant selective etching was used to reveal and correlate the shape of the growth interface with the observed anisotropic doping.

Analysis of Nanoprecipitates in a Na-Doped PbTe-SrTe Thermoelectric Material with a High Figure of Merit

The dimensionless figure of merit, ZT, of bulk thermoelectric materials depends mainly on the transport properties of charge carriers and heat-carrying phonons. PbTe-4 mol % SrTe doped with 2 mol % Na (Pb_0.94Na_0.02Sr_0.04Te) is a nanostructured material system that exhibits a ZT higher than 2. The precipitate size distribution of SrTe precipitates is believed to play a key role. This raises the question of whether its performance is limited by precipitate coarsening (Ostwald ripening) at elevated temperatures. Herein, we utilize an atom-probe tomography (APT) to study the number density and mean radii of precipitates in concert with partial radial distribution functions (RDFs) of individual atoms. We find that the SrTe precipitates actually contain oxygen: SrTe_1-xO_x. We correlate this information with the overall ZT performance, specifically focusing on the electrical and lattice thermal conductivities after isothermal heat treatments at 300 and 400 °C for 7 days, followed by furnace cooling. Comparison of the samples annealed at 400 and 300 °C demonstrates significant coarsening of SrTe_1-xO_x precipitates as well as strong segregation of oxygen impurities in the SrTe_1-xO_x precipitates. Additionally, on the basis of the partial RDFs, the Na dopant atoms cluster with other Na atoms as well as with Pb, Te, and Sr atoms; clustering depends strongly on the annealing temperature and concomitantly affects the overall ZT values. We found that the coarsening slightly increases the lattice thermal conductivity and also increases the electrical conductivity, thereby having little or even a beneficial effect on the ZT values. Importantly, these findings demonstrate that APT enables quantitative analyses in three dimensions of the PbTe-4 mol % SrTe samples in addition to correlation of their properties with the thermoelectric performance.

Direct observation of incommensurate structure in Mo3Si

Z-contrast imaging, electron diffraction, atom-probe tomography (APT) and density functional theory calculations were used to study the crystal structure of the Mo₃Si phase which was previously reported to have an A15 crystal structure. The results showed that Mo₃Si has an incommensurate crystal structure with a non-cubic unit cell. The small off-stoichiometry in composition of the sample which was revealed by APT and atomic resolution Z-contrast imaging suggested that site substitution caused the development of split atomic positions, disorder and vacancies.

Deformation-Induced Martensite: A New Paradigm for Exceptional Steels

Martensite steel is induced from pearlitic steel by a newly discovered method, which is completely different from the traditional route of quenching austenitic steel. Both experimental and theoretical studies demonstrate that Fe-C martensite forms by severe deformation at room temperature. The new mechanism identified here opens a paths to material-design strategies based on deformation-driven nanoscale phase transformations.

Dopant Diffusion and Activation in Silicon Nanowires Fabricated by ex Situ Doping: A Correlative Study via Atom-Probe Tomography and Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy

Dopants play a critical role in modulating the electric properties of semiconducting materials, ranging from bulk to nanoscale semiconductors, nanowires, and quantum dots. The application of traditional doping methods developed for bulk materials involves additional considerations for nanoscale semiconductors because of the influence of surfaces and stochastic fluctuations, which may become significant at the nanometer-scale level. Monolayer doping is an ex situ doping method that permits the post growth doping of nanowires. Herein, using atom-probe tomography (APT) with subnanometer spatial resolution and atomic-ppm detection limit, we study the distributions of boron and phosphorus in ex situ doped silicon nanowires with accurate control. A highly phosphorus doped outer region and a uniformly boron doped interior are observed, which are not predicted by criteria based on bulk silicon. These phenomena are explained by fast interfacial diffusion of phosphorus and enhanced bulk diffusion of boron, respectively. The APT results are compared with scanning tunneling spectroscopy data, which yields information concerning the electrically active dopants. Overall, comparing the information obtained by the two methods permits us to evaluate the diffusivities of each different dopant type at the nanowire oxide, interface, and core regions. The combined data sets permit us to evaluate the electrical activation and compensation of the dopants in different regions of the nanowires and understand the details that lead to the sharp p-i-n junctions formed across the nanowire for the ex situ doping process.

Atom-Probe Tomographic Analyses of Hydrogen Interstitial Atoms in Ultrahigh Purity Niobium

Atomic-scale characterization of hydrogen and formation of niobium hydrides, using ultraviolet (wavelength=355 nm) picosecond laser-assisted local-electrode atom-probe tomography, was performed for ultrahigh purity niobium utilizing different laser pulse energies, 10 or 50 pJ/pulse or voltage pulsing. At 50 pJ/pulse, hydrogen atoms migrate onto the 110 and 111 poles as a result of stimulated surface diffusion, whereas they are immobile for <10 pJ/pulse or for voltage pulsing. Accordingly, the highest concentrations of H and NbH were obtained at 50 pJ/pulse. This is attributed to the thermal energy of the laser pulses being transferred to pure niobium specimens. Therefore, we examined the effects of the laser pulse energy being increased systematically from 1 to 20 pJ/pulse and then decreasing it from 20 to 1 pJ/pulse. The concentrations of H, H2, and NbH and the atomic concentration ratios H2/H, NbH/Nb, and Nb3+/Nb2+ were calculated with respect to the systematically changing laser pulse energies. The atomic concentration ratios H2/H and NbH/Nb are greater when decreasing the laser pulse energy than when increasing it, because the higher residual thermal energy after decreasing the laser pulse energy increases the mobility of H atoms by supplying sufficient thermal energy to form H2 or NbH.