Imaging and electron energy-loss spectroscopy using single nanosecond electron pulses.

We implement a parametric study with single electron pulses having a 7 ns duration to find the optimal conditions for imaging, diffraction, and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in the single-shot approach. Photoelectron pulses are generated by illuminating a flat tantalum cathode with 213 nm nanosecond laser pulses in a 200 kV transmission electron microscope (TEM) with thermionic gun and Wehnelt electrode. For the first time, an EEL spectrometer is used to measure the energy distribution of single nanosecond electron pulses which is crucial for understanding the ideal imaging conditions of the single-shot approach. By varying the laser power, the Wehnelt bias, and the condenser lens settings, the optimum TEM operation conditions for the single-shot approach are revealed. Due to space charge and the Boersch effect, the energy width of the pulses under maximized emission conditions is far too high for imaging or spectroscopy. However, by using the Wehnelt electrode as an energy filter, the energy width of the pulses can be reduced to 2 eV, though at the expense of intensity. The first EEL spectra taken with nanosecond electron pulses are shown in this study. With 7 ns pulses, an image resolution of 25 nm is attained. It is shown how the spherical and chromatic aberrations of the objective lens as well as shot noise limit the resolution. We summarize by giving perspectives for improving the single-shot time-resolved approach by using aberration correction.

Directed assembly of gold nanowires on silicon via reorganization and simultaneous fusion of randomly distributed gold nanoparticles.

Laser-induced reorganization and simultaneous fusion of nanoparticles is introduced as a versatile concept for pattern formation on surfaces. The process takes advantage of a phenomenon called laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) which originates from periodically alternating photonic fringe patterns in the near-field of solids. Associated photonic fringe patterns are shown to reorganize randomly distributed gold nanoparticles on a silicon wafer into periodic gold nanostructures. Concomitant melting due to optical heating facilitates the formation of continuous structures such as periodic gold nanowire arrays. Generated patterns can be converted into secondary structures using directed assembly or self-organization. This includes for example the rotation of gold nanowire arrays by arbitrary angles or their fragmentation into arrays of aligned gold nanoparticles.