RESUMO
Fluctuation electron microscopy can reveal the nanoscale order in amorphous materials via the statistical variance in the scattering intensity as a function of position, scattering vector, and resolution. However, several sources of experimental artifacts can seriously affect the magnitude of the variance peaks. The use of a scanning transmission electron microscope for data collection affords a convenient means to check whether artifacts are present. As nanodiffraction patterns are collected in serial, any spatial or temporal dependence of the scattering intensity across the series can easily be detected. We present examples of the major types of artifact and methods to correct the data or to avoid the problem experimentally. We also re-cast the statistical formalism used to identify sources of noise in view of the present results. The present work provides a basis on which to perform fluctuation electron microscopy with a high level of reliability and confidence in the quantitative magnitude of the data.
RESUMO
Phase transformation generally begins with nucleation, in which a small aggregate of atoms organizes into a different structural symmetry. The thermodynamic driving forces and kinetic rates have been predicted by classical nucleation theory, but observation of nanometer-scale nuclei has not been possible, except on exposed surfaces. We used a statistical technique called fluctuation transmission electron microscopy to detect nuclei embedded in a glassy solid, and we used a laser pump-probe technique to determine the role of these nuclei in crystallization. This study provides a convincing proof of the time- and temperature-dependent development of nuclei, information that will play a critical role in the development of advanced materials for phase-change memories.
