Is the Ne operation of the helium ion microscope suitable for electron backscatter diffraction sample preparation?

• Annalena Wolff

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 965–983, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.73

• , then the overall damage to the specimen is reduced. Keywords: electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD); Ga; helium ion microscope (HIM); ion polishing; Ne; Introduction The helium ion microscope (HIM) has sparked interest in many disciplines since its commercial release in the first decade of the 21st

• HIM (Orion Nanofab) is used for nowadays is supported by using up to three different ion species (He, Ne, and Ga). The versatility in its application can be understood when considering ion–solid interactions which occur when an energetic ion interacts with a specimen. An overview of the different

• challenging stress/strain analysis. Irradiation of copper at 0° incidence angle To assess the effect of ion irradiation, the copper TEM lamella grids were irradiated with Ga ions using a Ga FIB/SEM or Ne ions using HIM. An ion dose of 3371 ions/nm2 was chosen to allow a comparison with a previously reported

A review of defect engineering, ion implantation, and nanofabrication using the helium ion microscope

• Frances I. Allen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 633–664, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.52

• ; focused helium ion beam-induced deposition; focused helium ion beam milling; helium ion beam lithography; helium ion implantation; Introduction Since the helium ion microscope (HIM) was introduced 15 years ago [1][2][3], over one hundred HIMs have been installed worldwide and over one thousand research

• papers enabled by the HIM have been published. True to its classification as a microscope, and indeed its originally intended purpose, the HIM is widely used for microscopy. The microscopy functionality is primarily based on the detection of the secondary electrons that are generated by the finely

• focused ion beam as it is scanned across the sample. Compared with the scanning electron microscope (SEM), the HIM offers enhanced surface sensitivity, greater topographic contrast, and a larger depth of field [4][5]. A charge-neutralization system based on flooding the scanned region with low-energy

The patterning toolbox FIB-o-mat: Exploiting the full potential of focused helium ions for nanofabrication

• Victor Deinhart,
• Lisa-Marie Kern,
• Jan N. Kirchhof,
• Sabrina Juergensen,
• Joris Sturm,
• Enno Krauss,
• Thorsten Feichtner,
• Sviatoslav Kovalchuk,
• Michael Schneider,
• Dieter Engel,
• Bastian Pfau,
• Bert Hecht,
• Kirill I. Bolotin,
• Stephanie Reich and
• Katja Höflich

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 304–318, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.25

• . In contrast, the recently emerged helium ion microscopes (HIM) provide beam spot sizes below 1 nm [5]. The beam is formed by ionizing helium (He) atoms at an atomically sharp tip consisting of three tungsten atoms (trimer). The trimer is metastable and has to be reformed at irregular time intervals

• electrically contact the graphene sheet and actuate the resonators electrostatically. The motion of the devices is detected using a Michelson interferometer [48]. Figure 6a depicts a secondary electron HIM image of a patterned trampoline graphene resonator. A He ion current of 3 pA was employed at an

• patterned in a gold flake of about 40 nm thickness using He beam milling for the complete antenna and not only for separating individual parts of a pre-fabricated antenna. Figure 8a depicts the secondary electron HIM image of a tetramer patterned using a similar low-level beam path as used for the tetramer

Scanning transmission helium ion microscopy on carbon nanomembranes

• Daniel Emmrich,
• Annalena Wolff,
• Nikolaus Meyerbröker,
• Jörg K. N. Lindner,
• André Beyer and
• Armin Gölzhäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 222–231, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.18

• energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy measurements. Keywords: carbon nanomembranes; dark field; helium ion microscopy (HIM); scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM); SRIM simulations; Introduction Throughout the past decade, the helium ion microscope (HIM) has emerged as a versatile

• capability is the ability to record charge-compensated images on insulating samples such as biological specimen or polymers without requiring a conductive coating layer [2][3][4]. In addition, the ability to record images with high signal-to-noise ratio while using low beam currents (the HIM creates up to

• five times more secondary electrons (SE) than an SEM [5]) is advantageous when working with beam-sensitive samples. An overview of the imaging as well as recently added analytical capabilities using secondary ion mass spectroscopy can be found in a recent review [6]. Beyond imaging, the HIM has been

Imaging of SARS-CoV-2 infected Vero E6 cells by helium ion microscopy

• Natalie Frese,
• Patrick Schmerer,
• Martin Wortmann,
• Matthias Schürmann,
• Matthias König,
• Michael Westphal,
• Friedemann Weber,
• Holger Sudhoff and
• Armin Gölzhäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 172–179, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.13

• Helium ion microscopy (HIM) offers the opportunity to obtain direct views of biological samples such as cellular structures, virus particles, and microbial interactions. Imaging with the HIM combines sub-nanometer resolution, large depth of field, and high surface sensitivity. Due to its charge

• compensation capability, the HIM can image insulating biological samples without additional conductive coatings. Here, we present an exploratory HIM study of SARS-CoV-2 infected Vero E6 cells, in which several areas of interaction between cells and virus particles, as well as among virus particles, were imaged

• . The HIM pictures show the three-dimensional appearance of SARS-CoV-2 and the surface of Vero E6 cells at a multiplicity of infection of approximately 1 with great morphological detail. The absence of a conductive coating allows for a distinction between virus particles bound to the cell membrane and

Bio-imaging with the helium-ion microscope: A review

• Matthias Schmidt,
• James M. Byrne and
• Ilari J. Maasilta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1–23, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.1

• of Physics, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä, Finland 10.3762/bjnano.12.1 Abstract Scanning helium-ion microscopy (HIM) is an imaging technique with sub-nanometre resolution and is a powerful tool to resolve some of the tiniest structures in biology. In many aspects, the HIM

• samples, rendering HIM a promising high-resolution imaging technique for biological samples. Starting with studies focused on medical research, the last decade has seen some particularly spectacular high-resolution images in studies focused on plants, microbiology, virology, and geomicrobiology. However

• , HIM is not just an imaging technique. The ability to use the instrument for milling biological objects as small as viruses offers unique opportunities which are not possible with more conventional focused ion beams, such as gallium. Several pioneering technical developments, such as methods to couple

Scanning transmission imaging in the helium ion microscope using a microchannel plate with a delay line detector

• Eduardo Serralta,
• Nico Klingner,
• Olivier De Castro,
• Michael Mousley,
• Santhana Eswara,
• Serge Duarte Pinto,
• Tom Wirtz and
• Gregor Hlawacek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1854–1864, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.167

• based on a microchannel plate with a delay line readout structure has been developed to perform scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) in the helium ion microscope (HIM). This system is an improvement over other existing approaches since it combines the information of the scanning beam position on

• microscopy; scanning transmission ion microscopy; Introduction The helium ion microscope (HIM) is an instrument that has already proven its value for high-resolution imaging, compositional analysis, nanofabrication, and materials modification [1][2]. It generates a focused helium (or neon) ion beam with sub

• -nanometer spot size and rasters it across the sample. The beam can be used for both imaging and modification of samples at the nanometer scale. The standard and most widely used imaging mode in the HIM is using an Everhart–Thornley detector (ET) [3] for collecting secondary electrons (SEs) emitted from the

Imaging and milling resolution of light ion beams from helium ion microscopy and FIBs driven by liquid metal alloy ion sources

• Nico Klingner,
• Gregor Hlawacek,
• Paul Mazarov,
• Wolfgang Pilz,
• Fabian Meyer and
• Lothar Bischoff

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1742–1749, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.156

• resolution. This mass range is of interest due to the interaction of the ions with the near-surface region and, among other use cases, the application of these ions for indirect or resist-aided lithography [3]. The introduction of the helium ion microscope (HIM) [4], working with a gas field ion source (GFIS

• formation of helium bubbles in the substrate when using high fluences [5]. In addition to many imaging applications, HIM has been used to create and study new device concepts, including the fabrication of nanometer-sized ferromagnets [6], the controlled tuning of memristive properties of 2D materials [7

• junctions in high-temperature superconductors [11]. Although HIM is highly suitable for imaging and nanometer-scale patterning, there is a need of focused ion beams other than helium or neon with comparable properties. Alternative developments were made using laser-cooled magneto-optical trap ion sources

Out-of-plane surface patterning by subsurface processing of polymer substrates with focused ion beams

• Serguei Chiriaev,
• Luciana Tavares,
• Vadzim Adashkevich,
• Arkadiusz J. Goszczak and
• Horst-Günter Rubahn

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1693–1703, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.151

• ) show that, within the entire fluence range, He+ FIB irradiation uniformly lowers the surface. High-magnification HIM images (Figure 5b) demonstrate the preservation of the metal film and the presence of cracks in the irradiated and non-irradiated areas of this film. The dependence of the surface

• to avoid possible interactions between the irradiated areas, such as the overlaps originating from transverse ion straggle. The samples were characterized with AFM and HIM. The measurements of the surface height were performed with a Veeco Dimension 3100 AFM instrument in the tapping mode. High

• He+, Ne+, and Ga+ FIBs. Helium ion microscopy (HIM) images of a 5 nm Pt60Pd40/200 nm PMMA sample irradiated at a fluence of 1.2 × 1016 cm−2 with He+ (a) and Ga+ FIB (b). In (a) and (b), dashed lines indicate the border between the irradiated (lower parts) and non-irradiated regions (upper parts

Helium ion microscope – secondary ion mass spectrometry for geological materials

• Matthew R. Ball,
• Richard J. M. Taylor,
• Joshua F. Einsle,
• Fouzia Khanom,
• Christelle Guillermier and
• Richard J. Harrison

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1504–1515, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.133

• Carl Zeiss SMT Inc., Peabody, MA, USA 10.3762/bjnano.11.133 Abstract The helium ion microscope (HIM) is a focussed ion beam instrument with unprecedented spatial resolution for secondary electron imaging but has traditionally lacked microanalytical capabilities. With the addition of the secondary ion

• well as practicalities for geological sample analyses of Li alongside a discussion of potential geological use cases of the HIM–SIMS instrument. Keywords: geoscience; helium ion microscopy (HIM); lithium; secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS); Introduction The helium ion microscope (HIM) is a

• extended to the heavier noble gas neon [2] and may be applicable for even heavier noble gases such as argon. Whilst the HIM was shown to achieve exceptional imaging resolution using secondary electrons generated by the primary ion beam [3][4][5][6], it lacked microanalytical capabilities. There were

An atomic force microscope integrated with a helium ion microscope for correlative nanoscale characterization

• Santiago H. Andany,
• Gregor Hlawacek,
• Stefan Hummel,
• Charlène Brillard,
• Mustafa Kangül and
• Georg E. Fantner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1272–1279, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.111

• -Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden 01328, Germany GETec Microscopy GmbH, Vienna 1220, Austria 10.3762/bjnano.11.111 Abstract In this work, we report on the integration of an atomic force microscope (AFM) into a helium ion microscope (HIM). The HIM is a powerful instrument, capable of imaging and

• performed without contamination of the sample and environmental changes between processing steps. The practicality of the resulting tool lies in the complementarity of the two techniques. The AFM offers not only true 3D topography maps, something the HIM can only provide in an indirect way, but also allows

• for nanomechanical property mapping, as well as for electrical and magnetic characterization of the sample after focused ion beam materials modification with the HIM. The experimental setup is described and evaluated through a series of correlative experiments, demonstrating the feasibility of the

3D superconducting hollow nanowires with tailored diameters grown by focused He⁺ beam direct writing

• Rosa Córdoba,
• Alfonso Ibarra,
• Dominique Mailly,
• Isabel Guillamón,
• Hermann Suderow and
• José María De Teresa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1198–1206, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.104

• relatively large Ga+ beam diameter (approx. 5 nm) and a high proximity effect generated by Ga+ ion scattering. Regarding a higher spatial resolution, the helium ion microscope (HIM) [27], based on a gas field-ionization source, has emerged as a tool for direct writing of complex 3D nano-objects taking

• grown using a HIM. The hollow NW geometry is successfully controlled by tuning the ion beam current and dose from 0.65 to 7 pA and from 0.1 to 0.4 nC, respectively, resulting in NWs with outer diameters from 36 to 142 nm and with inner diameters from 5 to 28 nm, and total length from 0.5 to 8.9 µm

• 3D hollow nanowires by He+ FIBID We use a HIM in combination with a W(CO)6 precursor to grow individual, out-of-plane WC NWs in a single step, controlling inner and outer diameter and total length. The precursor gas is delivered to the process chamber and adsorbed onto the substrate surface, while

Stationary beam full-field transmission helium ion microscopy using sub-50 keV He⁺: Projected images and intensity patterns

• Michael Mousley,
• Santhana Eswara,
• Olivier De Castro,
• Olivier Bouton,
• Nico Klingner,
• Christoph T. Koch,
• Gregor Hlawacek and
• Tom Wirtz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1648–1657, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.160

• (THIM) for sub-50 keV helium has been constructed to investigate ion scattering processes and contrast mechanisms, aiding the development of new imaging and analysis modalities. Unlike a commercial helium ion microscope (HIM), the in-house built instrument allows full flexibility in experimental

• , but not for Au-coated MgO. The origin of the spot patterns in these samples was investigated. Surface diffraction of ions was excluded as a possible cause because the recorded scattering angles do not correspond to the predicted Bragg angles. Complementary secondary electron (SE) imaging in the HIM

• addition to the lower energy of the secondary electron (SE) emission [3], the absence of back-scattered electrons allows imaging with a He+ probe to be more surface sensitive than imaging with an electron probe. For these reasons, helium ion microscopy (HIM) is increasingly being used to study a wide range

Size limits of magnetic-domain engineering in continuous in-plane exchange-bias prototype films

• Alexander Gaul,
• Daniel Emmrich,
• Timo Ueltzhöffer,
• Henning Huckfeldt,
• Hatice Doğanay,
• Johanna Hackl,
• Muhammad Imtiaz Khan,
• Daniel M. Gottlob,
• Gregor Hartmann,
• André Beyer,
• Dennis Holzinger,
• Slavomír Nemšák,
• Claus M. Schneider,
• Armin Gölzhäuser,
• Günter Reiss and
• Arno Ehresmann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2968–2979, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.276

• present there is no method available where the lateral resolution is considerably higher as the expected minimum pattern sizes. Here we suggest mask-less patterning by the highly focused beam of a helium ion microscope (HIM), to lower the limits of ion beam induced magnetic pattering in continuous layer

• widths b of 5 μm, 2 μm, 1 μm, 500 nm, 200 nm and 100 nm were written by HIM in an external magnetic field, applied antiparallel to the initial EB field. For b ≥ 500 nm, the stripe repetition number was chosen to be N = 5, whereas for b < 500 nm, N = 10. The magnetic charge contrast of this pattern

• ferromagnetic (F) layer has been initialized by heating at 573 K for 90 min and subsequent cooling at a rate of 1 K·min−1 for 300 min to room temperature in an external magnetic field of 80 kA·m−1. HIM patterning A commercial HIM (Zeiss Orion Plus) has been modified with a sample holder allowing for the

Site-controlled formation of single Si nanocrystals in a buried SiO₂ matrix using ion beam mixing

• Xiaomo Xu,
• Thomas Prüfer,
• Daniel Wolf,
• Hans-Jürgen Engelmann,
• Lothar Bischoff,
• René Hübner,
• Karl-Heinz Heinig,
• Wolfhard Möller,
• Stefan Facsko,
• Johannes von Borany and
• Gregor Hlawacek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2883–2892, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.267

• precise irradiation. The recent advance in noble gas ion microscopy, in particular the availability of a highly focused Ne+ beam from a helium ion microscope (HIM), provides ultimate control over the irradiation geometry and fluence [23][24], which leads to a minimal mixed volume and the formation of a

• is supported by computer simulations of the ion beam mixing and phase separation process. Second, a systematic study of Si+ NC formation is reported, to define optimized irradiation and annealing parameters. Third, these parameters are adapted to the FIB approach using the HIM. For this scenario

• ) irradiation was performed using a helium ion microscope (HIM) [24][32] (ORION NanoFab, Carl Zeiss). Ne+ ions with an energy of 25 keV were used for ion beam mixing and imaging with either He or Ne was kept to a minimum to avoid additional unintentional damage and mixing. A 10 μm molybdenum aperture was used

Charged particle single nanometre manufacturing

• Philip D. Prewett,
• Cornelis W. Hagen,
• Claudia Lenk,
• Steve Lenk,
• Marcus Kaestner,
• Tzvetan Ivanov,
• Ahmad Ahmad,
• Ivo W. Rangelow,
• Xiaoqing Shi,
• Stuart A. Boden,
• Alex P. G. Robinson,
• Dongxu Yang,
• Sangeetha Hari,
• Marijke Scotuzzi and
• Ejaz Huq

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2855–2882, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.266

Nanostructured liquid crystal systems and applications

• Alexei R. Khokhlov and
• Alexander V. Emelyanenko

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2644–2645, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.245

• named after him. However, this effect did not find application at that time. It was not until 1965 that the active investigation of liquid crystals began, and the first display device using the twisted nematic field was patented by the American inventor James Fergason in 1969. LCDs are now an industry

Defect formation in multiwalled carbon nanotubes under low-energy He and Ne ion irradiation

• Santhana Eswara,
• Jean-Nicolas Audinot,
• Brahime El Adib,
• Maël Guennou,
• Tom Wirtz and
• Patrick Philipp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1951–1963, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.186

• directly related to the number of defects in CNTs [30], or X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) which provides some information on the chemical environment of the carbon atoms [31]. In this context, it is to be noted that helium ion microscopy (HIM) has received increasing attention recently as a high

• -resolution imaging tool [32][33]. A He+ or Ne+ ion beam can be used to irradiated the samples with an impact energy in the range of 5 to 30 keV, either for imaging or nano-machining [34][35], or for doing both simultaneously [33]. For instance, the HIM has already been used for the imaging of graphene flakes

• previous studies, the modification of CNTs has been carried out using various dedicated experimental setups for ion-irradiation, HIM emerges as specially well suited for targeted modification and visualisation of such materials. Therefore, the goal of the present work is to investigate the structural

Amplified cross-linking efficiency of self-assembled monolayers through targeted dissociative electron attachment for the production of carbon nanomembranes

• Sascha Koch,
• Christopher D. Kaiser,
• Paul Penner,
• Michael Barclay,
• Lena Frommeyer,
• Daniel Emmrich,
• Patrick Stohmann,
• Tarek Abu-Husein,
• Andreas Terfort,
• D. Howard Fairbrother,
• Oddur Ingólfsson and
• Armin Gölzhäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2562–2571, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.256

• more than ten times faster cross-linking of 2-I-BPT SAMs compared to those made from the other halogenated biphenyls or from native BPT at the same current density. Furthermore, the transfer of a freestanding membrane onto a TEM grid and the subsequent investigation by helium ion microscopy (HIM

• , for instance, helium ion microscopy (HIM) [1][8]. However, since the latter procedure has to be conducted for each individual exposure time it is significantly more labor intensive. Nevertheless, for reasons of reliability, here we have applied both these approaches to follow the cross-linking of the

• should be investigated by further experiments. As stated above, a direct verification of CNM formation may be achieved by transfer of an irradiated SAM to another substrate, thus proving its mechanical strength. In Figure 4, HIM images of transferred 2-I-BPT CNMs are presented. Figure 4a shows a

Ion beam profiling from the interaction with a freestanding 2D layer

• Ivan Shorubalko,
• Kyoungjun Choi,
• Michael Stiefel and
• Hyung Gyu Park

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 682–687, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.73

• beam source. For imaging the milled pores we use scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and helium ion microscopy (HIM). All methods give similar results regarding the measured focused ion beam profiles. Finally, we discuss technical limitations and

• important issue is high-resolution imaging of the pores. When pore size becomes smaller than a few nanometers, like in the case of 1–3 pA He+ beams, it is difficult to measure these pore dimensions precisely with standard STEM or HIM. Time consuming high-resolution TEM imaging would be required. The third

• Pa helium pressure in the gun chamber, and a “spot” parameter between 1.8 and 2.5. SEM in the DualBeam device was used in STEM bright-field and dark-field mode (BF and DF) at 30 kV and 50 pA probe current for perforated graphene imaging. HIM at 30 kV, 0.5 pA beam current, 1 μs dwell time and 8–32

Fundamental properties of high-quality carbon nanofoam: from low to high density

• Natalie Frese,
• Shelby Taylor Mitchell,
• Christof Neumann,
• Amanda Bowers,
• Armin Gölzhäuser and
• Klaus Sattler

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2065–2073, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.197

• Bielefeld, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.7.197 Abstract Highly uniform samples of carbon nanofoam from hydrothermal sucrose carbonization were studied by helium ion microscopy (HIM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. Foams with different densities were produced by changing the

• materials with different densities produced by naphthalene-assisted hydrothermal sucrose carbonization. Structural, compositional, and vibrational information is obtained by helium ion microscopy (HIM), XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. We find significant

• samples were not coated with conductive layers, an electron flood gun was applied to stabilize charging. Prior to imaging, the foam material was attached to the HIM sample holder with conductive carbon pads. The HIM induces a high brightness, low-energy spread, subnanometer-size beam of helium ions [25

Numerical investigation of depth profiling capabilities of helium and neon ions in ion microscopy

• Patrick Philipp,
• Lukasz Rzeznik and
• Tom Wirtz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1749–1760, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.168

• lateral resolution for 2D and 3D imaging. By contrast the development of a mass spectrometer as an add-on tool for the helium ion microscope (HIM), which uses finely focussed He+ or Ne+ beams, allows for the analysis of secondary ions and small secondary cluster ions with unprecedented lateral resolution

• depth resolving power for experimental conditions on the helium ion microscope (HIM). As such it contributes to the development of SIMS on the helium ion microscope [23][24][25] in order to extend its application to organic samples. The interest of this work is not limited to polymer samples, as they

• taken into account in the SD_TRIM_SP code. Results and Discussion Initial samples composition Multilayered samples have been constructed to study the influence of layer composition and structure on the outcome of depth profiling experiments for typical experimental conditions on the HIM. By changing the

Experimental and simulation-based investigation of He, Ne and Ar irradiation of polymers for ion microscopy

• Lukasz Rzeznik,
• Yves Fleming,
• Tom Wirtz and
• Patrick Philipp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1113–1128, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.104

• the helium ion microscope (HIM) promises higher lateral resolution than on classical SIMS instruments. However, full advantage of this new technique can only be obtained when the interaction of He+ or Ne+ primary ions with the sample is fully controlled. In this work we investigate how He+ and Ne

• + steady state conditions are reached for fluences much higher than 1018 ions/cm2. For Ne+ and Ar+, the transient regime extends up to fluences of 1017–1018 ions/cm2. Hence, preferential sputtering needs to be taken into account when interpreting images recorded under He+ or Ne+ bombardment on the HIM

• is a SIMS instrument dedicated to high-resolution imaging, a lateral resolution of around 50 nm can be reached. Recently, the development of a SIMS add-on system for the helium ion microscope (HIM) [2] demonstrated SIMS imaging with even higher lateral resolution in the 10 nm range [3]. Initially the

Efficient electron-induced removal of oxalate ions and formation of copper nanoparticles from copper(II) oxalate precursor layers

• Kai Rückriem,
• Sarah Grotheer,
• Henning Vieker,
• Paul Penner,
• André Beyer,
• Armin Gölzhäuser and
• Petra Swiderek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 852–861, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.77

• infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS). Helium ion microscopy (HIM) reveals the formation of spherical nanoparticles with well-defined size and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirms their metallic nature. Continued irradiation after depletion of oxalate does not lead to further particle growth giving

• exposed to 16000 μC/cm2 of 50 eV electrons. Helium ion microscopy measurements Helium ion microscopy (HIM) employs a finely focused beam of He+ ions with a diameter down to 0.35 nm, which is scanned over the sample. The secondary electrons (SE) generated by the ion impact are detected. HIM was performed

• . A dwell time per pixel between 30 and 100 μs without averaging as well as 1 μs with averaging 64 lines was used. The HIM micrographs were recorded with pixel sizes between 0.49 and 0.98 nm. Results Reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy As described previously, the deposition of copper(II

Hydration of magnesia cubes: a helium ion microscopy study

• Ruth Schwaiger,
• Johannes Schneider,
• Gilles R. Bourret and
• Oliver Diwald

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 302–309, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.28

• these oxides are in physical contact with a solid substrate such as the ones used for immobilization to perform electron or ion microscopy imaging. We used helium ion microscopy (HIM) and investigated morphological changes of vapor-phase-grown MgO cubes after vacuum annealing and pressing into foils of

• ion microscopy (HIM) [7] have been extensively employed in the fields of materials science [8][9]. Over the last years, HIM has developed into a high-performance alternative to the SEM. HIM is well-known for superior edge resolution reaching the low sub-nanometer range in secondary electron (SE

• images are not directly compromised [16]. In addition to the high SE-yield, helium ion microscopy allows the use of low beam currents for imaging [7]. For biological materials and polymers, HIM is preferable to SEM for high resolution imaging due to the problems related to electron-beam-induced damage