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

• commonly used approach is the focused ion beam (FIB) polishing. Unfortunately, artefacts that can be easily induced by Ga FIB polishing approaches are seldom published. This work aims to provide a better understanding of the underlying causes for artefact formation and to assess if the helium ion

• microscope is better suited to achieve the required mirror-flat sample surface when operating the ion source with Ne instead of He. Copper was chosen as a test material and polished using Ga and Ne ions with different ion energies as well as incident angles. The results show that crystal structure

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

• Frances I. Allen Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA 10.3762/bjnano.12.52 Abstract The helium ion microscope has emerged as a

• paper reviews the materials modification research that has been enabled by the helium ion microscope since its commercialization in 2007, ranging from fundamental studies of beam–sample effects, to the prototyping of new devices with features in the sub-10 nm domain. Keywords: defect engineering

• ; 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

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

• Technology, 2 George St, Brisbane 4000, QLD, Australia CNM Technologies, Bielefeld, Germany Department of Physics, Paderborn University, Paderborn, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.12.18 Abstract A dark-field scanning transmission ion microscopy detector was designed for the helium ion microscope. The detection

• 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

• is evaluated and compared to Monte Carlo simulations. A comparison with established thickness measurements confirms the STIM results. Experimental A dark-field scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) holder was designed for a Zeiss Orion Plus helium ion microscope (HIM). All HIM and STIM

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

• ; ionofluorescense; Review Introduction Since its commercialisation in 2006 [1][2][3][4][5], the helium-ion microscope (HIM) has become a well-established tool for nanoscale imaging and nanoscale fabrication in physics and materials science. It is attractive for those applications as it combines high-resolution

• to the Helium Ion Microscope” [3]: “We have observed that there is photon production from certain materials as the helium beam enters the sample. As with the standard cathodoluminescense effect, we expect that these photons may reveal information about the materials.” With regard to the potential of

• instrument, and which holds promise to conduct exciting THIM experiments also on biological samples [58]. Secondly, within the npSCOPE H2020 project an “instrument [is being developed] that couples the extraordinarily high resolution of the […] helium-ion microscope with sensors for composition (a mass

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

• column, such as the helium ion microscope or other light ion beam methods with high lateral resolution. The system is based on the combination of MCPs and a delay line detector mounted on a movable support so that the experiment geometry can be optimized. The used imaging detector is capable of a random

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

• gallium. Light ions in the range of m = 1–28 u (hydrogen to silicon) are of increasing interest due to the available high beam resolution in the nanometer range and their special chemical and physical behavior in the substrate. In this work, helium and neon ion beams from a helium ion microscope are

• 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

• agreement with the ΔE ~ m1/3 dependence for single-charged monomers [2]. In the noble gas irradiation experiments described here, a GFIS in a helium ion microscope ORION NanoFab (Carl Zeiss) [5][28] was used. For irradiation with light metal ions, a LMAIS installed in a FIB/SEM VELION system (Raith) [2][18

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

• Helium Ion Microscope. We demonstrated the out-of-plane film patterning by the He+ FIB for all three polymer substrates coated with thin Pt60Pd40 films. The ion-induced material modifications in the bulk of the underlying polymer substrates generate film patterning while sustaining the essential film

• thick) to minimize the ion path length in these films and potential sputtering effects. FIB irradiation and sample characterization The irradiation of the samples with He+, Ne+, and Ga+ ions was done in a Zeiss Orion NanoFab Helium Ion Microscope at a landing energy of 25 keV and with different fluence

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

• , leaving true geological variation as a possible cause. Conclusion The helium ion microscope provides an imaging tool with extreme spatial resolution using secondary electron imaging. With the addition of secondary ion mass spectrometry capabilities at the highest resolution, the HIM–SIMS is now set to

Effect of localized helium ion irradiation on the performance of synthetic monolayer MoS₂ field-effect transistors

• Jakub Jadwiszczak,
• Pierce Maguire,
• Conor P. Cullen,
• Georg S. Duesberg and
• Hongzhou Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1329–1335, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.117

• , we find that irradiating the electrode–channel interface has a deleterious impact on charge transport when contrasted with irradiations confined only to the transistor channel. Keywords: 2D materials; contacts; defect engineering; helium ion microscope; ion beam doping; vacancies; two-dimensional

• helium ion microscope chamber (after initial electrical testing to confirm functionality) and were irradiated with the stage tilt angle set to 0°. At this angle of incidence, the helium ion beam ought to produce sulfur vacancies chiefly in the bottom sulfuric layer of the SiO2-supported MoS2 flake [34

• ) Simulation of the S vacancy yield generated as the He+ ion beam penetrates the device at the contact stack, indicating damage to the metal–semiconductor interface. Acknowledgements We acknowledge D. Keane for helpful discussions and D. Daly for assistance with the helium ion microscope. Funding The

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

• sparked by SEM/FIB-AFM systems, it is reasonable to assume that the most recent ion beam microscope, the helium ion microscope (HIM), would be a serious contender for the use in combined setups in conjunction with AFM. Introduced by Ward et al. [12], the imaging capability of the HIM surpasses that of the

• - and time-scales. Conclusion We have demonstrated the integration of an atomic force microscope into a helium ion microscope. Correlative measurements of AFM topography with He ion imaging and modification demonstrate the feasibility of this integration. The complementarity of the two methods in terms

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

• nano-antennas and sensors, based on 3D superconducting architectures. Keywords: electron tomography; focused ion beam induced deposition (FIBID); helium ion microscope; magneto-transport measurements; nano-superconductors; tungsten carbide (WC); Introduction Superconductors are dissipationless

• 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

Revealing the local crystallinity of single silicon core–shell nanowires using tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

• Marius van den Berg,
• Ardeshir Moeinian,
• Arne Kobald,
• Yu-Ting Chen,
• Anke Horneber,
• Steffen Strehle,
• Alfred J. Meixner and
• Dai Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1147–1156, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.99

• , which were characterized using a helium ion microscope. In Figure 2b a hyper-spectral image composed of 32 × 24 spectra taken from an area of 20 × 20 µm2 is shown, in which bundles of SiNWs can be seen. In Figure 2c two spectra taken from the positions marked with orange and blue points are given. The

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

• Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany Department of Physics, Humboldt University of Berlin, Newtonstraße 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.10.160 Abstract A dedicated transmission helium ion microscope

• (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

• ] and can open new imaging modalities using transmitted He+ ions. To understand the different processes contributing to the deflected intensity of transmitted He+ ions, we investigated BN, MgO, NaCl and Si samples using an in-house built transmission helium ion microscope (THIM). In this instrument the

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

• with a spatial resolution significantly smaller than the domain wall width. Results: We demonstrate the application of a helium ion microscope with a beam diameter of 8 nm as a mask-less method for local domain patterning of magnetic thin-film systems. For a prototypical in-plane exchange-bias system

• two-dimensional domains, the influence of domain wall overlap and domain wall geometry on the ultimate domain size in the chosen system was analyzed. Conclusion: The application of a helium ion microscope for magnetic patterning has been shown. It allowed for exploring the fundamental limits of domain

• 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

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

• -filtered transmission electron microscopy is performed to obtain quantitative values on the Si NC size and distribution in dependence of the layer stack geometry, ion fluence and thermal budget. Employing a focused Ne+ beam from a helium ion microscope, we demonstrate site-controlled self-assembly of

• 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

• , this limit can only be achieved if the beam diameter becomes smaller than the lateral straggling in the collision cascade. One particularly flexible way of doing this is to use a focused ion beam. We employed a focused Ne+ beam from a helium ion microscope [32]. Such equipment allows focusing a 30 keV

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

• microscope system, which is similar to the previous Ga+ microscopes in most other respects, by Zeiss AG. The system shown in Figure 2 is the ORION Plus helium ion microscope [16]. The ultimate edge resolution of this tool in the range of beam energies 20–30 keV is better than 0.5 nm. This, together with the

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

• to differences in stopping power and sputter behaviour. Keywords: carbon nanotubes; helium ion microscope; ion irradiation; Raman; simulations; Introduction Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been investigated intensively due to their excellent properties [1]. Modifying and tuning them by electron or ion

• experimental conditions used on the helium ion microscope. During the simulations, the KrC potential has been used for interatomic interactions, the Oen–Robinson model for electronic stopping and the Gauss–Mehler method with 16 pivots for integration. The surface binding energy for the noble gas species is

Cathodoluminescence as a probe of the optical properties of resonant apertures in a metallic film

• Kalpana Singh,
• Evgeniy Panchenko,
• Babak Nasr,
• Amelia Liu,
• Lukas Wesemann,
• Timothy J. Davis and
• Ann Roberts

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1491–1500, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.140

• different transverse parameters were milled using a helium ion microscope (Nanofab Orion, Zeiss) operating at an accelerating voltage of 30 kV and a beam current of 0.1 to 100 pA. A Fibics NPVE pattern generator was used to control the milling parameters such as dose, beam step size and dwell time. Test

Graphene composites with dental and biomedical applicability

• Sharali Malik,
• Felicite M. Ruddock,
• Adam H. Dowling,
• Kevin Byrne,
• Wolfgang Schmitt,
• Ivan Khalakhan,
• Yoshihiro Nemoto,
• Hongxuan Guo,
• Lok Kumar Shrestha,
• Katsuhiko Ariga and
• Jonathan P. Hill

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 801–808, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.73

• 30 kV). In addition, FLG-polymer A and E were characterized by Raman Spectroscopy (JY T6400 at 514 nm) and SEM (Zeiss Ultra-Plus at 3 kV, EsB grid at 503 V). a) Raman spectra of MLG (ca. 10 layers, lower) and FLG (1–6 layers, upper) – both at 514 nm. b) Helium ion microscope (HeIM) overview of FLG, c

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

• energy range of 50–100 eV [10][11][12], but has also been realized through UV irradiation [13], ion irradiation in a helium ion microscope [14], and through high-energy electrons in the keV energy range [15]. In this context, the cross-linking is attributed to partial fragmentation of the monomers also

• )), implying that 2-I-BPT cross-links the fastest, followed by 2-Br-BPT, 2-Cl-BPT and finally BPT. Helium ion microscope (HIM) image of a transferred carbon nanomembrane (CNM) made using 3 min (1.8 mC/cm2) of electron irradiation (50 eV) on a 2-I-BPT self-assembled monolayer. (a) 2500 × 2500 µm HIM image of

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

• capabilities. Conclusion Ion microscopy on the helium ion microscope (HIM) provides higher lateral resolution than on classical SIMS instruments. At the same time the light rare gas primary ion species lead to higher implantation depth and different sputtering behaviour than primary ion species used in

Fabrication and characterization of branched carbon nanostructures

• Sharali Malik,
• Yoshihiro Nemoto,
• Hongxuan Guo,
• Katsuhiko Ariga and
• Jonathan P. Hill

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1260–1266, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.116

• ) TEM detail of typical MWCNTs. a) Helium ion microscope (HeIM) overview of b-MWCNTs and b) HeIM detail of b-MWCNTs; c) SEM detail of unzipped and branched-MWCNTs; d) Raman spectra of as received MWCNTs (bottom spectrum) and b-MWCNTs (top spectrum) – both at 532 nm. a) HRTEM overview of branched-MWCNTs

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

• 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

• of secondary ions under helium and neon bombardment for conditions used for SIMS imaging on the helium ion microscope (HIM). Of particular interest is how the sputtering processes differ from irradiation with heavier and chemically inert ions used in SIMS (e.g., gallium and argon). Therefore He+ and

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

• images were recorded using a high vacuum Orion Plus helium ion microscope (HIM, Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH, Germany). The microscope is equipped with an Everhardt–Thornley (ET) detector to record secondary electron images. The acceleration voltage of the ions and the beam current were 30 kV and approx

• /2-1 and the Karlsruhe Nano Micro Facility (KNMF, http://www.knmf.kit.edu) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) for access to the helium ion microscope at their laboratories. J.S. and O.D. acknowledge additional support by the DFG within the Research Unit FOR 1878 "funCOS – Functional

• Molecular Structures on Complex Oxide Surfaces". The support of Daniela Exner (KIT) at the helium ion microscope is greatly appreciated.

Imaging of carbon nanomembranes with helium ion microscopy

• André Beyer,
• Henning Vieker,
• Robin Klett,
• Hanno Meyer zu Theenhausen,
• Polina Angelova and
• Armin Gölzhäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1712–1720, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.175

• can visualize them. However, CNMs are electrically insulating, which makes them sensitive to charging. We demonstrate that the helium ion microscope (HIM) is a good candidate for imaging freestanding CNMs due to its efficient charge compensation tool. Scanning with a beam of helium ions while