Resolution of the Atomic Structure of a Metal Surface by the Field Ion Microscope
- 1 May 1956
- journal article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Journal of Applied Physics
- Vol. 27 (5) , 474-476
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1722406
Abstract
A formula for the resolution of the field ion microscope is derived by considering that most of the ions originate from rebounding molecules after random elastic collision with the surface. Cooling the tip with solid N2 or liquid H2 in order to obtain a large accommodation coefficient drastically reduces the lateral velocity of the ions in a helium operated microscope. As a result the potential resolution for a tip of radius 1000 A is improved to 1.5 A. Photographs show the individual atoms of a tungsten surface. The actual resolution is sufficient to resolve neighboring atoms with 2.74 A separation.This publication has 6 references indexed in Scilit:
- Field DesorptionPhysical Review B, 1956
- Field Ionization of Gases at a Metal Surface and the Resolution of the Field Ion MicroscopePhysical Review B, 1956
- Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Ions from the Field MicroscopeThe Journal of Chemical Physics, 1954
- Ionisation durch starke elektrische FelderThe Science of Nature, 1954
- Das FeldionenmikroskopThe European Physical Journal A, 1951
- Das Auflösungsvermögen des FeldelektronenmikroskopsThe European Physical Journal A, 1943