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Field Ion Microscope
The field-ion microscope (FIM) was invented by Müller in 1951. It is a type of microscope that can be used to image the arrangement of atoms at the surface of a sharp metal tip. On October 11, 1955, Erwin Müller and his Ph.D. student, Kanwar Bahadur (Pennsylvania State University) observed individual tungsten atoms on the surface of a sharply pointed tungsten tip by cooling it to 21 K and employing helium as the imaging gas. Müller & Bahadur were the first persons to observe individual atoms directly. Introduction In FIM, a sharp (<50 nm tip radius) metal tip is produced and placed in an ultra high vacuum chamber, which is backfilled with an imaging gas such as or |
Electron Microscope
An electron microscope is a microscope that uses a beam of electrons as a source of illumination. It uses electron optics that are analogous to the glass lenses of an optical light microscope to control the electron beam, for instance focusing it to produce magnified images or electron diffraction patterns. As the wavelength of an electron can be up to 100,000 times smaller than that of visible light, electron microscopes have a much higher Angular resolution, resolution of about 0.1 nm, which compares to about 200 nm for optical microscope, light microscopes. ''Electron microscope'' may refer to: * Transmission electron microscopy, Transmission electron microscope (TEM) where swift electrons go through a thin sample * Scanning transmission electron microscopy, Scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) which is similar to TEM with a scanned electron probe * Scanning electron microscope (SEM) which is similar to STEM, but with thick samples * Electron microprobe sim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atom Probe
The atom probe was introduced at th14th Field Emission Symposium in 1967by Erwin Wilhelm Müller and J. A. Panitz. It combined a field ion microscope with a mass spectrometer having a single particle detection capability and, for the first time, an instrument could “... determine the nature of one single atom seen on a metal surface and selected from neighboring atoms at the discretion of the observer”. Atom probes are unlike conventional optical or electron microscopes, in that the magnification effect comes from the magnification provided by a highly curved electric field, rather than by the manipulation of radiation paths. The method is destructive in nature removing ions from a sample surface in order to image and identify them, generating magnifications sufficient to observe individual atoms as they are removed from the sample surface. Through coupling of this magnification method with time of flight mass spectrometry, ions evaporated by application of electric pulses ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Surface Diffusion
Surface diffusion is a general process involving the motion of adatoms, molecules, and atomic clusters ( adparticles) at solid material surfaces.Oura, Lifshits, Saranin, Zotov, and Katayama 2003, p. 325 The process can generally be thought of in terms of particles jumping between adjacent adsorption sites on a surface, as in figure 1. Just as in bulk diffusion, this motion is typically a thermally promoted process with rates increasing with increasing temperature. Many systems display diffusion behavior that deviates from the conventional model of nearest-neighbor jumps. Tunneling diffusion is a particularly interesting example of an unconventional mechanism wherein hydrogen has been shown to diffuse on clean metal surfaces via the quantum tunneling effect. Various analytical tools may be used to elucidate surface diffusion mechanisms and rates, the most important of which are field ion microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy.Oura, Lifshits, Saranin, Zotov, and Katayama 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Desorption
Desorption is the physical process where Adsorption, adsorbed atoms or molecules are released from a surface into the surrounding vacuum or fluid. This occurs when a molecule gains enough energy to overcome the activation barrier and the binding energy that keep it attached to the surface. Desorption is the reverse of the process of adsorption, which differs from absorption in that adsorption refers to substances bound to the surface, rather than being absorption (chemistry), absorbed into the bulk. Desorption can occur from any of several processes, or a combination of them: it may result from heat (thermal energy); incident light such as infrared, visible, or ultraviolet photons; or an incident beam of energetic particles such as electrons. It may also occur following chemical reactions such as oxidation or reduction in an electrochemical cell or after a chemical reaction of a adsorbed compounds in which the surface may act as a catalyst. Mechanisms Depending on the nature ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adatoms
An adatom is an atom that lies on a crystal surface, and can be thought of as the opposite of a surface vacancy (chemistry), vacancy. This term is used in surface chemistry and epitaxy, when describing single atoms lying on surfaces and surface roughness. The word is a portmanteau of "adsorption, adsorbed atom". A single atom, a cluster of atoms, or a molecule or molecular cluster, cluster of molecules may all be referred to by the general term "adparticle". This is often a thermodynamically unfavorable state. However, cases such as graphene may provide counter-examples. Growth ″Adatom″ is a portmanteau, portmanteau word, short for adsorption, adsorbed atom. When the atom arrives at a crystal surface, it is adsorbed by the periodic potential of the crystal, thus becoming an adatom. The minima of this potential form a network of adsorption sites on the surface. There are different types of adsorption sites. Each of these sites corresponds to a different structure of the su ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asperity (materials Science)
In materials science, asperity, defined as "unevenness of surface, roughness, ruggedness" (from the Latin ''asper''—"rough"), has implications (for example) in physics and seismology. Smooth surfaces, even those polished to a mirror finish, are not truly smooth on a microscopic scale. They are rough, with sharp, rough, or rugged projections, termed "asperities". Surface asperities exist across multiple scales, often in a self-affine or fractal geometry. The fractal dimension of these structures has been correlated with the contact mechanics exhibited at an interface in terms of friction and contact stiffness. An understanding of the concept of asperities is required for any understanding of the field of Tribology, or the scientific study of friction, wear, and lubrication. Expanding on the linkage between asperities and seismology, asperities are critical in the understanding of geophysical faults via elastic deformation. These faults, such as the San Andreas fault line, te ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Electropolishing
Electropolishing principle: 1. Electrolyte 2. Cathode 3. Workpiece to polish (Anode) 4. Particle moving from the work-piece to the cathode 5. Surface before polishing 6. Surface after polishing Electropolishing, also known as electrochemical polishing, anodic polishing, or electrolytic polishing (especially in the metallography field), is an electrochemical process that removes material from a metallic workpiece, reducing the surface roughness by levelling micro-peaks and valleys, improving the surface finish. Electropolishing is often compared to, but distinctly different from, electrochemical machining. It is used to polish, passivate, and deburr metal parts. It is often described as the reverse of electroplating. It may be used in lieu of abrasive fine polishing in microstructural preparation. Mechanism Typically, the workpiece is immersed in a temperature-controlled bath of electrolyte and serves as the anode; it is connected to the positive terminal of a DC powe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Refractory Metals
Refractory metals are a class of metals that are extraordinarily resistant to heat and wear. The expression is mostly used in the context of materials science, metallurgy and engineering. The definitions of which elements belong to this group differ. The most common definition includes five elements: two of the fifth period (niobium and molybdenum) and three of the sixth period (tantalum, tungsten, and rhenium). They all share some properties, including a melting point above 2000 °C and high hardness at room temperature. They are chemically inert and have a relatively high density. Their high melting points make powder metallurgy the method of choice for fabricating components from these metals. Some of their applications include tools to work metals at high temperatures, wire filaments, casting molds, and chemical reaction vessels in corrosive environments. Partly due to their high melting points, refractory metals are stable against creep deformation to very high tem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Electrostatic Fields
An electric field (sometimes called E-field) is a physical field that surrounds electrically charged particles such as electrons. In classical electromagnetism, the electric field of a single charge (or group of charges) describes their capacity to exert attractive or repulsive forces on another charged object. Charged particles exert attractive forces on each other when the sign of their charges are opposite, one being positive while the other is negative, and repel each other when the signs of the charges are the same. Because these forces are exerted mutually, two charges must be present for the forces to take place. These forces are described by Coulomb's law, which says that the greater the magnitude of the charges, the greater the force, and the greater the distance between them, the weaker the force. Informally, the greater the charge of an object, the stronger its electric field. Similarly, an electric field is stronger nearer charged objects and weaker further away. Elec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ionization
Ionization or ionisation is the process by which an atom or a molecule acquires a negative or positive Electric charge, charge by gaining or losing electrons, often in conjunction with other chemical changes. The resulting electrically charged atom or molecule is called an ion. Ionization can result from the loss of an electron after collisions with subatomic particles, collisions with other atoms, molecules, electrons, positrons, protons, antiprotons, and ions, or through the interaction with electromagnetic radiation. Heterolytic bond cleavage and heterolytic substitution reactions can result in the formation of ion pairs. Ionization can occur through radioactive decay by the internal conversion process, in which an excited nucleus transfers its energy to one of the inner-shell electrons causing it to be ejected. Uses Everyday examples of gas ionization occur within a fluorescent lamp or other electrical discharge lamps. It is also used in radiation detectors such as the Geiger- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
