Integration of microplasma with transmission electron microscopy: Real-time observation of gold sputtering and island formation

K. Tai; T. J. Houlahan; J. G. Eden; S. J. Dillon

doi:10.1038/srep01325

Integration of microplasma with transmission electron microscopy: Real-time observation of gold sputtering and island formation

K. Tai, T. J. Houlahan, J. G. Eden, S. J. Dillon

Electrical and Computer Engineering

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Abstract

An in situ platform for characterizing plasma-materials interactions at the nanoscale in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) has been demonstrated. Integrating a DC microplasma device, having plane-parallel electrodes with a 25 nm thick Au film on both the cathode and anode and operating in 760 Torr of Ar, within a TEM provides real-time observation of Au sputtering and island formation with a spatial resolution of < 100 nm. Analyses of TEM and atomic force microscopy images show the growth of Au islands to proceed by a Stranski-Krastanov process at a rate that varies linearly with the discharge power and is approximately a factor of 3 larger than the predictions of a DC plasma sputtering model. The experiments reported here extend in situ TEM diagnostics to plasma-solid and plasma-liquid interactions.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	1325
Journal	Scientific reports
Volume	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/srep01325
State	Published - 2013

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@article{76a5faecf4e0445f912ade7a51fd8d2c,

title = "Integration of microplasma with transmission electron microscopy: Real-time observation of gold sputtering and island formation",

abstract = "An in situ platform for characterizing plasma-materials interactions at the nanoscale in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) has been demonstrated. Integrating a DC microplasma device, having plane-parallel electrodes with a 25 nm thick Au film on both the cathode and anode and operating in 760 Torr of Ar, within a TEM provides real-time observation of Au sputtering and island formation with a spatial resolution of < 100 nm. Analyses of TEM and atomic force microscopy images show the growth of Au islands to proceed by a Stranski-Krastanov process at a rate that varies linearly with the discharge power and is approximately a factor of 3 larger than the predictions of a DC plasma sputtering model. The experiments reported here extend in situ TEM diagnostics to plasma-solid and plasma-liquid interactions.",

author = "K. Tai and Houlahan, {T. J.} and Eden, {J. G.} and Dillon, {S. J.}",

note = "Funding Information: K.T. and S.J.D. gratefully acknowledge funding provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences (Contract No. DE-SC0006509). T.J.H. and J.G.E. gratefully acknowledge the support of the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation under grant nos. FA9550-10-1-0048 and CBET 08-53739, respectively.",

year = "2013",

doi = "10.1038/srep01325",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "3",

journal = "Scientific reports",

issn = "2045-2322",

publisher = "Nature Research",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Integration of microplasma with transmission electron microscopy

T2 - Real-time observation of gold sputtering and island formation

AU - Tai, K.

AU - Houlahan, T. J.

AU - Eden, J. G.

AU - Dillon, S. J.

N1 - Funding Information: K.T. and S.J.D. gratefully acknowledge funding provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences (Contract No. DE-SC0006509). T.J.H. and J.G.E. gratefully acknowledge the support of the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation under grant nos. FA9550-10-1-0048 and CBET 08-53739, respectively.

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - An in situ platform for characterizing plasma-materials interactions at the nanoscale in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) has been demonstrated. Integrating a DC microplasma device, having plane-parallel electrodes with a 25 nm thick Au film on both the cathode and anode and operating in 760 Torr of Ar, within a TEM provides real-time observation of Au sputtering and island formation with a spatial resolution of < 100 nm. Analyses of TEM and atomic force microscopy images show the growth of Au islands to proceed by a Stranski-Krastanov process at a rate that varies linearly with the discharge power and is approximately a factor of 3 larger than the predictions of a DC plasma sputtering model. The experiments reported here extend in situ TEM diagnostics to plasma-solid and plasma-liquid interactions.

AB - An in situ platform for characterizing plasma-materials interactions at the nanoscale in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) has been demonstrated. Integrating a DC microplasma device, having plane-parallel electrodes with a 25 nm thick Au film on both the cathode and anode and operating in 760 Torr of Ar, within a TEM provides real-time observation of Au sputtering and island formation with a spatial resolution of < 100 nm. Analyses of TEM and atomic force microscopy images show the growth of Au islands to proceed by a Stranski-Krastanov process at a rate that varies linearly with the discharge power and is approximately a factor of 3 larger than the predictions of a DC plasma sputtering model. The experiments reported here extend in situ TEM diagnostics to plasma-solid and plasma-liquid interactions.

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DO - 10.1038/srep01325

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VL - 3

JO - Scientific reports

JF - Scientific reports

M1 - 1325

ER -

Integration of microplasma with transmission electron microscopy: Real-time observation of gold sputtering and island formation

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