The atomic probe microscope is used in materials science to view and analyze atomic-sized objects, using time-in-flight spectroscopy and field ion microscopy techniques. Atomic probe tomography generates 3D images and was developed in 1967 by Erwin Wilhelm Muller. Commercialization of the laser-pulsed atom probe occurred in 2005.
The atomic probe is a microscope with resolution capabilities for viewing and analyzing atomic-sized objects. Specifically, an atomic probe is used in the field of materials science, a discipline that applies the various properties of matter to other sciences and the engineering industry. The device allows scientists to study the molecular structure at the atomic level and determine the macroscopic properties of materials. Applied physics, chemistry, nanoscience, and forensic engineering all use the tool to identify component characteristics needed for research.
One of the important aspects of the atomic probe microscope is the use of time-in-flight spectroscopy technology. This technique measures the amount of time it takes for an atom or other object to travel through a given medium. It can also be used with various energy events such as electromagnetic waves. The purpose is to determine the speed or length of the path and to determine the range of a particle or other phenomena. Basically, an electric field is used to accelerate ions in a medium, which can measure kinetic energy, and is used to find velocity.
Field ion microscopy is also used in atomic probe as a technique for analysis. This identifies the image and composition of the atoms within the surface of an object’s sharp metal point. The beam must be less than 50 nanometers and placed inside a vacuum chamber with extremely low pressures. An imaging gas such as helium or neon is introduced, while cryogenic temperatures are established. After initiating an electric field, the ions become positively charged and enlarge the composition of the tip.
One of the more advanced forms of this technology is atomic probe tomography. In the process, a position-sensitive detector is used to generate three-dimensional images. This improved technique, using laser pulses, can be used to view components of materials other than metals. Some semiconductor materials such as silicon or other insulating materials can be analyzed using this method of atomic probe technology.
The atomic probe was primarily designed by the German physicist Erwin Wilhelm Muller in 1967. Other scientists, such as JA Panitz and S. Brooks McLane expanded on the concept at the time. However, it was not until the commercialization of the laser-pulsed atom probe in 2005 that the technology became widespread in the fields of materials science.
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