Cryogen-free low-temperature photoemission electron microscopy for high-resolution nondestructive imaging of electronic phases

IF 2.1 3区工程技术 Q2 MICROSCOPY

Ultramicroscopy Pub Date : 2025-07-01 DOI:10.1016/j.ultramic.2025.114204

Chen Wang , Shaoshan Wang , Chuan Guo , Chengjian Yu , Qi Fu , Xiaopeng Xie , Changxi Zheng

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Quantum materials exhibit phases such as superconductivity at low temperatures, yet imaging their phase transition dynamics with high spatial resolution remains challenging due to conventional tools' limitations—scanning tunneling microscopy offers static snapshots, while transmission electron microscopy lacks band sensitivity. Photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) can resolve band structures in real/reciprocal spaces rapidly, but suffering from insufficient resolution for (near)atomic-scale quantum physics due to the unstable cooling designs. Here, we developed cryogen-free low-temperature PEEM (CFLT-PEEM) achieving 21.1 K stably. CFLT-PEEM attains a record-breaking resolution of 4.48 nm without aberration correction, enabling direct visualization of surface-state distribution characteristics along individual atomic steps. The advancement lies in narrowing the segment of band structures for imaging down to 160 meV, which minimizes the chromatic aberration of PEEM. CFLT-PEEM enables rapid, nondestructive high-resolution imaging of cryogenic electronic structures, positioning it as a powerful tool for physics and beyond.

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用于电子相高分辨率无损成像的无低温光电发射电子显微镜

量子材料在低温下表现出超导性等相，但由于传统工具的局限性，以高空间分辨率成像其相变动力学仍然具有挑战性-扫描隧道显微镜提供静态快照，而透射电子显微镜缺乏波段灵敏度。光电电子显微镜（PEEM）可以快速解析实/倒易空间中的能带结构，但由于冷却设计不稳定，在（近）原子尺度量子物理中分辨率不足。在这里，我们开发了无低温PEEM (CFLT-PEEM)，稳定达到21.1 K。在没有像差校正的情况下，CFLT-PEEM达到了破纪录的4.48 nm的分辨率，能够直接可视化沿单个原子步骤的表面态分布特征。该技术的进步在于将用于成像的带结构段缩小到160 meV，从而使PEEM的色差最小化。CFLT-PEEM能够快速、无损地对低温电子结构进行高分辨率成像，将其定位为物理学和其他领域的强大工具。

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来源期刊

Ultramicroscopy 工程技术-显微镜技术

CiteScore

4.60

自引率

13.60%

发文量

117

审稿时长

5.3 months

期刊介绍： Ultramicroscopy is an established journal that provides a forum for the publication of original research papers, invited reviews and rapid communications. The scope of Ultramicroscopy is to describe advances in instrumentation, methods and theory related to all modes of microscopical imaging, diffraction and spectroscopy in the life and physical sciences.