Sub-nanometer depth resolution and single dopant visualization achieved by tilt-coupled multislice electron ptychography
Abstract Real-space, three-dimensional imaging of atomic structures in materials science is a critical yet challenging task. Although scanning transmission electron microscopy has achieved sub-angstrom lateral resolution through techniques like electron ptychography, depth resolution remains limited...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56499-1 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832571503504261120 |
|---|---|
| author | Zehao Dong Yang Zhang Chun-Chien Chiu Sicheng Lu Jianbing Zhang Yu-Chen Liu Suya Liu Jan-Chi Yang Pu Yu Yayu Wang Zhen Chen |
| author_facet | Zehao Dong Yang Zhang Chun-Chien Chiu Sicheng Lu Jianbing Zhang Yu-Chen Liu Suya Liu Jan-Chi Yang Pu Yu Yayu Wang Zhen Chen |
| author_sort | Zehao Dong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Real-space, three-dimensional imaging of atomic structures in materials science is a critical yet challenging task. Although scanning transmission electron microscopy has achieved sub-angstrom lateral resolution through techniques like electron ptychography, depth resolution remains limited to only 2 to 3 nanometers using single-projection setups. Attaining better depth resolution often requires large sample tilt angles and numerous projections, as demonstrated in atomic electron tomography. Here, we introduce an extension of multislice electron ptychography, which couples only a few small-angle projections to improve depth resolution by more than threefold, reaching the sub-nanometer scale and potentially approaching the atomic level. This technique maintains high resolving power for both light and heavy atoms, significantly enhancing the detection of individual dopants. We experimentally demonstrate three-dimensional visualization of dilute praseodymium dopants in a brownmillerite oxide, Ca2Co2O5, along with the accompanying lattice distortions. This approach can be implemented on widely available transmission electron microscopes equipped with hybrid pixel detectors, with data processing achievable using high-performance computing systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-341b22a3d91a41e1a65c90cf5900a7cb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-341b22a3d91a41e1a65c90cf5900a7cb2025-02-02T12:31:54ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111010.1038/s41467-025-56499-1Sub-nanometer depth resolution and single dopant visualization achieved by tilt-coupled multislice electron ptychographyZehao Dong0Yang Zhang1Chun-Chien Chiu2Sicheng Lu3Jianbing Zhang4Yu-Chen Liu5Suya Liu6Jan-Chi Yang7Pu Yu8Yayu Wang9Zhen Chen10State Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics, Tsinghua UniversityState Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics, Tsinghua UniversityDepartment of Physics, National Cheng Kung UniversityState Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics, Tsinghua UniversityState Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics, Tsinghua UniversityDepartment of Physics, National Cheng Kung UniversityShanghai Nanoport, ThermoFisher ScientificDepartment of Physics, National Cheng Kung UniversityState Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics, Tsinghua UniversityState Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Physics, Department of Physics, Tsinghua UniversityBeijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of SciencesAbstract Real-space, three-dimensional imaging of atomic structures in materials science is a critical yet challenging task. Although scanning transmission electron microscopy has achieved sub-angstrom lateral resolution through techniques like electron ptychography, depth resolution remains limited to only 2 to 3 nanometers using single-projection setups. Attaining better depth resolution often requires large sample tilt angles and numerous projections, as demonstrated in atomic electron tomography. Here, we introduce an extension of multislice electron ptychography, which couples only a few small-angle projections to improve depth resolution by more than threefold, reaching the sub-nanometer scale and potentially approaching the atomic level. This technique maintains high resolving power for both light and heavy atoms, significantly enhancing the detection of individual dopants. We experimentally demonstrate three-dimensional visualization of dilute praseodymium dopants in a brownmillerite oxide, Ca2Co2O5, along with the accompanying lattice distortions. This approach can be implemented on widely available transmission electron microscopes equipped with hybrid pixel detectors, with data processing achievable using high-performance computing systems.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56499-1 |
| spellingShingle | Zehao Dong Yang Zhang Chun-Chien Chiu Sicheng Lu Jianbing Zhang Yu-Chen Liu Suya Liu Jan-Chi Yang Pu Yu Yayu Wang Zhen Chen Sub-nanometer depth resolution and single dopant visualization achieved by tilt-coupled multislice electron ptychography Nature Communications |
| title | Sub-nanometer depth resolution and single dopant visualization achieved by tilt-coupled multislice electron ptychography |
| title_full | Sub-nanometer depth resolution and single dopant visualization achieved by tilt-coupled multislice electron ptychography |
| title_fullStr | Sub-nanometer depth resolution and single dopant visualization achieved by tilt-coupled multislice electron ptychography |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sub-nanometer depth resolution and single dopant visualization achieved by tilt-coupled multislice electron ptychography |
| title_short | Sub-nanometer depth resolution and single dopant visualization achieved by tilt-coupled multislice electron ptychography |
| title_sort | sub nanometer depth resolution and single dopant visualization achieved by tilt coupled multislice electron ptychography |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56499-1 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zehaodong subnanometerdepthresolutionandsingledopantvisualizationachievedbytiltcoupledmultisliceelectronptychography AT yangzhang subnanometerdepthresolutionandsingledopantvisualizationachievedbytiltcoupledmultisliceelectronptychography AT chunchienchiu subnanometerdepthresolutionandsingledopantvisualizationachievedbytiltcoupledmultisliceelectronptychography AT sichenglu subnanometerdepthresolutionandsingledopantvisualizationachievedbytiltcoupledmultisliceelectronptychography AT jianbingzhang subnanometerdepthresolutionandsingledopantvisualizationachievedbytiltcoupledmultisliceelectronptychography AT yuchenliu subnanometerdepthresolutionandsingledopantvisualizationachievedbytiltcoupledmultisliceelectronptychography AT suyaliu subnanometerdepthresolutionandsingledopantvisualizationachievedbytiltcoupledmultisliceelectronptychography AT janchiyang subnanometerdepthresolutionandsingledopantvisualizationachievedbytiltcoupledmultisliceelectronptychography AT puyu subnanometerdepthresolutionandsingledopantvisualizationachievedbytiltcoupledmultisliceelectronptychography AT yayuwang subnanometerdepthresolutionandsingledopantvisualizationachievedbytiltcoupledmultisliceelectronptychography AT zhenchen subnanometerdepthresolutionandsingledopantvisualizationachievedbytiltcoupledmultisliceelectronptychography |