Ion microscopy based on laser-cooled cesium atoms

Year: 2016

Authors: Viteau M., Reveillard M., Kime L., Rasser B., Sudraud P., Bruneau Y., Khalili G., Pillet P., Comparat D., Guerri I., Fioretti A., Ciampini D., Allegrini M., Fuso F.

Autors Affiliation: TESCAN Orsay, Orsay Phys, 95 Ave Monts Aureliens ZA St Charles, F-13710 Fuveau, France; Univ Paris 11, CNRS, Lab Aime Cotton, ENS Cachan, Bat 505, F-91405 Orsay, France; Univ Pisa, Dipartimento Fis, Largo Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa, Italy; CNR, INO, UOS Adrian Gozzini, Via Moruzzi 1, I-56124 Pisa, Italy; Consorzio Nazl Interuniv Sci Fis Mat, CNISM, Sez Pisa, I-56127 Pisa, Italy.

Abstract: We demonstrate a prototype of a Focused Ion Beam machine based on the ionization of a laser-cooled cesium beam and adapted for imaging and modifying different surfaces in the few-tens nanometer range. Efficient atomic ionization is obtained by laser promoting ground-state atoms into a target excited Rydberg state, then field-ionizing them in an electric field gradient. The method allows obtaining ion currents up to 130 pA. Comparison with the standard direct photo-ionization of the atomic beam shows, in our conditions, a 40-times larger ion yield. Preliminary imaging results at ion energies in the 1-5 keV range are obtained with a resolution around 40 nm, in the present version of the prototype. Our ion beam is expected to be extremely monochromatic, with an energy spread of the order of the eV, offering great prospects for lithography, imaging and surface analysis. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Journal/Review: ULTRAMICROSCOPY

Volume: 164      Pages from: 70  to: 77

More Information: We thank C. Colliex, A. Gloter and F. Robicheaux for helpful discussions. We thank N. Porfido and J. Gurian for contributions in the early stage of the experiment, E. Andreoni and N. Puccini for technical support. The research leading to these results has received funding from Institut Francilien de Recherche sur les Atomes Froids (IFRAF), federation de recherche Lumiere Matiere (LUMAT), and the European Union. D.C., F.F. and P.S. acknowledge gratefully the support of the European Union Seventh Framework Program FP7/2007-2013 under Grant Agreement no. 251391 MC-IAPP COLDBEAMS. I.G. and M.V. have been Research Fellows hired under this program. D.C. also acknowledges funding from the European Research Council under the ERC Grant agreement no. 277762 COLDNANO. A.F. has been supported by the Triangle de la Physique under Contracts nos. 2007-n.74T and 2009-035T GULFSTREAM.
KeyWords: Focused ion beams; Laser cooling; Scanning microscopy; Ion lithography;
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2015.12.007

Citations: 28
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