Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1686492 Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 2006 4 Pages PDF
Abstract

The ion photon emission microscope, or IPEM, is the first device that allows scientists to microscopically study the effects of single ions in air on semiconductors, microchips and even biological cells without having to focus the beam. Reported here is a prototype, the size of a conventional optical microscope, developed at Sandia. The alpha-IPEM, that employs alpha particles from a radioactive source, represents the first example of IBA imaging without an accelerator. The IPEM resolution is currently limited to ∼10 μm, but we also report a gridded-phosphor approach that could improve this resolution to that of the optical microscope, or ∼1 μm. Finally, we propose that a simple adaptation of the alpha-IPEM could be the only way to maintain the high utility of radiation effects microscopy into the future.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Materials Science Surfaces, Coatings and Films
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