Biomedical subjects

P A Midgley

Publications and source records attributed to P A Midgley.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

High-resolution three-dimensional imaging of dislocations.

Dislocations and their interactions govern the properties of many materials, ranging from work hardening in metals to device pathology in semiconductor laser diodes. However, conventional electron micrographs are simply two-dimensional projections of three-dimensional (3D) structures, and even stereo microscopy cannot reveal the true 3D complexity of defect structures. Here, we describe an electron tomographic method that yields 3D reconstructions of dislocation networks with a spatial resolution three orders of magnitude better than previous work. We illustrate the method's success with a study of dislocations in a GaN epilayer, where dislocation densities of 1010 per square centimeter are common.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

Micromagnetic imaging to determine the nature of the ferromagnetic phase transition in La(0.7)Ca(0.3)MnO3.

There is considerable controversy surrounding the nature of the paramagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition in La(0.7)Ca(0.3)MnO3. We have used transmission electron microscopy to determine whether the phase transition is first or second order. On warming through the transition point, the ferromagnetic phase retreats from the sample surface as it is replaced by the paramagnetic phase. This coexistence of ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases indicates a primarily first order transition. However, there is also continuous loss of magnetization which precedes the phase transition. We compare this with the phase transition in nickel, an archetypal second order ferromagnet.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

Nanoscale scanning transmission electron tomography.

Electron tomography enables the study of complex three-dimensional objects with nanometre resolution. In materials science, scanning transmission electron microscopy provides images with minimal coherent diffraction effects and with high atomic number contrast that makes them ideal for electron tomographic reconstruction. In this study, we reviewed the topic of scanning transmission electron microscopy-based tomography and illustrated the power of the technique with a number of examples with critical dimensions at the nanoscale.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Embedded nanostructures revealed in three dimensions.

Nanotechnology creates a new challenge for materials characterization because device properties now depend on size and shape as much as they depend on the traditional parameters of structure and composition. Here we show that Z-contrast tomography in the scanning transmission electron microscope has been developed to determine the complete three-dimensional size and shape of embedded structures with a resolution of approximately 1 cubic nanometer. The results from a tin/silicon quantum dot system show that the positions of the quantum dots and their size, shape, structure, and formation mechanism can be determined directly. These methods are applicable to any system, providing a unique and versatile three-dimensional visualization tool.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Weak charge-lattice coupling requires reinterpretation of stripes of charge order in La1-xCaxMnO3.

Modulations in manganites attributed to stripes of charge/orbital/spin order are thought to result from strong electron-lattice interactions that lock the superlattice and parent lattice periodicities. Surprisingly in La1-xCaxMnO3 (x>0.5,90 K), convergent beam (3.6 nm spot) electron diffraction patterns rule out charge stacking faults and indicate a superlattice with uniform periodicity. Moreover, large area electron diffraction peaks are sharper than simulations with stacking faults. Since the electron-lattice coupling does not lock the two periodicities (to yield stripes) it may be too weak to strongly localize charge.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Off-axis electron holography of electrostatic potentials in unbiased and reverse biased focused ion beam milled semiconductor devices.

Off-axis electron holography in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) is used to measure two-dimensional electrostatic potentials in both unbiased and reverse biased silicon specimens that each contain a single p-n junction. All the specimens are prepared for examination in the TEM using focused ion beam (FIB) milling. The in situ electrical biasing experiments make use of a novel specimen geometry, which is based on a combination of cleaving and FIB milling. The design and construction of an electrical biasing holder are described, and the effects of TEM specimen preparation on the electrostatic potential in the specimen, as well as on fringing fields beyond the specimen surface, are assessed.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

3D electron microscopy in the physical sciences: the development of Z-contrast and EFTEM tomography.

The rapid advances in nanotechnology and the ever decreasing size of features in the microelectronics industry brings with it the need for advanced characterisation with high spatial resolution in two and three dimensions. Stereo microscopy allows some insight into the three-dimensional nature of an object but for true quantitative analysis, one has to turn to tomography as a way to reconstruct a three-dimensional object from a series of two-dimensional projections (images). X-ray tomography allow structures to be imaged at relatively large length scales, atom probe tomography at the atomic level. Electron tomography offers an intermediate resolution (of about 1nm) with a field of view of hundreds of nm making it ideal for the characterisation of many nanoscale devices. Whilst electron tomography has been used in the biological sciences for more than 30 years, it is only now being applied to the physical sciences. In this paper, we review the status of electron tomography, describe the basis behind the technique and some of the practicalities of recording and analysing data for tomographic reconstruction, particularly in regard to solving three-dimensional problems that are encountered in materials science at the nanometre level. We present examples of how STEM dark-field imaging and energy-filtered TEM can be used successfully to examine nearly all types of specimens likely to be encountered by the physical scientist.

Bacteria↗

PubMed2002

Quantitative electron holography of biased semiconductor devices.

Electron holography is used to measure electrostatic potential profiles across reverse-biased Si p-n junctions in situ in the transmission electron microscope. A novel sample geometry based on focused ion-beam milling is developed, and results are obtained for a range of sample thicknesses and bias voltages to allow the holographic contrast to be interpreted. The physical and electrical nature of the sample surface, which is affected by sample preparation and electron beam irradiation, is discussed.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

Measurement of magnetic domain wall width using energy-filtered Fresnel images.

Magnetic domain walls in Nd2Fe14B have been examined using a series of energy-filtered Fresnel images in the field emission gun transmission electron microscope (FEGTEM). We describe the changes in the intensity distribution of the convergent wall image as a function of defocus, foil thickness and domain wall width. The effect of tilted domain walls and beam convergence on the fringe pattern is also discussed. A comparison of the experimental intensity profile with that from simulations allows the domain wall width to be determined. Measurement of very narrow walls is made possible only by using a relatively thick foil, which necessitates energy-filtering to allow quantitative comparison with simulations. The magnetic domain wall width in Nd2Fe14B was found to be 3 +/- 2 nm.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Magnetite morphology and life on Mars.

Nanocrystals of magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) in a meteorite from Mars provide the strongest, albeit controversial, evidence for the former presence of extraterrestrial life. The morphological and size resemblance of the crystals from meteorite ALH84001 to crystals formed by certain terrestrial bacteria has been used in support of the biological origin of the extraterrestrial minerals. By using tomographic and holographic methods in a transmission electron microscope, we show that the three-dimensional shapes of such nanocrystals can be defined, that the detailed morphologies of individual crystals from three bacterial strains differ, and that none uniquely match those reported from the Martian meteorite. In contrast to previous accounts, we argue that the existing crystallographic and morphological evidence is inadequate to support the inference of former life on Mars.

Extraterrestrial Environment↗

PubMed2001

Image-spectroscopy--I. The advantages of increased spectral information for compositional EFTEM analysis.

The acquisition of a series of energy-filtered TEM images over the energy-loss range of interest creates a three-dimensional data set comprising both spatial and spectral information. Such an image-series contains energy-loss information not available with conventional two- or three-window methods, allowing standard techniques for quantitative EELS analysis to be applied to extracted 'image-spectra'. The increase in spectral information enables improved ionisation edge background extrapolation and interactive image-spectrum analysis to be performed. In this paper, the many advantages of the image-spectroscopy approach are outlined by reference to an example of elemental segregation in an AlZnMgCu alloy.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Image-spectroscopy--II. The removal of plural scattering from extended energy-filtered series by Fourier deconvolution.

The increased spectral information obtained by acquiring an EFTEM image-series over several hundred eV allows plural scattering to be removed from loss images using standard deconvolution techniques developed for the quantification of EEL spectra. In this work, both Fourier-log and Fourier-ratio deconvolution techniques have been applied successfully to such image-series. Application of the Fourier-log technique over an energy-loss range of several hundred eV has been achieved by implementation of a novel method that extends the effective dynamic range of EFTEM image-series acquisition by over four orders of magnitude. Experimental results show that the removal of plural scattering from EFTEM image-series gives a significant improvement in quantification for thicker specimen regions. Further, the recovery of the single-scattering distribution using the Fourier-log technique over an extended energy-loss range is shown to result in an increase in both the ionisation-edge jump-ratio and the signal-to-noise ratio.

Journal Article↗