High-Resolution Temperature Mapping in a Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope

Sivananthan Laboratories proposes to develop an approach for measuring the temperature of materials with high spatial resolution and temperature accuracy in a scanning transmission electron microscope. The PIs will determine the bulk plasmon resonance using electron energy-loss spectroscopy, which has been demonstrated by the PIs to allow for a spatial resolution of better than 2 nm (when combined with high-resolution imaging) and temperature precision of <8 K. This Phase 1 project will focus on further improving the temperature accuracy to <1 K by developing a better approach of determining the plasmon peak position and shift as a function of temperature. Using automated peak-fitting and machine learning approaches, the PIs will demonstrate that the local temperature can be mapped at the required resolution/accuracy, and that the effects of beam damage can be distinguished from the intrinsic material structure for a wide range of semiconductor materials. This approach will be commercialized as a software package that can be used on any TEM/EELS system and will aid DoD to perform investigations of device failure at sub-10 nm scale. Sivananthan Laboratories has the mission to develop and commercialize new advances in materials science and collaborates with local TEM experts to perform the STEM measurements.