Direct imaging of electron density with a scanning transmission electron microscope.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies of secondary electron (SE) emission in scanning transmission electron microscopes suggest that material's properties such as electrical conductivity, connectivity, and work function can be probed with atomic scale resolution using a technique known as secondary electron e-beam-induced current (SEEBIC). Here, we apply the SEEBIC imaging technique to a stacked 2D heterostructure device to reveal the spatially resolved electron density of an encapsulated WSe₂ layer. We find that the double Se lattice site shows higher emission than the W site, which is at odds with first-principles modelling of valence ionization of an isolated WSe₂ cluster. These results illustrate that atomic level SEEBIC contrast within a single material is possible and that an enhanced

SUBMITTER: Dyck O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10662251 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature