Focused ion and electron beams for synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials

• Aleksandra Szkudlarek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 613–616, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.47

• the fundamental mechanisms underlying precursor fragmentation by low-energy electrons, which remains an ongoing focus of study in the field, see Figure 1. Within the widely studied group of acetylacetonate complexes, which also play a crucial role in chemical vapor deposition and atomic layer

Ion-induced surface reactions and deposition from Pt(CO)₂Cl₂ and Pt(CO)₂Br₂

• Mohammed K. Abdel-Rahman,
• Patrick M. Eckhert,
• Atul Chaudhary,
• Johnathon M. Johnson,
• Jo-Chi Yu,
• Lisa McElwee-White and
• D. Howard Fairbrother

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1427–1439, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.115

• -energy electrons produced by ion–substrate interactions. In this respect, the increased importance of this reaction pathway is a consequence of the extremely inefficient momentum transfer for H2+/Pt(CO)2X2 collisions, coupled with the greater penetration depth of the lighter ions within the tantalum

• from Pt(CO)2Br2/H2+ is proximate to the σ1 value that we have previously measured for the electron-induced CO desorption from Pt(CO)2Cl2 [57]. The relative proximity of these two σ1 values suggests that the reactivity of H2+ ions may contain a significant contribution from reactions involving the low

Electron-induced ligand loss from iron tetracarbonyl methyl acrylate

• Hlib Lyshchuk,
• Atul Chaudhary,
• Thomas F. M. Luxford,
• Miloš Ranković,
• Jaroslav Kočišek,
• Juraj Fedor,
• Lisa McElwee-White and
• Pamir Nag

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 797–807, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.66

• (TOF) chamber [25][26]. The sample was kept in a glass container at room temperature (around 25 °C); its vapor was introduced into the interaction chamber via a leak valve and exposed to low-energy electrons produced from a simple magnetically collimated electron gun with a heated tungsten filament

• , namely, the absence of low-energy electrons in the beam (this was verified by recording the signal of SF6− from SF6, which peaked at the same energies as the two exothermic channels here). The loss of two carbonyls leading to Fe(CO)2MA− is barely exothermic (by 0.02 eV). However, its DEA band looks very

Sidewall angle tuning in focused electron beam-induced processing

• Sangeetha Hari,
• Willem F. van Dorp,
• Johannes J. L. Mulders,
• Piet H. F. Trompenaars,
• Pieter Kruit and
• Cornelis W. Hagen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 447–456, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.40

• modification – proof of principle simulation Low-energy electrons are assumed to be most effective in the dissociation process. The reason is that low-energy electrons interact more efficiently with molecules than high-energy electrons. One dissociation channel is dissociative electron attachment (DEA), which

• . The SE1 are distributed close to the primary beam, while the low-density SE2 are spread out over a much larger area. For simplicity, the spatial distribution of low-energy electrons around the point of impact of the primary beam with the substrate is assumed to be of a Gaussian shape. Depending on the

A combined gas-phase dissociative ionization, dissociative electron attachment and deposition study on the potential FEBID precursor [Au(CH₃)₂Cl]₂

• Elif Bilgilisoy,
• Ali Kamali,
• Thomas Xaver Gentner,
• Gerd Ballmann,
• Sjoerd Harder,
• Hans-Peter Steinrück,
• Hubertus Marbach and
• Oddur Ingólfsson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1178–1199, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.98

• yielded deposits with high gold content, ranging from 45 to 61 atom % depending on the beam current and on the cleanliness of the substrates surface. Keywords: dissociative electron attachment; dissociative ionization; focused-electron-beam-induced deposition (FEBID); gold deposit; low-energy electrons

• the precursor decomposition and thus in the deposit formation [16]. Hence, the decomposition of the precursor molecules is not only effectuated by the primary electron beam. In fact, the reactivity of these low-energy electrons [24] may even determine the fragmentation of the precursor molecules

Fragmentation of metal(II) bis(acetylacetonate) complexes induced by slow electrons

• Janina Kopyra and
• Hassan Abdoul-Carime

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 980–987, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.81

• Nowadays, organometallic complexes receive particular attention because of their use in the design of pure nanoscale metal structures. In the present work, we present results obtained from a series of studies on the degradation of metal(II) bis(acetylacetonate)s induced by low-energy electrons. These slow

• complexes, it is desirable to investigate the physical chemistry, in particular, the processes induced by the interaction of these molecular systems with low-energy electrons. We performed a series of collision experiments of low-energy electrons with metal bis(acetylacetonate)s, ML2, where M and L

• pathways (e.g., branching ratio), will be helpful for using this family of organometallic compounds. Results and Discussion The interaction of low-energy electrons with gaseous compounds ML2 (M: Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn; L: acac) produces the parent anion [ML2]− and the fragment anion [L]− as the predominant

Low-energy electron interaction and focused electron beam-induced deposition of molybdenum hexacarbonyl (Mo(CO)₆)

• Po-Yuan Shih,
• Maicol Cipriani,
• Christian Felix Hermanns,
• Jens Oster,
• Klaus Edinger,
• Armin Gölzhäuser and
• Oddur Ingólfsson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 182–191, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.13

• and their efficiency, and they induce different fragmentation patterns. Thus, in order to better understand the performance of individual FEBID precursors, studies on their interaction with low-energy electrons are important. Metal carbonyls are generally well suited for the use in FEBID as many of

• Winters and Kiser [19] this might be an artifact rooted in lack of low-energy electrons from the ionization source of the mass spectrometer used in their study. This is further supported by the fact that the peak maxima for single CO loss from other metal carbonyls reported by Winters and Kiser are all

• the metal–metal bond formation will be more easily surmounted. Conclusion Here we have reported on the interactions of low-energy electrons with the FEBID precursor Mo(CO)6 and on the composition of deposits made with this precursor. Dissociative electron attachment in the energy range from about 0 up

A review of defect engineering, ion implantation, and nanofabrication using the helium ion microscope

• Frances I. Allen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 633–664, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.52

• focused ion beam as it is scanned across the sample. Compared with the scanning electron microscope (SEM), the HIM offers enhanced surface sensitivity, greater topographic contrast, and a larger depth of field [4][5]. A charge-neutralization system based on flooding the scanned region with low-energy

• electrons also permits high-quality imaging of electrically insulating materials, such as biological samples, thus avoiding the need for conductive coatings that can introduce artifacts and obscure nanoscale surface features [6][7]. Through extension of the technology to enable operation of the ion source

Bio-imaging with the helium-ion microscope: A review

• Matthias Schmidt,
• James M. Byrne and
• Ilari J. Maasilta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1–23, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.1

• of them are not commonly available at the moment. Secondary electron imaging The high secondary electron yield in a HIM, which is significantly higher than that for low-energy electrons in an SEM [41], makes the detection of secondary electrons favourable for imaging. To date, the majority of HIM

Kelvin probe force microscopy of the nanoscale electrical surface potential barrier of metal/semiconductor interfaces in ambient atmosphere

• Petr Knotek,
• Tomáš Plecháček,
• Jan Smolík,
• Petr Kutálek,
• Filip Dvořák,
• Milan Vlček,
• Jiří Navrátil and
• Čestmír Drašar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1401–1411, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.138

• filtering effect [15][16][17]. The potential energy barrier connected with a metallic NP (Schottky barrier) or a multi-phase interface could scatter low-energy electrons more effectively than high-energy electrons [18]. This, in turn, results in an enhancement of the Seebeck coefficient with virtually no

On the transformation of “zincone”-like into porous ZnO thin films from sub-saturated plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition

• Alberto Perrotta,
• Julian Pilz,
• Stefan Pachmajer,
• Antonella Milella and
• Anna Maria Coclite

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 746–759, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.74

• charging was compensated using a dual beam charge neutralization, with a flux of low-energy electrons (ca. 1 eV) combined with positive Ar ions of very low energy (10 eV). Samples were sputter cleaned for 1 min with an Ar ion beam of 1 kV, 1 µA (raster size: 2 × 2 cm2). The acquired spectra were processed

Enhancement in thermoelectric properties due to Ag nanoparticles incorporated in Bi₂Te₃ matrix

• Srashti Gupta,
• Dinesh Chandra Agarwal,
• Bathula Sivaiah,
• Sankarakumar Amrithpandian,
• Kandasami Asokan,
• Ajay Dhar,
• Binaya Kumar Panigrahi,
• Devesh Kumar Avasthi and
• Vinay Gupta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 634–643, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.63

• theoretical calculations for the introduction of metal nano-inclusions in TE materials. This theory predicts the band bending at the metal–semiconductor interface will allow for the transmission of high energy electrons along with a blocking of low energy electrons. This electron energy filter results in

• method and the incorporation in Bi2Te3 synthesized by ball milling, which yielded a significant enhancement in power factor and ZT in Bi/Bi2Te3 due to the scattering of low-energy electrons by a barrier potential at the Bi–Bi2Te3 interface [15]. Improvement in TE properties has also been observed after

• a future study. The enhancement of the Seebeck coefficient can be attributed to carrier filtering. Band bending at the metal–semiconductor interfaces leads to a strong scattering of low-energy electrons whereas high-energy electrons remain unaffected [20][21]. The energy-dependent scattering of

Towards the third dimension in direct electron beam writing of silver

• Katja Höflich,
• Jakub Mateusz Jurczyk,
• Katarzyna Madajska,
• Maximilian Götz,
• Luisa Berger,
• Carlos Guerra-Nuñez,
• Caspar Haverkamp,
• Iwona Szymanska and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 842–849, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.78

• occurring during deposition can be elucidated by surface-science studies in which low-energy electrons dissociate monolayers of precursors under ultra-high vacuum conditions [4]. Based on these results the design of precursors for new materials and enhanced purity of the deposits is conceivable [15][16

• break [3][4]. The used primary electrons of energies in the kiloelectronvolt range have a focal spot of several nanometers or even less. Secondary electrons are generated by both primary and back-scattered electrons and hence escape in a radius of up to several micrometers [5]. Mainly these low-energy

• electrons are expected to contribute to the precursor dissociation [4]. The ultimate resolution of the fabricated features strongly depends on the number and energy of primary electrons [6][7]. In this respect, the vertical growth rate plays a crucial role. The vertical growth rate is determined by the

Electron interactions with the heteronuclear carbonyl precursor H₂FeRu₃(CO)₁₃ and comparison with HFeCo₃(CO)₁₂: from fundamental gas phase and surface science studies to focused electron beam induced deposition

• Ragesh Kumar T P,
• Paul Weirich,
• Lukas Hrachowina,
• Marc Hanefeld,
• Ragnar Bjornsson,
• Helgi Rafn Hrodmarsson,
• Sven Barth,
• D. Howard Fairbrother,
• Michael Huth and
• Oddur Ingólfsson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 555–579, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.53

• ligands can be cleaved more efficiently by low energy electrons than other ligands such as allyl and halides [37][49]. Therefore the investigation of Ru carbonyls as potential FEBID precursors is a promising route. Presently, deposition of heterometallic or composite materials containing more than one

Single-step process to improve the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube yarn

• Maria Cecilia Evora,
• Xinyi Lu,
• Nitilaksha Hiremath,
• Nam-Goo Kang,
• Kunlun Hong,
• Roberto Uribe,
• Gajanan Bhat and
• Jimmy Mays

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 545–554, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.52

• device, which uses both low energy Ar ions and low-energy electrons. Data were collected and analyzed using the Advantage data system (v.4.61). XPS survey spectra were collected from 0 to 1350 eV. Raman analyses were carried out in a Horiba Jobin-Yvon T64000 Raman spectrometer equipped with a Peltier

Electron interaction with copper(II) carboxylate compounds

• Michal Lacko,
• Peter Papp,
• Iwona B. Szymańska,
• Edward Szłyk and
• Štefan Matejčík

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 384–398, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.38

• fragments of these complexes are formed through single particle resonant processes close to 0 eV. Keywords: amines; dissociative electron attachment; dissociative ionization; FEBID; low energy electrons interaction; Introduction Present technological changes require the development of new methods and new

• low energy electrons (below 100 eV). These electrons can diffuse to the surface and initiate reactions in the precursor molecules. As a result, a deposit is formed. This technique enables the production of free standing 3D nanostructures and is already used commercially for the repair of

Response under low-energy electron irradiation of a thin film of a potential copper precursor for focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID)

• Leo Sala,
• Iwona B. Szymańska,
• Céline Dablemont,
• Anne Lafosse and
• Lionel Amiaud

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 57–65, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.8

• for ligands fragmentation allow one to envisage the use of the two precursors for FEBID studies. Keywords: amines; copper(II); electron-stimulated desorption; FEBID precursors; HREELS; low-energy electrons; perfluorinated carboxylates; Introduction The high electrical conductivity of copper makes it

• introduction into vacuum, like the work on Cis-platin particles by Warneke and co-workers [13]. We propose here a similar approach in the apparatus in Orsay devoted to the study of surface processes induced by low-energy electrons in the 0–20 eV range. This range is of particular interest as the low-energy

• electrons are known to play a major role in the chemical processes induced by energetic beams [11]. With a fixed precursor quantity, two particularities have to be noticed. Firstly, the temporal evolution of the recorded signals is mainly due to the changes in composition or quantity of the available

The rational design of a Au(I) precursor for focused electron beam induced deposition

• Ali Marashdeh,
• Thiadrik Tiesma,
• Niels J. C. van Velzen,
• Sjoerd Harder,
• Remco W. A. Havenith,
• Jeff T. M. De Hosson and
• Willem F. van Dorp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2753–2765, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.274

• nanopores of a zeolite, directly after synthesis. We expect this to be a challenging experimental route. The second solution is the rational design of a new precursor. Me ligands reduce aurophilic interactions and thereby increase the stability of Au(I) compounds. Also, low-energy electrons are efficient in

Interactions of low-energy electrons with the FEBID precursor chromium hexacarbonyl (Cr(CO)₆)

• Jusuf M. Khreis,
• João Ameixa,
• Filipe Ferreira da Silva and
• Stephan Denifl

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2583–2590, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.258

• Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal 10.3762/bjnano.8.258 Abstract Interactions of low-energy electrons with the FEBID precursor Cr(CO)6 have been investigated in a crossed electron–molecular beam setup coupled with a double focusing mass

• the desired metal, with the formation of non-defined deposits on the surface. When high-energy electrons interact with the surface, a cascade of low-energy electrons (LEE) and backscattered electrons are generated. Many chemical reactions can be triggered by those secondary electrons with an energy

Electron beam induced deposition of silacyclohexane and dichlorosilacyclohexane: the role of dissociative ionization and dissociative electron attachment in the deposition process

• Ragesh Kumar T P,
• Sangeetha Hari,
• Krishna K Damodaran,
• Oddur Ingólfsson and
• Cornelis W. Hagen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2376–2388, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.237

• attachment; dissociative ionization; electron beam induced deposition; low-energy electrons; silacyclohexane; Introduction Focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) [1][2] is a 3-D direct writing method suitable for the fabrication of nanostructures, even on non-planar surfaces. This approach is in

• low-energy electrons under single-collision conditions, it was shown that while appreciable decomposition of DCSCH was affected through DEA, SCH was inert with regards to this process. Dissociative ionisation, on the other hand, leads to similar fragmentation of both these molecules. For reference

• proceeding from SCH to DCSCH. As discussed above, DEA to DCSCH is active for electrons of energies below 2eV and in the range from 6 to 9 eV. In order to contribute to deposit broadening through DEA, these low-energy electrons, generated in the growing pillar, need to reach the neighbouring dots. To obtain a

Dissociative electron attachment to coordination complexes of chromium: chromium(0) hexacarbonyl and benzene-chromium(0) tricarbonyl

• Janina Kopyra,
• Paulina Maciejewska and
• Jelena Maljković

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2257–2263, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.225

• formation. However, the primary electron (PE) beam striking the substrate gives rise to a large amount of back-scattered electrons (BSEs) and secondary electrons (SEs) [6][7][8]. It is nowadays very well known that these low energy electrons (<100 eV) may induce fragmentation of the adsorbed precursor

• primary beam. To date there have been several papers devoted to the studies of the interaction of low energy electrons with gas-phase organometallic complexes. Particular attention has been paid to the compounds containing monodentate (e.g., carbonyl [12][13][14], trifluorophosphine [11][15], chloride [16

• impact of low-energy electrons on gas-phase chromium(0) hexacarbonyl (Cr(CO)6) and benzene-chromium(0) tricarbonyl ((η6-C6H6)Cr(CO)3) has been investigated. Measurements have been taken as a function of incident electron energy in the energy range between 0–12 eV. In this energy range, it is very well

Suppression of low-energy dissociative electron attachment in Fe(CO)₅ upon clustering

• Jozef Lengyel,
• Peter Papp,
• Štefan Matejčík,
• Jaroslav Kočišek,
• Michal Fárník and
• Juraj Fedor

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2200–2207, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.219

• of the CLUSTER setup (lack of low-energy electrons in the incident beam). The SF6− signal from SF6 peaks at electron energies 0.65 eV lower than Fe(CO)4− from iron pentacarbonyl clusters. Figure 3 shows the yields of anions where the dominant fragment Fe(CO)4− is bound to intact monomeric units [Fe

The role of low-energy electrons in focused electron beam induced deposition: four case studies of representative precursors

• Rachel M. Thorman,
• Ragesh Kumar T. P.,
• D. Howard Fairbrother and
• Oddur Ingólfsson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1904–1926, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.194

• low-energy electrons are abundant both inside and outside the area of the primary electron beam and are associated with reactions causing incomplete ligand dissociation from FEBID precursors. As it is not possible to directly study the effects of secondary electrons in situ in FEBID, other means must

• design criteria for precursor molecules specifically tailored for FEBID will be discussed. 2 Low energy electron-induced fragmentation In the secondary electron energy range relevant for FEBID (<100 eV), there are four distinct mechanisms by which low energy electrons may cause molecular fragmentation

• as a FEBID precursor due to its stability, good vapor pressure under FEBID conditions, and commercial availability. A 2012 study by S. Engmann et al. [15] deals with the gas phase dissociation of MeCpPtMe3 upon exposure to low-energy electrons. Gas phase experiments were performed using a crossed

Fundamental edge broadening effects during focused electron beam induced nanosynthesis

• Roland Schmied,
• Jason D. Fowlkes,
• Robert Winkler,
• Phillip D. Rack and
• Harald Plank

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 462–471, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.47

• the small interaction volume for low energy electrons in the growing deposit has to be considered, which leads to forward scattered electrons (FSE) at the sidewalls followed by re-entry in the surrounding areas [18][53]. Please note that similar to the SE-II emission we expect FSE triggered type-III

Cathode lens spectromicroscopy: methodology and applications

• T. O. Menteş,
• G. Zamborlini,
• A. Sala and
• A. Locatelli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1873–1886, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.198

• 10.3762/bjnano.5.198 Abstract The implementation of imaging techniques with low-energy electrons at synchrotron laboratories allowed for significant advancement in the field of spectromicroscopy. The spectroscopic photoemission and low energy electron microscope, SPELEEM, is a notable example. We

• microscopy (LEEM) is a surface-sensitive method based on the elastic backscattering of low energy electrons [6][11]. The concept was put forth by Ernst Bauer in the 1960s, and the first operating instrument was demonstrated by Telieps and Bauer [12]. “Low energy” stands for electron energies from a few to