Atom probe tomography

TLDR

APT provides sub‑0.3‑nm 3‑D compositional imaging, and its use is expanding to a broader range of materials and applications. This review surveys APT, highlighting current capabilities and future possibilities. Recent hardware upgrades simplify APT and accelerate data acquisition, while new specimen‑fabrication methods enable analysis of previously inaccessible materials. APT now applies to structural metals, alloys, thin multilayer films, dielectric and semiconductor devices, and ceramics.

Abstract

The technique of atom probe tomography (APT) is reviewed with an emphasis on illustrating what is possible with the technique both now and in the future. APT delivers the highest spatial resolution (sub-0.3-nm) three-dimensional compositional information of any microscopy technique. Recently, APT has changed dramatically with new hardware configurations that greatly simplify the technique and improve the rate of data acquisition. In addition, new methods have been developed to fabricate suitable specimens from new classes of materials. Applications of APT have expanded from structural metals and alloys to thin multilayer films on planar substrates, dielectric films, semiconducting structures and devices, and ceramic materials. This trend toward a broader range of materials and applications is likely to continue.