Thin-film based phase plates for transmission electron microscopy fabricated from metallic glasses

TL;DR

This paper introduces metallic glass alloy thin films as durable phase plates for transmission electron microscopy, aiming to improve contrast and stability over traditional amorphous carbon films.

Contribution

It presents the fabrication and characterization of zirconium-based metallic glass alloy thin films as phase plates, demonstrating their potential advantages in TEM applications.

Findings

High electrical conductivity of ZAC alloy films.

Reduced inelastic plasmon scattering probability.

Enhanced stability under electron-beam illumination.

Abstract

Thin-film based phase plates are meanwhile a widespread tool to enhance the contrast of weak-phase objects in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The thin film usually consists of amorphous carbon, which suffers from quick degeneration under the intense electron-beam illumination. Recent investigations have focused on the search for alternative materials with an improved material stability. This work presents thin-film based phase plates fabricated from metallic glass alloys, which are characterized by a high electrical conductivity and an amorphous structure. Thin films of the zirconium-based alloy Zr65.0Al7.5Cu27.5 (ZAC) are prepared and their phase-shifting properties are tested. The ZAC-alloy film is investigated by different TEM techniques, which reveal a range of beneficial characteristics. Particularly favorable is the small probability for inelastic plasmon scattering, which is promising to improve the performance of thin-film based phase plates in phase-contrast TEM.