Atom Probe Tomography.

Metals & Alloys

The properties of metallic engineering materials are defined by their microstructure, grain boundaries, precipitates and interfaces. APT offers unparalleled insight from the micro-to-atomic scale in materials such as:

• Steel

• Aluminum alloys

• Super alloys (Fe, Ni, Co-based)

• High-entropy alloys

• Titanium alloys

• Magnesium alloys

Semi Conductors

APT is widely used in industry and science to explore atomic structure and interfaces in different semiconductor devices, such as:

• Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs),

• Solar Cells and Transparent Conductive Oxides (TCOs),

• Field-Effect Transistors (FETs),

• Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs)

• Static or Dynamic Random Access Memory (SRAM or DRAM)

Geology Materials

APT is increasing developed and used in the geoscience and planetary science disciplines in recent years.

It has the ability to provide sub-nanometre resolution of whole periodic elements and isotopic compositions, without spending much time for a prior selection. That’s why APT can help determing the bulk composition of natural mineral and metallic grains that are too small to be quantitatively analysed by other techniques.

Battery Materials

The high-capacity energy storage needed in electric vehicles or grid energy storage is currently largely achieved using Li-ion batteries.

It is important to understand the factors determing battery capacity and their degradation mechanisms, in order to ensure long-term, sustainable and safe operation. This requires detailed knowledge of their microstructure and chemistry, and their evolution under operating conditions, on the nanoscale.

APT provides 3D compositional mapping with sub-nanometre resolution. It is very sensitive and not related to the atomic weight, hence Li can be readily detected. APT result can demonstrate and explain irreversible capacity loss of battery.

Ceramics

Engineering ceramics, such as oxides, nitrides, and carbides, are group of important material used in electronic devices, aerospace components, as well as various tribological applications. APT provides analysis and mapping for individual atoms in three dimensions of interfaces in these materials. Therefore engineers can fully understand their features such as electronic, ionic, mechanical, magnetic, and optical properties, and hence develop the technologies to limit the thermal growth of oxides to improve energy efficiency.

In the past, this atomic-scale characterization technique required the material to have high electrical conductivity. With the development of the focused ion beam milling technique for specimen preparation, and commercial APT instruments, it is feasible for three-dimensional analysis with nearly atomic resolution of insulating oxide and nitride ceramics, semiconductors, and even biological materials.

Bio Minerals

Biomineralization is the process by which living organisms produce minerals, often to harden existing tissues. Biominerals are composites of mineral and organic phases. Biominerals are used in conjunction with organic polymers such as collagen and chitin to give structural support to bones and shells.

The characterization of the distribution of such nanoscale structure is very challenging. Even energy-filtered electron microscopy is not suitable for study of small quantities of low atomic number elements typical for biological materials. Therefore, APT can be used for this purpose with the advanced ability of obtaining quantitative chemical data.