Atom-scale ptychographic electron diffractive imaging of boron nitride cones

Phys Rev Lett. 2012 Feb 17;108(7):073901. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.073901. Epub 2012 Feb 14.

Abstract

Ptychographic coherent diffractive imaging (CDI) has been extensively applied using both x rays and electrons. The extension to atomic resolution has been elusive. This Letter demonstrates ptychographic electron diffractive imaging at atomic resolution, permitting identification of structure in a boron nitride helical cone at a resolution of order 1 Å, beyond that of comparative Z-contrast images. A scanning transmission electron microscope is used to create a diverging illumination in a defocused Fresnel CDI geometry, providing a robust strategy leading to a unique solution.