Scanning transmission imaging in the helium ion microscope with a position-sensitive detector

The helium ion microscope (HIM) is an instrument for high-resolution imaging, nanofabrication, composition analysis, and material modification at the nanometer scale [1]. The npSCOPE instrument is a unique HIM prototype with three special add-ons, namely: secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), cryo-microscopy, and scanning transmission helium ion microscopy (STHIM).
In this work, we focus on STHIM. Our STHIM detection system is based on a position- and time-sensitive detector comprising a microchannel plate and a delay line readout structure. A dedicated software interface for data acquisition and post-processing allows the reconstruction of images for selected scattering directions, and the visualization of different contrast regimes for a given sample. Using STHIM, we analyzed material contrast for layered films of various thicknesses and materials. Channeling contrast in transmission for poly- and single-crystalline materials is also detected. In the case of biological samples, STHIM provides a way of identifying sub-surfaces structures that can help to localize nanomaterials for toxicology studies, as shown in Figure 1.