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arXiv · 2408.02409

Electron-beam-induced modification of gold microparticles in an SEM

Kristina Weinel·Marc Benjamin Hahn·Axel Lubk·Wen Feng·Ignacio Gonzalez Martinez·Bernd Büchner·Leonardo Agudo Jácome
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Abstract

Electron-beam-induced conversion of materials in a transmission electron microscope uses the high power density of a localized electron beam of acceleration voltages above 100 kV as an energy source to transform matter at the sub-micron scale. Here, the e-beam-induced transformation of precursor microparticles employing a low-energy e-beam with an acceleration voltage of 30 kV in a scanning electron microscope is developed to increase the versatility and efficiency of the technique. Under these conditions, the technique can be classified between e-beam lithography, where the e-beam is used to mill holes in or grow some different material onto a substrate, and e-beam welding, where matter can be welded together when overcoming the melting phase. Modifying gold microparticles on an amorphous SiOx substrate reveals the dominant role of inelastic electron-matter interaction and subsequent localized heating for the observed melting and vaporization of the precursor microparticles under the electron beam. Monte-Carlo scattering simulations and thermodynamic modeling further support the findings.

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Kristina Weinel, Marc Benjamin Hahn, Axel Lubk, Wen Feng, Ignacio Gonzalez Martinez, Bernd Büchner, Leonardo Agudo Jácome. 2024-08-05. Electron-beam-induced modification of gold microparticles in an SEM. https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.02409

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