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Springer Handbook of Microscopy pp 715–763Cite as

Atom-Probe Tomography

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Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the current state of atom-probe tomography ( ). The history of APT is recounted so that the reader may put the many modern developments in context. It is noted that atom-probe tomography has the highest spatial resolution among analytical techniques (\({\mathrm{0.2}}\,{\mathrm{nm}}\)), and it has the highest absolute analytical sensitivity (single atoms), a unique combination. The fundamentals of APT, including the operative physics, performance metrics, and hardware configurations, are discussed. Before examining the many benefits that may be realized in APT, however, its limitations such as image distortions and specimen failures are discussed in full. Specimen preparation procedures for most materials are explained. A comprehensive overview of the many materials applications including metals, ceramics, semiconductors, and organics is provided. Finally, there is a look toward the future to see where the technique is headed.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge the collaborative efforts of many people in developing the concepts in this article. Dierk Raabe, Baptiste Gault, Gerhard Dehm, and Christina Scheu on Project Laplace at Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung Düsseldorf; Dierk Raabe, Rafal Dunin-Borkowski, Joachim Mayer, and Max Haider on Project Tomo at Forschungszentrum Jülich; Simon P. Ringer, Michael K. Miller, Krishna Rajan, Ondrej Krivanek, and Niklas Dellby on the ATOM Project; Brian Gorman, David Dierks, Christoph Koch, and Wouter van den Broek on LEAP-STEM imaging; Robert McDermott and Joseph Suttle on superconducting detector development; and Jeff Shepard, David J. Larson, Katherine P. Rice, Ty J. Prosa, Brian P. Geiser, Robert Ulfig, Joseph H. Bunton, Tim Payne, Dan Lenz, and Ed Oltman at Cameca Instruments, Inc. John Panitz has helped immensely in correctly recounting some of the history of the early days at Pennsylvania State University with Professor Erwin W. Müller.

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    Thomas F. Kelly

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    Peter W. Hawkes

  2. Dept. of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    John C. H. Spence

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Kelly, T.F. (2019). Atom-Probe Tomography. In: Hawkes, P.W., Spence, J.C.H. (eds) Springer Handbook of Microscopy. Springer Handbooks. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00069-1_15

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