Achieving 5-angstrom-resolution diffraction contrast with an uncorrected electron probe and nanosized defect characterizations
Abstract
Atomic-resolution micrographs remain limited in application due to small field of view and low numbers of recorded defects. Defect imaging with reliable statistics in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) relies heavily on diffraction contrast. However, with 200-300 kV electrons, low-curvature Ewald sphere limits diffraction resolution at ~5 nm. Here, we imaged defects with a forbidden condition in TEM and improved the resolution in diffraction contrast from 5 to 0.5 nm. The superiority of our equal-s method is demonstrated by the discovery of a novel phase and dislocation loop structure in steels, which have not been previously reported experimentally or theoretically. Our equal-s can largely replace the classical two-beam condition for defect study.
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BibTeX
@misc{li2026achieving,
title = {{Achieving 5-angstrom-resolution diffraction contrast with an uncorrected electron probe and nanosized defect characterizations}},
author = {Yao Li and Austin C. Houston and Ziang Yu and Zehui Qi and Siwei Chen and Yajie Zhao and Sung Joo Kim and Steven J. Zinkle and Gerd Duscher and Blas P. Uberuaga and Benjamin K. Derby},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.28096},
eprint = {2609.28096},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.28096},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Achieving 5-angstrom-resolution diffraction contrast with an uncorrected electron probe and nanosized defect characterizations
AU - Yao Li
AU - Austin C. Houston
AU - Ziang Yu
AU - Zehui Qi
AU - Siwei Chen
AU - Yajie Zhao
AU - Sung Joo Kim
AU - Steven J. Zinkle
AU - Gerd Duscher
AU - Blas P. Uberuaga
AU - Benjamin K. Derby
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/23
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.28096
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.28096
AB - Atomic-resolution micrographs remain limited in application due to small field of view and low numbers of recorded defects. Defect imaging with reliable statistics in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) relies heavily on diffraction contrast. However, with 200-300 kV electrons, low-curvature Ewald sphere limits diffraction resolution at ~5 nm. Here, we imaged defects with a forbidden condition in TEM and improved the resolution in diffraction contrast from 5 to 0.5 nm. The superiority of our equal-s method is demonstrated by the discovery of a novel phase and dislocation loop structure in steels, which have not been previously reported experimentally or theoretically. Our equal-s can largely replace the classical two-beam condition for defect study.
ER -