Issue 43, 2022

Observation of diffuse scattering in scanning helium microscopy

Abstract

In understanding the nature of contrast in the emerging field of neutral helium microscopy, it is important to identify if there is an atom–surface scattering distribution that can be expected to apply broadly across a range of sample surfaces. Here we present results acquired in a scanning helium microscope (SHeM) under typical operating conditions, from a range of surfaces in their native state, i.e. without any specialist sample preparation. We observe diffuse scattering, with an approximately cosine distribution centred about the surface normal. The ‘cosine-like’ distribution is markedly different from those distributions observed from the well-prepared, atomically pristine, surfaces typically studied in helium atom scattering experiments. Knowledge of the typical scattering distribution in SHeM experiments provides a starting basis for interpretation of topographic contrast in images, as well as a reference against which more exotic contrast mechanisms can be compared.

Graphical abstract: Observation of diffuse scattering in scanning helium microscopy

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 4 2022
Accepted
20 9 2022
First published
28 10 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2022,24, 26539-26546

Observation of diffuse scattering in scanning helium microscopy

S. M. Lambrick, M. Bergin, D. J. Ward, M. Barr, A. Fahy, T. Myles, A. Radić, P. C. Dastoor, J. Ellis and A. P. Jardine, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2022, 24, 26539 DOI: 10.1039/D2CP01951E

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