Chemical Characterization of Magnetic Materials at High Spatial Resolution

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe fabrication of nanoscale magnetic materials and novel heterostructures has placed great demands on the analytical tools used to characterize the chemical and structural variations in these samples. Attempts to determine the composition, phase, crystallinity, and interface structure of nanoscale materials often involve tradeoffs between accuracy, sensitivity, and spatial resolution. Traditional techniques such as electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (EDS), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), and scanning Auger microscopy (SAM) will be surveyed in this context. Powerful new tools for probing the chemical heterogeneity of materials at ultrafine length scales will also be discussed, including energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) and spectrum imaging, as well as recent advances in new methods such as backscattered electron Kikuchi patterns (BEKP) and microcalorimetry.