Low-energy Electron Beam Research Articles

Multiexposure Grayscale Patterns with Low-Energy Electrons.

High-energy electron beam exposure is generally recognized as the standard for achieving high-precision nanofabrication. Low-energy electron beam exposure techniques offer advantages in 3D manufacturing; however, they have received limited attention in traditional processes due to precision limitations and insufficient exposure, leading to an underestimation of their potential. In this article, we introduce a nanofabrication strategy using low-energy electrons in ice-assisted electron-beam lithography (iEBL) alleviating the compatibility issue between resolution and quasi-3D manufacturing. With in situ alignment and correction in the iEBL process, our optimized exposure strategy enables the creation of complex grayscale structures, demonstrated by 30-layer ladder formations with an average step height of 10 nm and width of 300 nm as well as line patterns with resolution below 30 nm. To further expand the utility of the low-energy exposure strategies, we demonstrate the transformation of grayscale ice sculptures into metal nanostructures, providing a pathway for the fabrication of contamination-free metal nanostructures. This work expands the potential of low-voltage techniques and enhances the manufacturing capabilities of iEBL, which is particularly significant for its applications in quasi-3D manufacturing.

Impact of etching conditions on the sidewall quality of InGaN/GaN micro-LEDs investigated by cathodoluminescence imaging

As micro-LEDs are further miniaturized for applications in high-resolution displays, size is becoming increasingly important for overall efficiency. To achieve high internal quantum efficiency, non-radiative recombination processes at the sidewall must be well understood and adequately mitigated. For this purpose, blue InGaN/GaN micro-LEDs were defined under two different dry etching conditions by changing the plasma power and Ar/Cl2 ratio, resulting in LEDs that were either stronger physically etched or stronger chemically etched. The LEDs were investigated using monochromatic cathodoluminescence imaging and time-resolved cathodoluminescence to determine how the etching conditions affect the detrimental influence of the sidewall on the quantum efficiency. A significant reduction of cathodoluminescence intensity and lifetime of the stronger physically etched structure from the bulk material toward the sidewall is observed, which is caused by an increase in the non-radiative recombination activity. Conversely, the stronger chemical etching conditions do not lead to a considerable degradation of the luminescence properties near the sidewall, which is attributed to the passivation of near-surface point defects with hydrogen during the etching process. This is corroborated by the intentional depassivation of such defects by low-energy electron beam irradiation or thermal annealing in an inert gas atmosphere leading to a similar efficiency deterioration, as well as by the recovery of efficiency by hydrogen plasma treatment. Overall, the results demonstrate that hydrogen can very effectively restore the efficiency of micro-LEDs at the sidewall. Therefore, the possible influence of hydrogen on the point defects at the sidewall should be considered in future studies investigating sidewall treatments.

PE/PP fibrous adsorbents with bifunctional groups of tertiary amine and phosphate prepared by electron beam induced co-grafting for heavy metal adsorption of both cationic and anionic forms in acidic conditions

A novel fabric adsorbent having bifunctional groups of tertiary amine and phosphate was prepared by co-graft polymerization of 2-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate (NMA) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate phosphate (PMA) onto a polyethylene/polypropylene nonwoven fabric (PE/PP NF) under low-energy electron beam acceleration. The process involved pre-irradiating the fabric and immersing it in the comonomer solution for grafting. The kinetics of radiation-induced graft polymerization at a total dose of 100 kGy was investigated. For pre-irradiation at 100 kGy, the optimum condition offering highest degree of grafting was at 12 wt% of NMA, 8 wt% of PMA and 4 h of reaction time. The adsorption of anions using hydrogen chromate (HCrO4−) or Cr(VI) and cations using lead (Pb(II)), cadmium (Cd(II)) and copper (Cu(II)) in aqueous solution was carried out. The results demonstrated that the bifunctional adsorbent was able to adsorb both heavy metal anionic and cationic ions from water. The co-grafted adsorbents with tertiary amine and phosphate were able to adsorb 85 % Cr(VI) anion and 29 % Pb(II) cations from mixed Cr(VI) and Pb(II) solution at pH 3.0 and 71 % Pb(II), 13 % Cd(II) and 31 % Cu(II) from mixed Pb(II), Cd(II) and Cu(II) solution at pH 5.0. The unique achievement of this study is its hypothesis that a bifunctional adsorbent can be prepared from radiation-induced graft polymerization of two different monomers onto NF, along with proof that the prepared bifunctional adsorbent can actually absorb both cationic or anionic heavy metals forms. Additionally, the adsorbent's preparation offers a rapid and straightforward one-step grafting technique. Therefore, the new bifunctional adsorbents can remove heavy metal ions in aqueous solution, either in the cation or anion form, thus offering highly promising applications in industrial wastewater treatment.

On the possibility of domain structure formation in lithium niobate by low energy (< 5 keV) electron beam

The authors' assumption about the possibility of nanodomain generation in the ferroelectric LiNbO3 by relatively low energy (<5 keV) electron beams has been experimentally confirmed. The calculated electron-induced electric fields and changes in the polarization state of the near-surface layer in the -Z cut of LiNbO3 agree with the experimental results at the energies of the primary electrons Eb = 1 and 3 keV. In the proposed four-layer model of surface charging by low-energy electrons, electron-stimulated desorption of compensating atoms and molecules from the contaminated absorbing film into a vacuum plays an important role. The presented new results confirming the formation of domains in the near-surface layer at low electron beam energy can expand the possibilities of domain engineering using electron beam technologies, especially in the field of photonics.

Modification of the Structure, Phase Composition, and Properties of an Intermetallic-Matrix Composite by Low-Energy High-Current Electron Beam Irradiation

Modification of the Structure, Phase Composition, and Properties of an Intermetallic-Matrix Composite by Low-Energy High-Current Electron Beam Irradiation

Influence of Low-Energy High-Current Electron Beam Exposure on the Phase Composition and Corrosion Resistance of the AM60 Magnesium Alloy

The surface of an AM60 (Al – 5.5, Zn – 0.2, Cu – 0.009, Fe – 0.005, Si – 0.1; Ni – 0.002, Mn – 0.3 wt.%, Mg – the rest) magnesium alloy was exposed to a low-energy high-current electron beam. After the irradiation, the content of the β-phase (Mg17Al12) decreases and the aluminum content increases in the alloy surface layer. After the exposure to the electron beam, the corrosion resistance of the alloy in a 1-molar NaCl solution increases significantly compared to the initial state. The physical reason for the increase in the alloy corrosion resistance after exposure to the electron beam is the higher corrosion resistance of the oxide film formed on the alloy surface due to the increased aluminum content.

Low-damage etching of poly-Si and SiO2 via a low-energy electron beam in inductively coupled CF4 plasma

Abstract Electron-assisted etching of poly-Si and SiO2 is performed via a grid system in inductively coupled CF4 plasma. The feasibility of electron-assisted etching is discussed with a focus on the low-surface damage of the etching. The etch rate increases with electron beam energy, which indicates that the electrons assist the surface etching process. To verify this, etching of poly-Si and SiO2 is performed in several plasma conditions, which leads to differences in etch rate that depend on the presence or absence of radicals and electron beams. Poly-Si and SiO2 are not etched without radicals of CF4 plasma, but they are etched when such radicals are present. When the electron beam and radicals exist simultaneously, the etch rate increases more dramatically than in the case of a CF4 plasma without an electron beam, demonstrating that the electron beam assists the etching process. Optical emission spectroscopy is employed to verify the F radical does not affect the etch rate increase. The surface roughness is measured after electron-assisted etching and compared with the surface roughness after ion-assisted etching.

Enhancing Microhardness and Corrosion Resistance of Anodic Oxides Grown on Hypoeutectic Al–Si Alloys Pretreated by Low-Energy High-Current Electron Beams

Enhancing Microhardness and Corrosion Resistance of Anodic Oxides Grown on Hypoeutectic Al–Si Alloys Pretreated by Low-Energy High-Current Electron Beams

Achieving Electron Capture Dissociation in the Radio Frequency Linear Ion Trap without the Assistance of a Magnetic Field─A Simulation Study.

It is extremely difficult to inject a low-energy electron beam into a conventional radiofrequency (RF) linear ion trap for electron capture dissociation (ECD) without using a magnetic field to focus the electrons. In this study, the dynamic process of electrons in an RF field during their injection and transmission through a linear ion trap was simulated to determine the range of the RF phase where the electrons can be decelerated to meet the energy requirement for ECD. The ECD time window was expanded by applying a time-dependent compensation voltage to the cathode. The relationship between the cathode voltage and the phase of the RF voltage was determined. The ECD time window was increased to 49.4% of the total RF cycle after applying a compensation voltage. Between the phases of RF voltage of 0 and 0.975 π, at least 98.7% of electrons can be injected into the ECD reaction zone, and 94% of them had an energy less than 3 eV. The range of electron energy can also easily be shifted upward to enable hot electron capture dissociation.

Effect of the energy density of pulsed electron beam on the microstructure and properties of Mo-Zr surface alloys

Lasers and electron beams have been widely used to synthesize various surface alloys (SAs) but no data have been reported so far on the molybdenum-zirconium (Mo-Zr) ones. To partially fill this knowledge gap, Mo-Zr SAs were formed by processing molybdenum films on zirconium substrates with low-energy high-current electron beams (LEHCEBs). The effect of the energy density of LEHCEBs on the microstructure, phase composition, nanohardness and corrosion resistance of the Mo-Zr SAs were investigated. Basically, the Mo-Zr SAs consisted of a solid solution of Mo in the β-Zr phase, Mo2Zr second phase particles (SPPs) and a solid solution Zr in Mo. Increasing in the energy density decreased the concentration of the SPPs and enhanced the content of the β-Zr phase. Also, it affected the depth of the highest concentration of the SPPs. In the zones of the highest molybdenum contents, the nanohardness values reached 9.4–12.7 GPa, which was higher by 3.2–4.4 times than that of the zirconium substrates. In a 3.5 % NaCl solution at room temperature, the corrosion current densities and the corrosion potentials were greater than those of the zirconium substrates by six and almost two times, respectively.

Isolated single-photon emitters with low Huang–Rhys factor in hexagonal boron nitride at room temperature

The development of stable room-temperature bright single-photon emitters using atomic defects in hexagonal boron nitride flakes (h-BN) provides significant promise for quantum technologies. However, an outstanding challenge in h-BN is the creation and detection of isolated, stable single-photon emitters with high emission rates and with very low Huang–Rhys (HR) factor. Here, we discuss the quantum photonic properties of a single, isolated, stable quantum emitter that emits single photons with a high emission rate and a low HR value of 0.6 ± 0.2 at room temperature. A scanning confocal image confirms the presence of a deserted, single-quantum emitter with a prominent zero-phonon line at ∼578 nm with a well-separated phonon sideband at 626 nm. The second-order intensity-intensity correlation measurement shows an anti-bunching dip of ∼0.25 with an emission lifetime of 2.46 ± 0.1 ns, reinforcing distinct features of the single-photon emitter. The importance of low-energy electron beam irradiation and subsequent annealing is emphasized to achieve stable, reproducible single-photon emitters.

Electron beam irradiation-induced atomically thin domes of two-dimensional materials: Graphene and MoS[formula omitted]

The local strain-induced indirect-to-direct band gap transition in bulk transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) holds great potential for optoelectronic applications. The formation of domes on the topmost layer of a multilayered flake through hydrogen ion H+ irradiation is an effective technique for tuning the band gap locally via molecular hydrogen (H2) confinement. In this work, we present an alternative robust, simpler, and faster technique for concurrently forming and visualizing dome-like structures of two-dimensional (2D) materials through low-energy electron beam irradiation. We investigated the growth mechanism and dynamics of the domes under exposure to electron beams at different energy levels. The simultaneous production and imaging of atomically thin domes of 2D materials has several practical and fundamental applications, such as mass storage and transport, single photon emission, nano/micro-electromechanical sensors, strain engineering, etc.

Dosimetry for low-energy electron beam applications at Fraunhofer FEP

Abstract Accelerating electrons to achieve chemical and biological effects is a well-established competence of Fraunhofer FEP. Today, there is a large variety of low-energy electron beam applications with a broad range of absorbed doses, e.g. modification of plastics, plasma-chemical syntheses, pollutant removal in wastewaters and exhaust gases, sterilization of medical products, disinfection of seeds, biocompatible functionalization of implants and stimulation of biotechnological processes. This calls for reliable, sensitive, and flexible methods for dosimetry. Radiochromic films are suitable tools to measure electron dose distributions for the characterization and quality control of Fraunhofer FEP’s irradiation facilities. Risø B3 radiochromic film from DTU Health Tech, the dosimeter of choice at FEP, reliably detects doses in the range of 10–100 kGy. However, with new upcoming applications, doses in the single-digit kGy range and even lower come to the fore. Hence, the palette of dosimeters at FEP must be extended. Gafchromic’s HD-V2 film is a welcome complement and widens the accessible dose range down to 10 Gy. Using a UV-VIS spectrophotometer for read-out of the films and custom analysis algorithms further increase the sensitivity of the dosimetric setup. Additionally, dosimeters based on the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) of beryllium oxide offer a wide dose range and high sensitivity. They were used to measure doses induced by secondary X-ray components to gain more information about a specific radiation field. The work gives an overview of the dosimetric toolbox at Fraunhofer FEP and the efforts to implement new methods of detection for low-dose applications and X-ray dosimetry.

Beam‐Driven Electron Cyclotron Harmonic and Electron Acoustic Waves as Seen in Particle‐In‐Cell Simulations

AbstractRecent study has demonstrated that electron cyclotron harmonic (ECH) waves can be excited by a low energy electron beam. Such waves propagate at moderately oblique wave normal angles (∼70°). The potential effects of beam‐driven ECH waves on electron dynamics in Earth's plasma sheet is not known. Using two‐dimensional Darwin particle‐in‐cell simulations with initial electron distributions that represent typical plasma conditions in the plasma sheet, we explore the excitation and saturation of such beam‐driven ECH waves. Both ECH and electron acoustic waves are excited in the simulation and propagate at oblique wave normal angles. Compared with the electron acoustic waves, ECH waves grow much faster and have more intense saturation amplitudes. Cold, stationary electrons are first accelerated by ECH waves through cyclotron resonance and then accelerated in the parallel direction by both the ECH and electron acoustic waves through Landau resonance. Beam electrons, on the other hand, are decelerated in the parallel direction and scattered to larger pitch angles. The relaxation of the electron beam and the continuous heating of the cold electrons contribute to ECH wave saturation and suppress the excitation of electron acoustic waves. When the ratio of plasma to electron cyclotron frequency ωpe/ωce increases, the ECH wave amplitude increases while the electron acoustic wave amplitude decreases. Our work reveals the importance of ECH and electron acoustic waves in reshaping sub‐thermal electron distributions and improves our understanding on the potential effects of wave‐particle interactions in trapping ionospheric electron outflows and forming anisotropic (field‐aligned) electron distributions in the plasma sheet.

Novel liquid dosimeters for low-energy electron beam irradiation in low and medium dose ranges

Low-energy electron beam irradiation, which refers to the treatment of matter with accelerated electrons at energies below 300 keV, is gaining attention for many applications in life sciences. In the scope of vaccine production, low-energy electron irradiation is an efficient and chemical free technology to inactivate viruses. Low-energy electron beam irradiation has also been proposed to be a powerful technique for its use in biotechnological processes. As biotechnological applications operate in an aqueous environment, there is an urgent need for accurate dose quantification in liquids, especially for low (< 500 Gy) and medium doses (500–5000 Gy). This study investigated dye solutions of xylenol orange tetrasodium, 1,9-dimethylmethylene blue, resazurin sodium, and tartrazine for their suitability as radiochromic liquid dosimeters. The solutions were evaluated regarding their dose–response characteristics and storage stability prior to irradiation over a range of pH values and concentrations. The radiochromic dosimeters were irradiated with electrons with maximal energies of 200 keV and dose rates of 6.5 Gy/s to 45 Gy/s. Then, the absorbance was measured and response curves were plotted. The dye solutions of 1,9-dimethylmethylene blue and resazurin sodium covered a low to medium dose range from 100–1500 Gy and 100–1000 Gy, respectively. Tartrazine at pH 4 was suitable for quantification of doses from 100 Gy to 3500 Gy, which covers a wide dose range of biotechnological applications.

Magnetic dipole lines of Sc-like Kr15+ and Br14+ ions

In this paper, we report on optical lines of Sc-like Kr[Formula: see text] and Br[Formula: see text] observed using a low-energy electron beam ion trap. Within the spectral range of 220–590 nm, a total of 18 spectral lines from these two ions were identified, 12 of which were reported for the first time. To determine the energy levels, the multi-configuration Dirac–Hartree–Fock method and relativistic many-body perturbation theory are employed. The excitation energies for the 19 lowest levels arising from [Formula: see text] ground configuration of Kr[Formula: see text] and Br[Formula: see text] ions are presented. Comparing the theoretical wavelengths with the experimental values, a good agreement is observed with an average deviation of less than 1.1%. However, for a few lines, discrepancies larger than 2.0% are observed. The present experimental results could be reference data for further theoretical investigations of the multi-valence electron ions.

On the correspondence of bump relief on the surface of materials processed with low-energy high-current electron beam to their grain structure

One of the features that appears on the pre-polished surface of metals and alloys as a result of processing with low-energy high-current electron beam is a bump surface relief with the bump size varying from several tens to several hundred nanometers. Some researchers consider these bumps as the trace of the grain structure of the near-surface modified layer of material. The aim of the present work was to show experimental results proving that the bump relief is not related to the grain size in the near-surface layer. The microstructure was studied using reliable complementary methods of transmission electron microscopy and backscattered electron diffraction using Inconel 718 alloy and stainless steel obtained by additive manufacturing and processed with low-energy high-current electron beam.

A study of pulsed high voltage driven hollow-cathode electron beam sources through synchronous optical trigger

In this study, a pulsed, high voltage driven hollow-cathode electron beam sources through an optical trigger is designed with characteristics of simple structure, low cost, and easy triggering. To validate the new design, the characteristics of hollow-cathode discharge and electron beam characterization under pulsed high voltage drive are studied experimentally and discussed by discharge characteristics and analyses of waveform details, respectively. The validation experiments indicate that the pulsed high voltage supply significantly improves the frequency and stability of the discharge, which provides a new solution for the realization of a high-frequency, high-energy electron beam source. The peak current amplitude in the high-energy electron beam increases from 6.2 A to 79.6 A, which indicates the pulsed power mode significantly improves the electron beam performance. Besides, increasing the capacitance significantly affects the high-current, lower-energy electron beam more than the high-energy electron beam.

Investigation of optical spectroscopy in W13+ ions

This study presents the investigation of magnetic dipole transition lines of W13+ ions in the wavelength range of 200–700 nm at a low-energy electron beam ion trap. Seventeen lines emitted from W13+ ions have been observed with three being reported experimentally for the first time. The atomic structure calculation and spectra simulation of W13+ ions have been carried out using the multiconfiguration Dirac–Hartree–Fock method combined with the relativistic configuration interaction approach and the collisional–radiative model, respectively. The theoretical calculations are in reasonable agreement with the experimental observations, and most of the observed lines have been identified.

Influence of Low-Energy High-Current Electron Beam Exposure on the Phase Composition and Corrosion Resistance of the AM60 Magnesium Alloy

Influence of Low-Energy High-Current Electron Beam Exposure on the Phase Composition and Corrosion Resistance of the AM60 Magnesium Alloy