K3 IS camera for electron ptychography: Mapping oxygen in SrTiO3

Gatan instrument used

The K3^® IS camera enables direct detection electron counting, fast continuous data collection, and low-dose imaging. The STEMx^® system leverages eaSI™ technology to synchronize the STEM probe with the K3 IS fast frame rate to acquire high-quality 4D STEM datasets at high speed.

Background

One of the most promising applications of 4D STEM is electron ptychography. Electron ptychography is a dose-efficient method that enables high-resolution spatial imaging (beyond the traditional numerical-aperture-limited resolution) and detection of light and heavy atoms with high signal-to-noise ratio and contrast linearity (as opposed to conventional annular dark field imaging). Hybrid-pixel detectors have been most commonly used in recently published electron ptychography results, mainly because of their large pixel size, high-dynamic range, and fast frame rate. Here, we show that the K3 IS camera, a monolithic active pixel detector, can similarly be used for high-quality electron ptychography studies.