Atom probe tomography APT

The constant progress made in nanoscience and its applications, nanotechnology, has only been possible thanks to the development of increasingly powerful analysis and imaging techniques. For a long time, nanostructures such as transistors, spin valves and LEDs were structured in two dimensions in increasing density on silicon substrates (wafers). Today, the nanoelectronics industry is faced with a major obstacle to the surface integration of nano-objects. A step forward has just been taken this year, 2013, with INTEL's launch of 3D technology, without which integration density can no longer grow. While two-dimensional analysis and imaging techniques are legion (secondary ion mass spectrometry, high-resolution electron microscopy, near-field techniques...), none, until the advent of the laser-assisted tomographic atom probe, made it possible to study the interfaces and chemistry of these new nano-objects on an atomic scale and in three dimensions.

The atomic probe is a fairly old instrument, born three times over. For a long time, it was limited to the study of metals. It has recently undergone a revolution, enabling it to be used on insulating and conducting materials. This has paved the way for 3D analytical imaging with sub-nanometer resolution.

This article describes the fundamental principles on which the technique is based, and the technologies developed over the last few years to produce the modern version of the instrument, following a number of ingenious developments in the field of nanoscience. Today, it is in the field of nanotechnology that the SAT tomographic atomic probe continues to be developed and to find varied applications on modern problems.