Three-dimensional chemical analysis of tungsten probes by energy dispersive x-ray nanotomography

The chemical distribution of oxide layers around functional tungsten nanotips is studied using electron tomography. Three-dimensional element distribution functions are derived for such tips, giving insight into the subsurface chemistry. Energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy is coupled to computed tomography to reconstruct slices across the tip. It is finally shown how the surface reconstruction by geometric tomography from annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy images can be combined with EDX tomography reconstructions to reduce backprojection artefacts and improve the sharpness of the surface contours. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.