A platform for in situ synthesis in a STEM

The engineering of quantum materials requires the development of tools able to address various synthesis and characterization challenges. These include the establishment and refinement of growth methods, material manipulation, and defect engineering. Material modification at the atomic level will be a key enabling factor for the engineering of quantum materials where desired phenomena are critically determined by local atomic structures. Successful use of scanning transmission electron microscopes (STEMs) for atomic scale material manipulation has opened the door for a transformed view of what can be accomplished using electron-beam-based strategies. However, serious obstacles exist on the pathway from possibility to practical reality. One such obstacle is the in situ delivery of atomized material in the STEM to the region of interest for further fabrication processes. Here, we present progress on this front with a view toward performing synthesis (deposition and growth) processes in a scanning transmission electron microscope. An in situ thermal deposition platform is presented, tested, and deposition and growth processes are demonstrated. In particular, we show that isolated Sn atoms can be evaporated from a filament and caught on the nearby sample, demonstrating atomized material delivery. This platform, and future variations, are envisioned to facilitate real-time atomic resolution imaging of growth processes and open new pathways toward atomic fabrication.