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Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy pp 659–688Cite as

Low-Loss EELS in the STEM

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Abstract

The main goal of this chapter is to introduce the concept of “low-loss” or “valence loss” electron energy loss spectroscopy (VEELS) in the STEM. Much of the discussion will assume that the microscope is aligned to form the optimum probe size (as described in other chapters in this book) with only special attention being drawn to the monochromator and how its use modifies the electron optics of the microscope (i.e., how the probe is formed). VEELS is traditionally described by energy loss processes that are seen in the 0–50 eV region of the spectrum (Figure 16–1) and processes that are typically characterized as collective excitations. These collective oscillations can provide key insights into optical and electronic properties that are fundamentally different from the composition and structure information that is typically extracted from core-loss spectra. Here we will provide a basic physical model for these collective excitations that allows materials properties to be interpreted from experimental spectra acquired in the STEM.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

    Nigel D. Browning

  2. Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA

    Nigel D. Browning & Bryan W. Reed

  3. Departments of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

    Ilke Arslan

  4. Electron Microscopy Center, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dubendorf, Switzerland

    Rolf Erni

Authors
  1. Nigel D. Browning
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  2. Ilke Arslan
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  3. Rolf Erni
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  4. Bryan W. Reed
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nigel D. Browning .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, 37831-6056, Tennessee, USA

    Stephen J. Pennycook

  2. , Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PH, United Kingdom

    Peter D. Nellist

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Browning, N.D., Arslan, I., Erni, R., Reed, B.W. (2011). Low-Loss EELS in the STEM. In: Pennycook, S., Nellist, P. (eds) Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7200-2_16

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