Abstract
The successful correction of lens aberrations in scanning transmission electron
microscopy has allowed an improvement in resolution by a factor of two in just a few years. The benefits for materials research are far greater than a factor of two might imply, because enhanced resolution also brings enhanced image contrast, and therefore a vast increase in sensitivity to single atoms, both for imaging and electron energy loss spectroscopy. In addition, aberration correction enables simultaneous, aberrationcorrected, Z-contrast and phase contrast imaging, and brings a depth resolution at the nanometer level. It becomes possible to focus directly on features at different depths in
the specimen thickness, and three-dimensional information can be extracted with single atom sensitivity. In conjunction with density functional and elasticity theory, these advances provide a new level of insight into the atomistic origins of materials properties. Several examples are discussed that illustrate the potential for applications, including the segregation of rare earth elements to grain boundaries in Si3N4 ceramics, the quantitative
analysis of strain-induced growth phenomena in semiconductor quantum wells, the
explanation of the enhanced thermal stability of La-doped �-alumina as a catalyst support, and the origin of the remarkable catalytic activity of Au nanoparticles.
