Damage induced by electric field (DIEF) of gold microparticles on silicon oxide substrate in the scanning electron microscope (SEM)

Abstract text (incl. figure legends and references)
Introduction
A normally unwanted process that can arise when converging an electron beam onto, e.g. microparticles, has been called "damage induced by electric field" (DIEF) [1]. By DIEF, the convergent electron beam (CEB) imparts a high amount of energy to the microparticle locally and strongly interacts with its atoms. At a specific current density J, which can be controlled by the convergence angle α, the irradiated material begins to transform. The phenomenon of expelling nanomaterial from microparticles under the influence of a convergent electron beam (CB) in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) has been largely studied [2]. Several types of nanoparticles (NPs) have been observed for different metallic materials and metal oxides after specific CB protocols (P) in the TEM. Thus, DIEF can be used as a promising synthesis method controlled changes of micrometric material to create new nanometric material compositions and morphologies. While these reactions have been observed in situ at the high acceleration voltages associated with TEM, it remains unclear whether the SEM can also be used to fabricate NPs via DIEF. In contrast to TEM there is no possibility to statically convert the electron beam to a range of α to reach the needed J as in TEM. Instead, the scanning parameters and the magnification can be manipulated so as to find an integrated J. Considering that the scanning electron microscope (SEM) is easier to use, more accessible and cheaper than a TEM, here we explore the possibility to transfer the concepts of DIEF known to operate in the TEM for in situ NP generation SEM. Objectives
The main goal is to determine whether DIEF can be translated to the SEM perform to controlled in situ fabrication of nanoparticles from microparticles, using gold microparticles on amorphous SiO substrate as precursors. We determine what experimental parameters must be taken into account to create SEM-based CBPs for NP creation in the SEM with these materials. Materials & methods
Gold microparticles with diameter of around 1 to 3 µm were deposited on electron transparent amorphous SiO/SiO₂ substrate. Using a convergent electron beam protocol (CBP) in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at an acceleration voltage of 30 kV, the gold microparticles were irradiated until a production of NPs takes place as shown in figure 1. The beam current varied between 16 and 23 nA.
Results Depending on the CBP parameters, either only Au NPs or a mixture of Au and Si NPs are produced. The particle size ranges from a few nm up to 100 nm, and it depends on the distance of the NP to the initial position of the microparticle. Further beam parameters such as the dwell time, the effective irradiated volume and particle size determine whether NPs are produced or if the microparticles only are expelled from the substrate without reacting. Conclusion
The SEM can be used as an instrument for synthesizing nanomaterials via DIEF. Different CBP protocols can be applied for obtaining either gold nanoparticles or silicon + gold nanoparticles

[2]I. Gonzalez-Martinez, A. Bachmatiuk, et al.; Electron-beam induced synthesis of nanostructures: A review; Nanoscale (2016),11340

[1]N. Jiang; Damage mechanisms in electron microscopy of insulating materials; J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. (2013),305502

Fig1: Convergent beam protocol on a gold microparticle deposited on a silicon oxided substrate. a) initial state b) after CBP c) selected area electron diffraction analysis and simulation.