Ultrathin membranes for uncovering the atomic scale problem in operando conditions

Researchers from Northwestern University, the Technical University of Denmark, and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have addressed spatial resolution, electron scattering, and visibility limitations in closed-cell microchips based on silicon nitride. These closed-cell systems are widely used as “nanoscale reactors” inside high-vacuum electron microscopes. The researchers demonstrated that a beehive-like structure encapsulating heavily doped silicon beneath ultrathin silicon nitride substantially reduced membrane thickness, enabling the highest spatial resolution and spectral visibility thus far.