Improvements in the mass resolution of the three-dimensional atom probe

A new three-dimensional atom probe has been developed, in which energy compensation has been included in order to improve the mass resolution of the technique. A first order reflectron is used as its energy compensating device. The incorporation of a reflectron in a three-dimensional atom probe is less straightforward than when used in a conventional atom probe, and special care has to be taken in the design to ensure satisfactory performance, both in terms of mass resolution and spatial resolution. Mass resolutions achieved with this instrument are better than mΔm = 500 full width at half maximum and 250 full width at 10% maximum.