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Proximity Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy/Spectroscopy

Here a new microscopic method is proposed to image and characterize very thin samples like few-layer materials, organic molecules, and nanostructures with nanometer or sub-nanometer resolution using electron beams of energies lower than 20 eV. The microscopic technique achieves high resolution through the proximity (or near-field) effect, as in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), while it also allows detection of transmitted electrons for imaging and spectroscopy, as in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). This proximity transmission electron microscopy (PSTEM) does not require any lens to focus the electron beam. It also allows detailed characterization of the interaction of low-energy electron with materials. PSTEM can operate in a way very similar to scanning tunneling microscopy, which provides high-resolution imaging of geometric and electronic structures of the sample surface. In addition, it allows imaging and characterization of the interior structures of the sample based on the detected transmission electron signals. PSTEM comprises a family of spectroscopies that address the transport and scattering of low-energy electrons in materials. Thus rich information can be extracted from the measurements. PSTEM offers a fundamentally new and powerful way to investigate thin materials. New analysis methods of thin materials and new physics may be uncovered by this method.