Visibility of single heavy atoms on thin crystalline silicon in simulated annular dark-field STEM images

The multislice method, pioneered by Cowley and Moodie, has recently been adapted to simulate annular dark-field scanning transmission electron-microscope (ADF STEM) images. This paper presents a series of calculations using this new approach with experimental parameters appropriate for a VG-HB501 STEM to investigate the visibility of single heavy adatoms on thin crystalline silicon membranes. The tendency for electrons to channel along columns of atoms in crystals can greatly increase the intensity incident on an adatom on the exit surface, thereby increasing the adatom visibility. The simulations indicate that an adatom on the exit surface on a column of crystal atoms is up to three times as visible as an adatom on the entrance surface, and that the adatom remains highly visible as the crystal thickness is increased. Tilting the specimen or displacing the adatom from the column appears to lower the visibility of the adatom dramatically. These calculations suggest that, with the appropriate imaging conditions, a single gold adatom may be visible on at least 235 of (111) silicon.