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Atom Probe Tomography: Development and Application to the Geosciences
Author(s) -
Reddy Steven M.,
Saxey David W.,
Rickard William D. A.,
Fougerouse Denis,
Montalvo Stephanie D.,
Verberne Rick,
Riessen Arie
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
geostandards and geoanalytical research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.037
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1751-908X
pISSN - 1639-4488
DOI - 10.1111/ggr.12313
Subject(s) - atom probe , instrumentation (computer programming) , nanoscopic scale , nanotechnology , scale (ratio) , geology , earth science , computer science , engineering physics , materials science , physics , quantum mechanics , transmission electron microscopy , operating system
Atom probe tomography (APT) is an analytical technique that provides quantitative three‐dimensional elemental and isotopic analyses at sub‐nanometre resolution across the whole periodic table. Although developed and mostly used in the materials science and semiconductor fields, recent years have seen increasing development and application in the geoscience and planetary science disciplines. Atom probe studies demonstrate compositional complexity at the nanoscale and provide fundamental new insights into the atom‐scale mechanisms taking place in minerals over geological time. Here, we provide an overview of APT, including the historical development and technical aspects of the instrumentation, and the fundamentals of data acquisition, data processing and data reconstruction. We also review previous studies and highlight the potential future applications of nanoscale geochemical studies of natural materials.