title: Nanochannel alignment analysis by scanning transmission ion microscopy.
abstract: In this paper a study on the ion transmission ratio of a nanoporous alumina sample is presented. The sample was investigated by scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) with different beam sizes. The hexagonally close-packed Al(2)O(3) nanocapillary array, realized as a suspended membrane of 15 microm thickness, had pore diameters of approximately 215 nm and spacing of approximately 450 nm. When the proton beam size was limited to a single domain, a peak transmission ratio of 19% was observed as is expected from the geometry (approximately 19-20%). This result points out an almost perfectly parallel alignment of the capillaries within one domain. However, for larger beam scanning areas (sampling multiple domains) the transmission ratio was reduced to 5%. The STIM analysis over an area larger than the typical domain size revealed an overall capillary angular spread of approximately 2 degrees.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nuclear Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS-ATOMKI), H-4026, Bem tér 18/c, Debrecen, Hungary. rajta@atomki.hu
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rajta
authors.forename: G A B
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Gál
authors.forename: S Z
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Szilasi
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Juhász
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Biri
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mátéfi-Tempfli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mátéfi-Tempfli