title: Ion microscopy based on laser-cooled cesium atoms.
abstract: We demonstrate a prototype of a Focused Ion Beam machine based on the ionization of a laser-cooled cesium beam and adapted for imaging and modifying different surfaces in the few-tens nanometer range. Efficient atomic ionization is obtained by laser promoting ground-state atoms into a target excited Rydberg state, then field-ionizing them in an electric field gradient. The method allows obtaining ion currents up to 130pA. Comparison with the standard direct photo-ionization of the atomic beam shows, in our conditions, a 40-times larger ion yield. Preliminary imaging results at ion energies in the 1-5keV range are obtained with a resolution around 40nm, in the present version of the prototype. Our ion beam is expected to be extremely monochromatic, with an energy spread of the order of the eV, offering great prospects for lithography, imaging and surface analysis.
authors.affiliation: Orsay Physics, TESCAN Orsay, 95 Avenue des Monts Auréliens - ZA Saint-Charles - 13710 Fuveau, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Viteau
authors.affiliation: Orsay Physics, TESCAN Orsay, 95 Avenue des Monts Auréliens - ZA Saint-Charles - 13710 Fuveau, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reveillard
authors.affiliation: Orsay Physics, TESCAN Orsay, 95 Avenue des Monts Auréliens - ZA Saint-Charles - 13710 Fuveau, France.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kime
authors.affiliation: Orsay Physics, TESCAN Orsay, 95 Avenue des Monts Auréliens - ZA Saint-Charles - 13710 Fuveau, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rasser
authors.affiliation: Orsay Physics, TESCAN Orsay, 95 Avenue des Monts Auréliens - ZA Saint-Charles - 13710 Fuveau, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sudraud
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Aimé Cotton, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, ENS Cachan, Bât. 505, 91405 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bruneau
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Aimé Cotton, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, ENS Cachan, Bât. 505, 91405 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Khalili
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Aimé Cotton, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, ENS Cachan, Bât. 505, 91405 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pillet
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Aimé Cotton, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, ENS Cachan, Bât. 505, 91405 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Comparat
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Guerri
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, INO-CNR, U.O.S. "Adriano Gozzini", via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy; Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze Fisiche della Materia, CNISM, Sezione di Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy. Electronic address: andrea.fioretti@ino.it.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fioretti
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, INO-CNR, U.O.S. "Adriano Gozzini", via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy; Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze Fisiche della Materia, CNISM, Sezione di Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ciampini
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, INO-CNR, U.O.S. "Adriano Gozzini", via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy; Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze Fisiche della Materia, CNISM, Sezione di Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Allegrini
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, INO-CNR, U.O.S. "Adriano Gozzini", via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy; Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze Fisiche della Materia, CNISM, Sezione di Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fuso
keywords: Focused ion beams; Ion lithography; Laser cooling; Scanning microscopy