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The crystalline quality of the graphene lattice is a crucial parameter that not only rules the electronic and transport properties of the carbon film, but also its interaction with the substrate. Elucidating the effect of different growth pathways on the resulting graphene-substrate structural configurations and the microscopic mechanisms for their formation is, therefore, a goal of utmost importance. By using electron spectro-microscopy with high chemical and structural sensitivity, we image the structural transformation that graphene on cobalt undergoes at temperatures above 500°C, from a rotationally-incoherent, defective layer to a high quality epitaxial one. We find that the transformation takes place via the growth and propagation of mesoscopic carbidic islands. We identify the underlying mechanism for the formation of epitaxial graphene to involve the dissolution and recondensation of carbon within these regions. The activation energy of the process is estimated to be 1.84 ± 0.11 eV, indicating that the carbon detachment is the rate-limiting step. With the aid of theoretical calculations, we show that the martensitic phase transition occurring in cobalt above 420°C does not affect the graphene transformation. These findings help to establish the optimal parameters to grow high-quality graphene epilayers on Co, opening viable routes towards usage in artificially fabricated magnetic heterostructures.

We report on a simple and cost-effective device for high-speed gating in photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) with pulsed photon sources. This device is based on miniaturized electrode plates, which deflect the photoelectron beam inside the imaging column of the microscope so that it is either accepted or blocked in its path towards the detector. The gating device is optimized for installation on the Elmitec SPELEEM III microscope. Due to the compact design, it can be driven by voltage pulses of low amplitude (few volts), delivered by commercially available signal generators. Most notably, our device allows for stroboscopic data collection with on-time of less than 10 ns and at a rate in the range from 1 MHz to 250 MHz, making it suitable for usage in both hybrid and standard multi-bunch operation of the synchrotron ring. We demonstrate applications of pump-probe imaging at high lateral resolution, namely magnetic imaging and PEEM imaging of surface acoustic waves.

We report on the high temperature chemical vapor deposition of ethylene on Ir(1 0 0) and the resulting development of single and multi-layer graphene films. By employing X-ray photoemission electron spectromicroscopy, low energy electron microscopy and related microprobe methods, we investigate nucleation and growth of graphene as a function of the concentration of the chemisorbed carbon lattice gas. Further, we characterize the morphology and crystal structure of graphene as a function of temperature, revealing subtle changes in bonding occurring upon cooling from growth to room temperature. We also identify conditions to grow multi-layer flakes. Their thickness, unambiguously determined through the analysis of the intensity of the Ir 4f and C 1s emission, is correlated to the electron reflectivity at very low kinetic energy. The effective attenuation length of electrons in few-layer graphene is estimated to be 4.4 and 8.4 A at kinetic energies of 116 and 338 eV, respectively.

We investigated the structure and crystalline quality of monolayer graphene grown by hydrogen and methane chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on polycrystalline Cu foils. Our data show that the high temperature hydrogen pretreatment of the Cu foil has to be performed at a sufficiently high H 2 pressure in order to avoid graphene (g) formation already during the pretreatment, which limits the achievable domain size during subsequent growth in the CH 4 /H 2 mixture. Methane–hydrogen CVD sustains g growth but induces the faceting of the Cu substrate. Characterization by low energy electron microscopy evidenced a staircase Cu substrate morphology of alternating (4 1 0) and (1 0 0) planes interrupted by (n 1 1) type facets. The g flakes cover the staircase shaped support as a coherent layer. The polycrystalline film mostly contains rotational domains that are preferentially, but not strictly, aligned with respect to the stepped support surface. The substrate induced corrugated morphology occurs also underneath large single crystalline flakes and is transferred to suspended membranes, produced by etching the Cu underneath the graphene. Thus, membranes manufactured from g-Cu are non flat. This explains their reported softened elastic response and the formation of so called nanorippled graphene after transfer from the Cu support which deteriorates its electrical conductivity.

We report image blurring and energy broadening effects in energy-filtered XPEEM when illuminating the specimen with soft X-rays at high flux densities. With a flux of 2×10 13 photons/s, the lateral resolution in XPEEM imaging with either core level or secondary electrons is degraded to more than 50 nm. Fermi level broadening up to several hundred meV and spectral shift to higher kinetic energies are also systematically observed. Simple considerations suggest that these artifacts result from Boersch and Loeffler effects, and that the electron–electron interactions are strongest in the initial part of the microscope optical path. Implications for aberration corrected instruments are discussed.

Domain walls (DWs) propagated along nanoscale magnetic wires by current or field pulses could potentially be used for data storage or logic applications, but the understanding of the DW dynamics, particularly under the influence of spin-polarized current, is incomplete. Measuring the velocity can give insights into the physics of the DW motion. Here we demonstrate DW velocity measurements in permalloy ( Ni 80 Fe 20 ) nanowires (1500 nm width and 20 nm thickness) using the techniques of X-ray magnetic circular dichroism photoemission electron microscopy (XMCD-PEEM) to image the magnetic contrast in the nanowires, and single shot Kerr microscopy, which allows for dynamic measurements. The magnetic imaging yields the average velocity as well as information on the DW spin structure, whereas the single shot method highlights the stochastic nature of the DW motion.

The paper is a brief overview of the operation principles and the potentials of the scanning photoelectron microscopes (SPEM) and X-ray photoemission electron microscopes (XPEEM) operating at synchrotron facilities. Selected results will illustrate the impact of high spatial resolution for micro-characterization of the surface composition and electronic structure, a key issue for analysis of technologically relevant materials and for fundamental understanding of many unexplored surface phenomena.

The beam-induced effects, a consequence of the high photon flux density used in soft X-ray photoelectron emission microscopes in operation at the 3rd generation synchrotron sources, are discussed and illustrated using some representative results obtained with the microscopes at the laboratory Elettra. The focus is on the photon-induced charge potential and chemical degradation, which might be a severe problem for photon-sensible specimens. The possible steps to avoid, reduce or even make use of the beam-induced effects are outlined.

Reorganization of Au + Pd submonolayers on a Rh(1 1 0) surface occurring during the water formation reaction has been observed and characterized by low energy electron microscopy (LEEM) and X-ray photoemission electron microscopy (XPEEM). The results demonstrate segregation of Au + Pd and oxygen into separate surface phases, the morphology and size of the O and Au + Pd patterns being governed by the reaction parameters and adsorbate coverage. At moderate Au + Pd coverages and temperatures in the range 760–860 K, lamellar periodic Au + Pd/O micro-structures are generated. The results are interpreted in terms of kinetic and thermodynamic considerations.

An apparatus for diffraction microscopy of biological and materials science specimens is described. In this system, a coherent soft X-ray beam is selected with a pinhole, and the illuminated specimen is followed by an adjustable beamstop and CCD camera to record diffraction data from non-crystalline specimens. In addition, a Fresnel zone plate can be inserted to allow for direct imaging. The system makes use of a cryogenic specimen holder with cryotransfer capabilities to allow frozen hydrated specimens to be loaded. The specimen can be tilted over a range of ± 80 ∘ for three-dimensional imaging; this is done by computer-controlled motors, enabling automated alignment of the specimen through a tilt series. The system is now in use for experiments in soft X-ray diffraction microscopy.