Student Seminar: Atom Probe Tomography: Principle and Data Analysis

     Venue: Rajarshi Bhattacharyya Memorial  Lecture Hall, Chemical Sciences Building

The relentless pursuit of high-performance materials in fields ranging from aerospace to microelectronics demands an unprecedented level of control over material properties. Since material failure and desired functionality are often governed by features at interfaces—such as grain boundaries and phase boundaries—on the nanometer and sub-nanometer scale, traditional characterization methods are frequently insufficient.

This seminar will introduce Atom Probe Tomography (APT), the only technique capable of generating true three-dimensional chemical maps with near-atomic resolution. We will begin by establishing the fundamental necessity of atomic-scale mapping, linking the macroscopic performance of materials to atomic-level phenomena. The core of the presentation will explore the instrumentation and methodology of APT, detailing The Working Principle: From Needle to Atom—covering sample preparation, the physics of field evaporation, and the time-of-flight mass spectrometry used for data acquisition.

Finally, the talk will highlight applications, specifically focusing on Correlative TEM– APT techniques that merge the crystallographic insight of Transmission Electron Microscopy with the chemical precision of APT. We will conclude by discussing the Future of APT, outlining ongoing developments in data analysis, instrument automation, and its evolving role in accelerating materials discovery.

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