Introduction to atom probe tomography: performance and opportunities in characterising structures

Lecture by Dr Baptiste Gault, of the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung, Düsseldorf in a series entitled "Metallic Microstructures", organised by KTH Stockholm, Gent University and Delft University of Technology.

Atom probe tomography is a burgeoning microscopy and microanalysis technique, stemming from field-ion microscopy, and allowing for compositional mapping of solid materials with sub-nanometre resolution and sensitivity in the range of tens of parts-per-million across all elements. In this lecture, I will go back to the basics of the technique, introduce the fundamental principles that enable the analysis but also limit the technique’s performance. I will showcase examples of applications to the compositional analyses of a range of microstructural features including grain and phase boundaries, structural defects and secondary phases, in relation to the host materials’ macroscopic physical properties.