Revolutionary X-Ray Microscope Unveils Sound Waves Deep Within Crystals
October 10, 2023 | SLAC National Accelerator LaboratoryEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Stanford University, and Denmark Technical University have designed a cutting-edge X-ray microscope capable of directly observing sound waves at the tiniest of scales – the lattice level within a crystal. These findings, published last week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could change the way scientists study ultrafast changes in materials and the resulting properties.
“The atomic structure of crystalline materials gives rise to their properties and associated ‘use-case’ for an application,” said one of the researchers, Leora Dresselhaus-Marais, an assistant professor at Stanford and SLAC. “The crystalline defects and atomic scale displacements describe why some materials strengthen while others shatter in response to the same force. Blacksmiths and semiconductor manufacturing have perfected our ability to control some types of defects, however, few techniques today can image these dynamics in real-time at the appropriate scales to resolve how those the distortions connect to the bulk properties.”
In this new work, the team generated soundwaves in a diamond crystal, then used the new X-ray microscope they developed to directly image the subtle distortions inside the crystalline lattice. They did so at the timescales at which these atomic-scale vibrations naturally occur by leveraging the ultrafast and ultrabright pulses available at SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS).
The researchers placed a special X-ray lens along the beam diffracted by the crystalline lattice to filter out the “perfectly packed” portion of the crystal and zero in on distortions in the crystal's structure caused by the sound wave and defects.
“We used this to image how an ultrafast laser transfers its light energy into heat via successive reflections of the out-of-equilibrium sound wave off the front and back surface of the crystal.” Dresselhaus-Marais said. “By showing this in diamond – a crystal with the fastest sound speed – we illustrate the new opportunities now available with our microscope to study new phenomena deep inside crystals.”
The results identify a way to see super-fast changes in materials without damaging them. Before this discovery, the tools researchers used were much too slow to see these changes. This matters because many things, like how heat moves or how sound waves spread, depend on these fast changes.
The implications of this breakthrough stretch across various disciplines, from materials science to physics, and even extend to fields like geology and manufacturing. By understanding the atomic-level changes that lead to larger observable events in materials, scientists can get a clearer picture of transformations, melting processes, and chemical reactions in materials – accessing a new 13 orders of magnitude of timescales.
“This new tool offers us a unique opportunity to study how rare events caused by defects, atomic-distortions, or other localized stimuli inside a lattice give rise to macroscopic changes in materials,” Dresselhaus-Marais said. “While our understanding of the macroscopic changes in materials is rather advanced, we are often missing the details of which ‘instigating events’ ultimately cause the phase transformations, melting, or chemistry we observe at larger scales. With ultrashort timescales now at our fingertips, we have the ability to hunt for these rare events at their native timescales.”
Suggested Items
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Sustainability in the Industry
04/26/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOGuest Editor Henry Crandall and Chris Nash of Indium Corporation discuss the company's 90th anniversary and its focus on sustainability. They focus on the benefits of sustainable materials, their compatibility, and value propositions. The conversation also highlights how Durafuse LT technology's role in reducing reflow temperatures is leading to significant cost and energy savings. Nash also touches on downstream sustainability efforts such as using recycled materials for packaging.
SMC Korea 2024 to Highlight Semiconductor Materials Trends and Innovations on Industry’s Path to $1 Trillion
04/24/2024 | SEMIWith Korea a major consumer of semiconductor materials and advanced materials a key driver of innovation on the industry’s path to $1 trillion, industry leaders and experts will gather at SMC (Strategic Materials Conference) Korea 2024 on May 29 at the Suwon Convention Center in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea to provide insights into the latest materials developments and trends. Registration is open.
Groundbreaking Ceremony Marks the Beginning of a New Era for Newccess Industrial; The Construction of the MINGXIN Building
04/12/2024 | Newccess IndustrialOn a clear and sunny day in March, the groundbreaking ceremony for the MINGXIN Building took place in Shenzhen, China. This moment marked the official commencement of construction for a project that will reshape the semiconductor materials industry.
The Need for a Holistic Global Sustainability Standard
04/10/2024 | Michael Ford, Aegis SoftwareNo one can deny that the resources of our fragile planet are finite. The environment seems like a third party, subject to constant degradation. We’re acutely aware of the effects of pollution on our climate, and despite our “throw-away” culture, recycling and recovery of materials has remained relatively expensive, even as we use more energy just to survive.
iNEMI Publishes Four Roadmap Topics
04/04/2024 | iNEMIThe International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) announces the availability of the first roadmap topics in the new iNEMI Roadmap format. Printed circuit boards, sustainable electronics, smart manufacturing, and mmWave materials and test are now available online.