Visualizing atoms and discriminating between those of different elements is a goal in many analytical techniques. The use of electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in such single-atom analyses is hampered by an inherent difficulty related to the damage caused to specimens by incident electrons. Here, we demonstrate the successful EELS single-atom spectroscopy of various metallofullerene-doped single-wall nanotubes (known as peapods) without massive structural destruction. This is achieved by using an incident electron probe with a low accelerating voltage (60 kV). Single calcium atoms inside the peapods were unambiguously identified for the first time using EELS. Elemental analyses of lanthanum, cerium and erbium atoms were also demonstrated, which shows that single atoms with adjacent atomic numbers can be successfully discriminated with this technique.

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In this article, we report the development of a new 200-kV analytical electron microscope equipped with a monochromator with an integrated double Wien-filter system. It enables us to study the electronic structures of materials in detail using electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) analysis at an atomic scale. A highly monochromated and isotropically round electron probe is produced on the specimen plane. The ultimate energy resolutions with 0.1-s acquisition times are measured to be 36 meV at 200 kV and 30 meV at 60 kV. In an EELS mapping experiment performed on SrTiO3 with a monochromated electron probe whose energy resolution is 146 meV, an elemental map exhibits atomic resolution.

Inelastic scattering of fast transmission electrons from a perfect crystal is investigated using the Bloch wave theory. A comprehensive expression for the scattering of electrons is given, which includes both elastic and inelastic multiple scatterings. This expression is an extended form of Fujimoto's expression for elastic scattering (J. Phys. Soc. Japan 14:1558 (1959)). For the approximation of single inelastic scattering, the expression becomes equivalent to the formula of Rez et al. (Phil. Mag. 35: 81 (1977)). When thermal diffuse scattering (TDS) is considered using the Einstein model or the scattering factor for TDS given by Hall and Hirsch (Proc. R. Soc. A 286: 158 (1965)), Rossouw and Bursill's expression (Acta Cryst. A 41: 320 (1985)) is derived. This expression has been used in computer simulations of TDS intensity distribution (Kikuchi pattern). It is shown that the simulations for magnesium oxide (MgO) using 357 beams agree quite well with the experimental ones.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2006 in Chicago, Illinois, USA, July 30 – August 3, 2005