Simulation Study of Low-Dose 4D-STEM Phase Contrast Techniques at the Nanoscale in SEM.

Phase contrast imaging is well-suited for studying weakly scattering samples. Its strength lies in its ability to measure how the phase of the electron beam is affected by the sample, even when other imaging techniques yield low contrast. In this study, we explore via simulations two phase contrast techniques: integrated center of mass (iCOM) and ptychography, specifically using the extended ptychographical iterative engine (ePIE).

Low-Energy Electron Inelastic Mean Free Path of Graphene Measured by a Time-of-Flight Spectrometer.

The detailed examination of electron scattering in solids is of crucial importance for the theory of solid-state physics, as well as for the development and diagnostics of novel materials, particularly those for micro- and nanoelectronics. Among others, an important parameter of electron scattering is the inelastic mean free path (IMFP) of electrons both in bulk materials and in thin films, including 2D crystals. The amount of IMFP data available is still not sufficient, especially for very slow electrons and for 2D crystals.

Beam shaping and probe characterization in the scanning electron microscope.

Here we demonstrate the use of nanofabricated grating holograms to diffract and shape electrons in a scanning electron microscope. The diffraction grating is placed in an aperture in the column. The entire diffraction pattern can be passed through the objective lens and projected onto the specimen, or an intermediate aperture can be used to select particular diffracted beams.

Correction of parasitic aberrations of hexapole corrector using differential algebra method.

We demonstrate an application of the differential algebraic method in optimization of a hexapole corrector of spherical aberration for the transmission regime of the standard scanning electron microscope. We introduce the method by visualization of the effect of all correcting elements to illustrate the principle of the corrector. Special interest is given to parasitic aberrations and their correction using additional deflectors before and inside the corrector.

In lens BSE detector with energy filtering.

We present a new type of an in-lens detector designed for Thermo Fisher Scientific (FEI) electron microscopes with the Elstar column. A key feature of it is high-pass energy filtering to enable the detection of low-loss backscattered electrons with their energy close to the primary beam energy. We show an application of the detector in imaging of a biological sample where the signal from these electrons leads to a significant improvement in resolution.