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On the Progress of Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) Imaging in a Scanning Electron Microscope

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2018

Cheng Sun ,
Erich Müller ,
Matthias Meffert  and
Dagmar Gerthsen
Cheng Sun*
Affiliation:
Laboratorium für Elektronenmikroskopie, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Engesserstr. 7, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Erich Müller
Affiliation:
Laboratorium für Elektronenmikroskopie, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Engesserstr. 7, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Matthias Meffert
Affiliation:
Laboratorium für Elektronenmikroskopie, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Engesserstr. 7, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Dagmar Gerthsen
Affiliation:
Laboratorium für Elektronenmikroskopie, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Engesserstr. 7, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
*
*Author for correspondence: Cheng Sun, E-mail: cheng.sun@kit.edu
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Abstract

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with low-energy electrons has been recognized as an important addition to the family of electron microscopies as it may avoid knock-on damage and increase the contrast of weakly scattering objects. Scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) are well suited for low-energy electron microscopy with maximum electron energies of 30 keV, but they are mainly used for topography imaging of bulk samples. Implementation of a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) detector and a charge-coupled-device camera for the acquisition of on-axis transmission electron diffraction (TED) patterns, in combination with recent resolution improvements, make SEMs highly interesting for structure analysis of some electron-transparent specimens which are traditionally investigated by TEM. A new aspect is correlative SEM, STEM, and TED imaging from the same specimen region in a SEM which leads to a wealth of information. Simultaneous image acquisition gives information on surface topography, inner structure including crystal defects and qualitative material contrast. Lattice-fringe resolution is obtained in bright-field STEM imaging. The benefits of correlative SEM/STEM/TED imaging in a SEM are exemplified by structure analyses from representative sample classes such as nanoparticulates and bulk materials.

Keywords

scanning transmission electron microscopyscanning electron microscopylow-energy electronscorrelative SEM and STEM
Type
Materials Science Applications
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , April 2018 , pp. 99 - 106
Copyright
© Microscopy Society of America 2018 

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