Cherenkov and transition radiation generated in 200 kV electron microscope

Abstract

Cherenkov radiation emitted from electron irradiated dielectrics such as mica, quartz and BaTiO₃ was detected in a transmission electron microscope with the accelerating voltages of 80 kV to 200 kV. Transition radiation was also observed from metals (Al, Ag, Au) and semiconductors (GaAs, Si). Dependence of their intensities and spectra on accelerating voltage and crystal thickness was investigated.     

A new idea for high brightness pulsed electron microscope

We proposed to equip an electron microscope with laser-driven photocathode and make it operate in a CW state or ps pulse state with high brightness as an ideal electron beam source for pulsed electron microscope.     

原位液相透射电子显微镜及其在 纳米粒子表征方面的应用

近年来,基于透射电子显微技术、微纳加工技术和薄膜制造技术的发展,原位液相透射电子显微技术产生,为构建多种纳米级分辨率尺度下的微实验平台,发展新型纳米表征技术和众多领域的相关研究提供了途径.本文首先介绍了应用于原位液相透射电子显微技术的液体腔设计要求,然后介绍了液体腔的发展和典型的制备工艺,最后综述了近年来液体腔透射电子显微镜在纳米粒子成核和生长方面的应用研究,并探讨了该技术前沿发展面临的机遇和挑战.本文将为提高我国先进纳米表征技术和原子精准构筑技术提供相关讨论和支持.     

Shell thickness determination of polymer-shelled microbubbles using transmission electron microscopy

Intravenously injected microbubbles (MBs) can be utilized as ultrasound contrast agent (CA) resulting in enhanced image quality. A novel CA, consisting of air filled MBs stabilized with a shell of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) has been developed. These spherical MBs have been decorated with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) in order to serve as both ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) CA. In this study, a mathematical model was introduced that determined the shell thickness of two types of SPIONs decorated MBs (Type A and Type B). The shell thickness of MBs is important to determine, as it affects the acoustical properties. In order to investigate the shell thickness, thin sections of plastic embedded MBs were prepared and imaged using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). However, the sections were cut at random distances from the MB center, which affected the observed shell thickness. Hence, the model determined the average shell thickness of the MBs from corrected mean values of the outer and inner radii observed in the TEM sections. The model was validated using simulated slices of MBs with known shell thickness and radius. The average shell thickness of Type A and Type B MBs were 651 nm and 637 nm, respectively.     

Dynamics of gold clusters on amorphous carbon films induced by annealing in a transmission electron microscope

The change of the size distribution of Au clusters induced by annealing was studied in situ by transmission electron microscopy. Starting from statistically distributed Au clusters on a thin amorphous carbon film, “islands” are formed within a few months storage at room temperature, which consist of Au clusters with sizes <4 nm embedded in a thin Au film. These islands cover originally areas with sizes around 25 × 70 nm². If the temperature is increased in the transmission electron microscope two different processes can be clearly distinguished that lead to the coarsening of the cluster size distribution: cluster coalescence and (contactless) Ostwald ripening. The degree and rate of the coarsening are found to depend on the underlying surface (Au film or amorphous carbon) and the exposure to the high-flux high-energy electron beam, which can be estimated to lead to high-temperature excursions in a cluster on a 10⁻¹² s time scale. The experimental findings are confirmed by Monte-Carlo simulations using the many-body Gupta potentials in order to calculate the Au/Au interaction. Moreover, the results of MC simulations suggest an electron-beam induced formation of a “quasi-two-dimensional gas” of small highly mobile Au species on the Au film, which promotes Ostwald ripening.     

Observation of ferri-nonmagnetic boundary in CrPt3 line-and-space patterned media using a dark-field transmission electron microscope

Ion beam patterned CrPt₃ films were prepared by Kr⁺ ion irradiation at a dose of 2×10¹⁴ ions/cm² onto L1₂-ordered CrPt₃ whose surface was partially masked by electron beam patterned resists. Cross-sectional observation using transmission electron microscopy was carried out to study the patterning boundary of the CrPt₃ film. Dark-field imaging showed a distinct contrast between non-irradiated (L1₂ phase) and irradiated (A1 phase) regions. The transition width between the two phases was estimated to be about 5 nm, which agreed well with the value simulated by a transport ion in matter (TRIM) code simulation.     

基于微芯片的透射电子显微镜的低温纳米精度电子束刻蚀与原位电学输运性质测量

利用微芯片制备技术制备了带有电极的原位电学薄膜芯片,并结合自制的原位透射电镜样品台,实现了低温下透射电子显微镜聚焦电子束对InAs纳米线的精细刻蚀以及不同温度下的原位电学性能测量.研究发现,随着刻蚀区域截面积的减小,纳米线的电导率也随之减小.当纳米线的截面积从大于10000 nm2刻蚀至约800 nm2时,纳米线电导的减小速率与截面积的减小具有线性关系.同时利用低温聚焦电子束刻蚀,在InAs纳米线上原位制备了一个10 nm的纳米点,并在77与300 K下对该纳米点进行了电学性能测量.通过测量发现在77 K时出现库仑阻塞效应,发生了电子隧穿现象;而300 K时,热扰动提供的能量使这种现象消失.     

Beam analysis of scanning electron microscope according to the mirror effect phenomenon

In a scanning electron microscope the influence of electronic beam parameters on the electron-mirror images has been investigated. A simple theoretical model for scanning electron beam behavior in terms of beam and surface potentials is presented. The derived expression relates the scanning beam parameters and parameters of an irradiation region. Influence of a beam (the size and current), scanning potential, working distance, trapped charge and the irradiated area on electron mirror images are defined. Results show that the electron beam current has a considerable effect on the deduced mirror images in comparison with the other beam parameters. So it could be adapted for adjusting the phenomena of mirror effect. Moreover, the trapped charges have been calculated and the results examined in comparison with experimental data.     

Graphene oxide monolayers as supporting films for high resolution transmission electron microscopy

A novel kind of TEM support composed of graphene oxide monolayers was fabricated by a facile solution-cast method. Compared to the conventional carbon supporting films, such graphene oxide film (GO-film) performed better stability under high-energy electron beams and better dispersion effect for water-soluble nanoparticles. Quantitative improvement in TEM imaging resolution for nanomaterials on such GO-films compared to the commercial ultrathin carbon films was demonstrated.     

Structural analysis of the phase separation in magnetic semiconductor (Zn,Cr)Te

We have studied the structural properties of the phase separation in Zn_1−xCr_xTe films grown by MBE with a relatively high Cr composition x∼0.2. In the combined analyses using TEM and EELS, it has been revealed that the Cr-aggregated regions are composed of precipitates of the hexagonal structure, which are formed in a particular crystallographic relation with the zinc-blende (ZB) structure of the matrix that the c-plane of the hexagonal structure nearly parallel to the (1 1 1) plane of the ZB structure. In the XRD measurements, the diffraction from the hexagonal precipitates has been detected in the ω-scan. From the measurements on the series of films grown at different temperatures, it has been suggested the hexagonal precipitates were formed in a larger quantity with the increase in growth temperature.     

Numerical analysis for verifying the performance of lens system in a scanning electron microscope

This work presents an analysis of the lens system in a thermionic scanning electron microscope (SEM) using a numerical computation and an optics-based calculation. The behaviors and characteristics of the electron beam are analyzed and the focusing capability is investigated. The beam spot size is estimated by calculation and proved by experiment. The characteristics and properties determining the SEM performance are investigated for various design parameters through a numerical analysis and an optics-based calculation. Particularly, a combination of two approaches gives more detailed information than a single approach in investigating an extremely small beam spot by demagnification through the electromagnetic lens system in a SEM column.     

Atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy of biocompatible magnetic fluids: A comparative analysis

The present study provides a comparative analysis of the size dispersity of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) within magnetic fluids as obtained from atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Whereas the mean particle diameter obtained from the AFM data presented a reduction of about 34% as compared to the value obtained from the TEM data, the standard deviation obtained from the AFM data is twice the value found from the TEM data. Similarities and differences in the size dispersity parameters are discussed in terms of sample preparation and tip characteristics. A two-dimensional mode for the deposition of the MNPs on top of the mica substrate is discussed as well.     

Micro-structural characterization of precipitation-synthesized fluorapatite nano-material by transmission electron microscopy using different sample preparation techniques

Fluorapatite is a naturally occurring mineral of the apatite group and it is well known for its high physical and chemical stability. There is a recent interest in this ceramic to be used as a radioactive waste form material due to its intriguing chemical and physical properties. In this study, the nano-sized fluorapatite particles were synthesized using a precipitation method and the material was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Two well-known methods, called solution-drop and the microtome cutting, were used to prepare the sample for TEM analysis. It was found that the microtome cutting technique is advantageous for examining the particle shape and cross-sectional morphology as well as for obtaining ultra-thin samples. However, this method introduces artifacts and strong background contrast for high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) observation. On the other hand, phase image simulations showed that the solution-drop method is reliable and stable for HRTEM analysis. Therefore, in order to comprehensively analyze the microstructure and morphology of the nano-material, it is necessary to combine both solution-drop and microtome cutting techniques for TEM sample preparation.     

Impact of dynamical scattering on quantitative contrast for aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope images

Aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope images taken under optimum-defocus conditions or processed offline can correctly reflect the projected crystal structure with atomic resolution. However, dynamical scattering, which will seriously influence image contrast, is still unavoidable. Here, the multislice image simulation approach was used to quantify the impact of dynamical scattering on the contrast of aberration-corrected images for a 3C-SiC specimen with changes in atomic occupancy and thickness. Optimum-defocus images with different spherical aberration (C_S) coefficients, and structure images restored by deconvolution processing, were studied. The results show that atomic-column positions and the atomic occupancy for SiC ‘dumbbells’ can be determined by analysis of image contrast profiles only below a certain thickness limit. This limit is larger for optimum-defocus and restored structure images with negative C_S coefficient than those with positive C_S coefficient. The image contrast of C (or Si) atomic columns with specific atomic occupancy changes differently with increasing crystal thickness. Furthermore, contrast peaks for C atomic columns overlapping with neighboring peaks of Si atomic columns with varied Si atomic occupancy, which is enhanced with increasing crystal thickness, can be neglected in restored structure images, but the effect is substantial in optimum-defocus images.     

Design of a novel correlative reflection electron microscope for in-situ real-time chemical analysis

A novel instrument that integrates reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and imaging is designed and simulated. Since it can correlate the structural, elemental, and spatial information of the same surface region via the simultaneously acquired patterns of RHEED, EELS, and energy-filtered electron microscopy, it is named correlative reflection electron microscopy (c-REM). Our simulation demonstrates that the spatial resolution of this c-REM is lower than 50 nm, which meets the requirements for in-situ monitoring the structural and chemical evolution of surface in advanced material.     

基于电子倍增电荷耦合器件的哈特曼-夏克波前传感器质心探测误差分析

哈特曼-夏克(Hartmann-Shack,H-S)波前传感器的探测误差是自适应光学系统中的一个主要误差源.本文分析了电子倍增电荷耦合器件(electron multiplying charge-coupled devices,EMCCD)的各种噪声源对H-S波前传感器质心探测误差的影响,推导了基于EMCCD的H-S波前传感器的质心探测误差的数学表达式,并进行了数值仿真和实验研究.结果表明,基于EMCCD的H-S波前传感器的质心探测误差与增益直接相关,在增益小于P_max/(Q·N_mean)时质心探测误差随着增益的增大而减小,在增益大于P_max/(Q·N_mean)时质心探测误差随着增益的增大而增大,其中P_max是EMCCD的峰值电荷,Q是量子效率,N_mean是平均入射光强. 关键词： 自适应光学 电子倍增电荷耦合器件 波前传感器 质心探测误差     

环形激光弱磁传感器误差分析

本文从理论上分析了环形激光弱磁传感器主要误差因素并提出了若干克服这些因素的方法。这些误差因素是:大尺寸的法拉第室引入的噪声,磁光材料的费尔德常数的温度系数,塞曼效应的混入、朗谬尔效应等。     

220 GHz均匀永磁聚焦行波管电子光学系统的设计与实验研究

电子光学系统是行波管的核心部件之一,在太赫兹频段,电子束通道很小,导致高电流密度电子束的传输非常困难。基于220 GHz折叠波导行波管慢波结构设计所需束流参数,根据理论分析和电磁仿真软件,设计了一款采用均匀永磁聚焦对电子束进行约束的电子光学系统。仿真结果显示,当电子束通道直径0.3 mm、长度31 mm时,在阴阳极压差20 kV的条件下阴极发射电流141 mA,电子流通率100%。根据设计结果封接了流通管,实验结果显示,当阴阳极压差20 kV时,阴极发射电流138.5 mA,收集极电流125.5 mA,电子流通率91%。     

0.22 THz折叠波导行波管电子光学系统设计与实验研究

设计了一套0.22 THz折叠波导行波管电子光学系统,详细介绍了电子枪和周期永磁聚焦系统的设计过程,在电子枪电子束束腰与磁系统不匹配情况下,对磁场过渡区进行了优化设计,以此为基础利用磁场仿真软件对磁场进行模拟和优化,并把磁场位形代入电磁仿真软件进行电子束传输仿真,优化后的电子光学系统发射束流10 mA,阴极电压15 kV,束流通过率96%。通过实验验证,流通管束流通过率93%,高频样管束流通过率94%,与设计相符。高频样管实现连续波运行,功率大于0.4 W,3 dB带宽大于12 GHz。