Accounting for the depth distribution of 137Cs in on-line mobile gamma spectrometry through primary and forward-scattered photons

In the past few years on-line digital television frame store devices coupled to computers have been employed to attempt to measure the microscope parameters of defocus and astigmatism. The ultimate goal of such tasks is to fully adjust the operating parameters of the microscope and obtain an optimum image for viewing in terms of its information content. The initial approach to this problem, for high resolution TEM imaging, was to obtain the power spectrum from the Fourier transform of an image, find the contrast transfer function oscillation maxima, and subsequently correct the image. This technique requires a fast computer, a direct memory access device and even an array processor to accomplish these tasks on limited size arrays in a few seconds per image. It is not clear that the power spectrum could be used for more than defocus correction since the correction of astigmatism is a formidable problem of pattern recognition.

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Image registration with a computer driven S.T.E.M.

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100107630 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 98-99

Author(s):

A.M.H. Schepman ◽

J.A.P. van der Voort ◽

J.E. Mellema

Keyword(s):

Spot Size ◽

Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope ◽

Small Computer ◽

Structural Studies ◽

Area Of Interest ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Scanning Transmission ◽

Specimen Area ◽

On Line ◽

Minimum Distances

A Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM) was coupled to a small computer. The system (see Fig. 1) has been built using a Philips EM400, equipped with a scanning attachment and a DEC PDP11/34 computer with 34K memory. The gun (Fig. 2) consists of a continuously renewed tip of radius 0.2 to 0.4 μm of a tungsten wire heated just below its melting point by a focussed laser beam (1). On-line operation procedures were developped aiming at the reduction of the amount of radiation of the specimen area of interest, while selecting the various imaging parameters and upon registration of the information content. Whereas the theoretical limiting spot size is 0.75 nm (2), routine resolution checks showed minimum distances in the order 1.2 to 1.5 nm between corresponding intensity maxima in successive scans. This value is sufficient for structural studies of regular biological material to test the performance of STEM over high resolution CTEM.

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Applications of SIMS to electronic materials and devices

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100133047 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 1682-1683

Author(s):

S.F. Corcoran

Keyword(s):

Depth Distribution ◽

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry ◽

Semiconductor Device ◽

Electronic Materials ◽

Profile Analysis ◽

Semiconductor Industry ◽

Small Diameter ◽

Depth Resolution ◽

Detection Sensitivity

Over the past decade secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) has played an increasingly important role in the characterization of electronic materials and devices. The ability of SIMS to provide part per million detection sensitivity for most elements while maintaining excellent depth resolution has made this technique indispensable in the semiconductor industry. Today SIMS is used extensively in the characterization of dopant profiles, thin film analysis, and trace analysis in bulk materials. The SIMS technique also lends itself to 2-D and 3-D imaging via either the use of stigmatic ion optics or small diameter primary beams.By far the most common application of SIMS is the determination of the depth distribution of dopants (B, As, P) intentionally introduced into semiconductor materials via ion implantation or epitaxial growth. Such measurements are critical since the dopant concentration and depth distribution can seriously affect the performance of a semiconductor device. In a typical depth profile analysis, keV ion sputtering is used to remove successive layers the sample.

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Design and calibration of an IVEM for general 3-dimensional imaging of non-diffracting materials

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100129838 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 1040-1041

Author(s):

Neil Rowlands ◽

Jeff Price ◽

Michael Kersker ◽

Seichi Suzuki ◽

Steve Young ◽

...

Keyword(s):

3D Imaging ◽

Tomographic Reconstruction ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

3 Dimensional ◽

3D Microstructure ◽

Image Translation ◽

Digital Correlation ◽

On Line ◽

Mechanical Stage ◽

Projection Angle

Three-dimensional (3D) microstructure visualization on the electron microscope requires that the sample be tilted to different positions to collect a series of projections. This tilting should be performed rapidly for on-line stereo viewing and precisely for off-line tomographic reconstruction. Usually a projection series is collected using mechanical stage tilt alone. The stereo pairs must be viewed off-line and the 60 to 120 tomographic projections must be aligned with fiduciary markers or digital correlation methods. The delay in viewing stereo pairs and the alignment problems in tomographic reconstruction could be eliminated or improved by tilting the beam if such tilt could be accomplished without image translation.A microscope capable of beam tilt with simultaneous image shift to eliminate tilt-induced translation has been investigated for 3D imaging of thick (1 μm) biologic specimens. By tilting the beam above and through the specimen and bringing it back below the specimen, a brightfield image with a projection angle corresponding to the beam tilt angle can be recorded (Fig. 1a).

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Software pattern recognition applied to nanodiffraction patterns from a STEM instrument

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s042482010014484x ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 44 ◽

pp. 694-695

Author(s):

G.Y. Fan ◽

J.M. Cowley

Keyword(s):

Image Processing ◽

Pattern Recognition ◽

Computer Software ◽

Processing System ◽

Light Level ◽

Host Computer ◽

Low Light ◽

Image Processing System ◽

Recent Developments ◽

On Line

In recent developments, the ASU HB5 has been modified so that the timing, positioning, and scanning of the finely focused electron probe can be entirely controlled by a host computer. This made the asynchronized handshake possible between the HB5 STEM and the image processing system which consists of host computer (PDP 11/34), DeAnza image processor (IP 5000) which is interfaced with a low-light level TV camera, array processor (AP 400) and various peripheral devices. This greatly facilitates the pattern recognition technique initiated by Monosmith and Cowley. Software called NANHB5 is under development which, instead of employing a set of photo-diodes to detect strong spots on a TV screen, uses various software techniques including on-line fast Fourier transform (FFT) to recognize patterns of greater complexity, taking advantage of the sophistication of our image processing system and the flexibility of computer software.

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Fluorescence effects in quantitative microprobe analysis

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100134533 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 188-189

Author(s):

S.J.B. Reed

Keyword(s):

Microprobe Analysis ◽

Depth Distribution ◽

Exciting Radiation ◽

Primary Radiation ◽

List Type ◽

Type Number ◽

Computing Power ◽

X Ray ◽

Fluorescent Radiation

Characteristic fluorescenceThe theory of characteristic fluorescence corrections was first developed by Castaing. The same approach, with an improved expression for the relative primary x-ray intensities of the exciting and excited elements, was used by Reed, who also introduced some simplifications, which may be summarized as follows (with reference to K-K fluorescence, i.e. K radiation of element ‘B’ exciting K radiation of ‘A’):1.The exciting radiation is assumed to be monochromatic, consisting of the Kα line only (neglecting the Kβ line).2.Various parameters are lumped together in a single tabulated function J(A), which is assumed to be independent of B.3.For calculating the absorption of the emerging fluorescent radiation, the depth distribution of the primary radiation B is represented by a simple exponential.These approximations may no longer be justifiable given the much greater computing power now available. For example, the contribution of the Kβ line can easily be calculated separately.

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