Rocking Beam Microarea Diffraction Applied to Metallic thin Films

Author(s):  
R. H. Geiss

The theory and practical limitations of micro area scanning transmission electron diffraction (MASTED) will be presented. It has been demonstrated that MASTED patterns of metallic thin films from areas as small as 30 Åin diameter may be obtained with the standard STEM unit available for the Philips 301 TEM. The key to the successful application of MASTED to very small area diffraction is the proper use of the electron optics of the STEM unit. First the objective lens current must be adjusted such that the image of the C2 aperture is quasi-stationary under the action of the rocking beam (obtained with 40-80-160 SEM settings of the P301). Second, the sample must be elevated to coincide with the C2 aperture image and its image also be quasi-stationary. This sample height adjustment must be entirely mechanical after the objective lens current has been fixed in the first step.

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1742-1743 ◽  
Author(s):  
RH Geiss ◽  
RR Keller ◽  
DT Read

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2010 in Portland, Oregon, USA, August 1 – August 5, 2010.


1998 ◽  
Vol 523 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. F. Myers ◽  
E. B. Steel ◽  
L. M. Struck ◽  
H. I. Liu ◽  
J. A. Burns

AbstractTitanium silicide films grown on silicon were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The films were prepared by sequential rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at 675 °C and 850 °C of 16-nm-thick sputtered Ti on Si (001) wafers. In some cases, a 20-nm-thick TiN capping layer was deposited on the Ti film before the RTA procedure and was removed after annealing. TEM and STEM analyses showed that the silicide films were less than 0.1 μm thick; the capped film was more uniform, ranging in thickness from ∼ 25 – 45 nm, while the uncapped film ranged in thickness from ∼ 15 – 75 nm. Electron diffraction was used to determine that the capped film contained C54-TiSi2, C49-TiSi2, Ti5Si3, and possibly TiSi, and that the uncapped film contained C49-TiSi2, TiSi, Ti5Si3, unreacted Ti, and possibly C54-TiSi2.


1997 ◽  
Vol 504 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Bell ◽  
Anthony J. Garratt-Reed ◽  
Linn W. Hobbst

ABSTRACTRadial density functions (RDFs) provide important information about short- and ntermediaterange structure of topologically-disordered materials such as glasses and irradiation-amorphized materials. We have determined RDFs for irradiation-amorphized SiO2, AIPO4 and SiC by energy-filtered electron diffraction methods in a field-emission scanning transmission electron microscope (FEG-STEM) equipped with a digital parallel-detection electron energy-loss spectrometer. Post-specimen rocking was used to minimize the effects of spherical aberration in the objective lens, which interfere with the acquisition of data collected by pre-specimen rocking. Useful energy-filtered data has been collected beyond an angular range defined by q = 2 sin(Θ/2)/λ = 25 nm−1


Author(s):  
R.A. Ploc ◽  
G.H. Keech

An unambiguous analysis of transmission electron diffraction effects requires two samplings of the reciprocal lattice (RL). However, extracting definitive information from the patterns is difficult even for a general orthorhombic case. The usual procedure has been to deduce the approximate variables controlling the formation of the patterns from qualitative observations. Our present purpose is to illustrate two applications of a computer programme written for the analysis of transmission, selected area diffraction (SAD) patterns; the studies of RL spot shapes and epitaxy.When a specimen contains fine structure the RL spots become complex shapes with extensions in one or more directions. If the number and directions of these extensions can be estimated from an SAD pattern the exact spot shape can be determined by a series of refinements of the computer input data.


Author(s):  
Michael Beer ◽  
J. W. Wiggins ◽  
David Woodruff ◽  
Jon Zubin

A high resolution scanning transmission electron microscope of the type developed by A. V. Crewe is under construction in this laboratory. The basic design is completed and construction is under way with completion expected by the end of this year.The optical column of the microscope will consist of a field emission electron source, an accelerating lens, condenser lens, objective lens, diffraction lens, an energy dispersive spectrometer, and three electron detectors. For any accelerating voltage the condenser lens function to provide a parallel beam at the entrance of the objective lens. The diffraction lens is weak and its current will be controlled by the objective lens current to give an electron diffraction pattern size which is independent of small changes in the objective lens current made to achieve focus at the specimen. The objective lens demagnifies the image of the field emission source so that its Gaussian size is small compared to the aberration limit.


Author(s):  
M. G. R. Thomson

The variation of contrast and signal to noise ratio with change in detector solid angle in the high resolution scanning transmission electron microscope was discussed in an earlier paper. In that paper the conclusions were that the most favourable conditions for the imaging of isolated single heavy atoms were, using the notation in figure 1, either bright field phase contrast with β0⋍0.5 α0, or dark field with an annular detector subtending an angle between ao and effectively π/2.The microscope is represented simply by the model illustrated in figure 1, and the objective lens is characterised by its coefficient of spherical aberration Cs. All the results for the Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM) may with care be applied to the Conventional Electron Microscope (CEM). The object atom is represented as detailed in reference 2, except that ϕ(θ) is taken to be the constant ϕ(0) to simplify the integration. This is reasonable for θ ≤ 0.1 θ0, where 60 is the screening angle.


Author(s):  
Earl J. Kirkland ◽  
Robert J. Keyse

An ultra-high resolution pole piece with a coefficient of spherical aberration Cs=0.7mm. was previously designed for a Vacuum Generators HB-501A Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM). This lens was used to produce bright field (BF) and annular dark field (ADF) images of (111) silicon with a lattice spacing of 1.92 Å. In this microscope the specimen must be loaded into the lens through the top bore (or exit bore, electrons traveling from the bottom to the top). Thus the top bore must be rather large to accommodate the specimen holder. Unfortunately, a large bore is not ideal for producing low aberrations. The old lens was thus highly asymmetrical, with an upper bore of 8.0mm. Even with this large upper bore it has not been possible to produce a tilting stage, which hampers high resolution microscopy.


Author(s):  
J. L. Lee ◽  
C. A. Weiss ◽  
R. A. Buhrman ◽  
J. Silcox

BaF2 thin films are being investigated as candidates for use in YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) / BaF2 thin film multilayer systems, given the favorable dielectric properties of BaF2. In this study, the microstructural and chemical compatibility of BaF2 thin films with YBCO thin films is examined using transmission electron microscopy and microanalysis. The specimen was prepared by using laser ablation to first deposit an approximately 2500 Å thick (0 0 1) YBCO thin film onto a (0 0 1) MgO substrate. An approximately 7500 Å thick (0 0 1) BaF2 thin film was subsequendy thermally evaporated onto the YBCO film.Images from a VG HB501A UHV scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) operating at 100 kV show that the thickness of the BaF2 film is rather uniform, with the BaF2/YBCO interface being quite flat. Relatively few intrinsic defects, such as hillocks and depressions, were evident in the BaF2 film. Moreover, the hillocks and depressions appear to be faceted along {111} planes, suggesting that the surface is smooth and well-ordered on an atomic scale and that an island growth mechanism is involved in the evolution of the BaF2 film.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document