The influence of the objective lens current in low magnification electron holography

Author(s):  
B.G. Frost ◽  
D.C. Joy ◽  
E. Völkl ◽  
L.F. Allard

In order to align an electron microscope for low magnification holography we usually completely switch off the objective lens and image the sample by the first intermediate lens. In addition, to achieve a highly coherent electron beam we highly excite the condensor lens resulting in a divergent illumination of the sample and the intermediate lens. Now negatively biasing the fiber of a Möllenstedt type biprism placed between the first an second intermediate lenses of our Hitachi HF-2000 field emission electron microscope creates two virtual sources below the back focal plane of the first intermediate lens. These two sources are necessary to form off-axis holograms. Slightly exciting the objective lens and still imaging the sample by the first intermediate lens results in two major changes in our holograms.First: Due to an electron beam less divergent or even convergent illuminating the first intermediate lens when exciting the objective lens (compare Fig. 1 to Fig.2) the angle β at which object wave and reference wave are superimposed decreases.

Author(s):  
B.G. Frost ◽  
D.C. Joy ◽  
L.F. Allard ◽  
E. Voelkl

A wide holographic field of view (up to 15 μm in the Hitachi-HF2000) is achieved in a TEM by switching off the objective lens and imaging the sample by the first intermediate lens. Fig.1 shows the corresponding ray diagram for low magnification image plane off-axis holography. A coherent electron beam modulated by the sample in its amplitude and its phase is superimposed on a plane reference wave by a negatively biased Möllenstedt-type biprism.Our holograms are acquired utilizing a Hitachi HF-2000 field emission electron microscope at 200 kV. Essential for holography are a field emission gun and an electron biprism. At low magnification, the excitation of each lens must be appropriately adjusted by the free lens control mode of the microscope. The holograms are acquired by a 1024 by 1024 slow-scan CCD-camera and processed by the “Holoworks” software. The hologram fringes indicate positively and negatively charged areas in a sample by the direction of the fringe bending (Fig.2).


Author(s):  
Takeshi Kawasaki ◽  
Junji Endo ◽  
Tsuyoshi Matsuda ◽  
Akira Tonomura

The 350 kV field-emission electron microscope shown in Fig.1 has been developed to widen the applications of electron holography. A field emission beam is used because it is very bright at first and monochromatic. However, its brightness deteriorates while passing through accelerating electrodes and condenser lenses because of their spherical and chromatic aberrations. A magnetic lens is installed just below a (310)-oriented tungsten tip. A magnetic lens is used so that the electron source image can be located at the most favorable position between the accelerating tube and the first condenser lens to minimize the aberrations and to increase brightness. The measured brightness (probe current) ranges from 1.4x109 A/cm2/sr (0.37 nA) to 6.7x108 A/cm2/sr (2.2 nA) with 10 μA total emission current at 300 kV.These increased brightness and narrow energy spread of the electron beam enable observing fine spacing lattice fringes in a gold thin film. Lattice fringes of 0.065 nm spacing were actually observed in the electron micrograph shown in Fig. 2. The incident electron beam was along the [001] axis, and the (400) and reflected beams were used to form the fringes. A 0.055 nm spacing lattice image is shown in Fig. 3. These fringes resulted from the interference of the electron beam, with an incident axis from the [111] direction into the gold thin film, by the and diffracted beams. This spacing is the shortest observed to date.


2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1142-1143
Author(s):  
Takaho Yoshida ◽  
Takeshi Kawasaki ◽  
Junji Endo ◽  
Tadao Furutsu ◽  
Isao Matsui ◽  
...  

Bright and coherent electron beams have been opening new frontiers in science and technology. So far, we have developed several field-emission transmission electron microscopes (FE-TEM) with increasing accelerating voltages to provide higher beam brightness. By using a 200-kV FE-TEM and electron holography techniques, we directly confirmed the Aharonov-Bohm effect. A 350-kV FE-TEM equipped with a low-temperature specimen stage enabled us to observe moving vortices in superconductors.2 Most Recently, we have developed a new 1-MV FE-TEM with a newly designed FE gun to obtain an even brighter and more coherent electron beam.Electron beam brightness, Br, defined in Figure 1, is suitable for measuring the performance of electron guns, since both lens aberrations and mechanical/electrical vibrations contribute to a decrease in beam brightness, and beam coherency is proportional to (Br)1/2. Therefore, we optimized design of the illuminating system and its operation by maximizing the electron beam brightness.


1980 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira TONOMURA ◽  
Tsuyoshi MATSUDA ◽  
Junji ENDO

Author(s):  
A. Tonomura ◽  
T. Matsuda ◽  
T. Komoda

Although the feasibility of electron holography has been verified by several authors, it has not yet been put to practical use. This is because of the lack of a coherent electron source, such as optical laser. In practice, the number of interference fringes produced with a biprism is 200 at most, the exception being one dimensional cases. Off-axis holography requires 5,000∼100,000 interference fringes. Therefore, the useful application of electron holography in higher resolution and phase contrast electron microscopy hinges on development of a coherent electron source capable of producing 5,000 fringes or more.To realize a coherent electron source, a 100 kV field emission electron gun was developed and attached to an electron microscope. In designing the microscope,special care was taken in the column and electric supply. This was done to minimize movement of the small beam spot, which is easily disturbed from outside, so as to maintain the field emission electron beam.


Author(s):  
R. Plass ◽  
L. D. Marks

With the advent of reliable cold field emission transmission electron microscopes there is substantial interest in using the amplitude and phase information recorded in electron holograms to optically or numerically correct for the coherent aberrations of transmission electron microscopes. However electron holography cannot compensate for incoherent aberrations. The derivation of the contrast transfer function for off axis electron holography in this paper shows there is no fundamental improvement in resolution for electron holography over conventional transmission electron microscopy.Evaluating the contrast transfer function involves mathematically following an electron beam through a field emission electron microscope set up for off axis electron holography. Due to the high coherence of the field emission electron beam coherent aberrations caused by the pre-specimen beam focusing system must be accounted for. Starting with a spacial frequency distribution, C(v), for the electron beam leaving the gun, the electron beam is limited by the condenser aperture and coherently aberrated by the condenser lens and objective pre-field as it passes to the specimen region:


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michał Krysztof

AbstractThis article presents a field-emission electron gun intended for use in a MEMS (microelectromechanical system) electron microscope. Its fabrication process follows the technology of a miniature device under development built from silicon electrodes and glass spacers. The electron gun contains a silicon cathode with a single very sharp protrusion and a bundle of disordered CNTs deposited on its end (called a sharp silicon/CNT cathode). It was tested in diode and triode configurations. For the diode configuration, a low threshold voltage <1000 V and a high emission current that reached 90 µA were obtained. After 30 min of operation at 900 V, the emission current decreased to 1.6 µA and was stable for at least 40 min, with RMS fluctuation in the anode current lower than 10%. The electron beam spot of the source was observed on the phosphor screen. In the diode configuration, the spot size was the same as the emission area (~10 µm), which is a satisfactory result. In the triode configuration, an extraction electrode (gate) control function was reported. The gate limited the emission current and elongated the lifetime of the gun when the current limit was set. Moreover, the electron beam current fluctuations at the anode could be reduced to ~1% by using a feedback loop circuit that controls the gate voltage, regulating the anode current. The developed sharp silicon/CNT cathodes were used to test the MEMS electron source demonstrator, a key component of the MEMS electron microscope, operating under atmospheric pressure conditions. Cathodoluminescence of the phosphor layer (ZnS:Ag) deposited on the thin silicon nitride membrane (anode) was observed.


Author(s):  
Wah Chiu ◽  
Robert M. Glaeser

One of the objectives of our research program is to obtain a 2.0 Å point to point resolution in a fixed beam bright field electron microscope. The resolution in the fixed beam electron microscope is limited by a number of factors: electron beam coherence, energy spread, objective lens stability, mechanical stability, and specimen stability. This paper presents systematic studies of the mentioned factors in our JEM 100B fixed beam electron microscope equipped with a field emission gun operating at ∼ 1800°K.The most important characteristic of a field emission gun is its high brightness in the emitter source. In order to estimate the brightness at the specimen plane, one needs to measure the electron beam current density and the angle of illumination. The electron beam current density has been measured by means of a lithium-drifted silicon detector located below the normal position of the photographic plates. The angle of illumination can be estimated from the size of the condenser aperture and its distance from the specimen plane.


Author(s):  
J. Endo ◽  
T. Kawasaki ◽  
T. Masuda ◽  
A. Tonomura

A field-emission electron gun is one of the most epoch-making technologies in an electron microscopic world. In a transmission electron microscope, a high brightness of this beam has been effectively employed for electron-holographic measurements, though the value is not still high enough. Development of a higher brightness beam will promise to open up unattained application possibilities of electron holography such as high resolution and high sensitivity interferometry.We developed the field emission electron microscope for electron holographic applications. Special attentions were paid for high brightness, large beam current and easy operation. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the electron gun. In order not to deteriorate the original high-brightness feature of the beam by the aberrations in the gun and the condenser lenses, a magnetic lens was installed between the tip and the extraction anode so that the total aberration effect might be minimized. Field emitted electron beam is converged by the magnetic and the electrostatic lenses, and accelerated in a ten-stage accelerator which is made of porcelain.


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