Performance and applications of the holography electron microscope

Author(s):  
Akira Tonomura

Electron holography is a two-step imaging method. However, the ultimate performance of holographic imaging is mainly determined by the brightness of the electron beam used in the hologram-formation process. In our 350kV holography electron microscope (see Fig. 1), the decrease in the inherently high brightness of field-emitted electrons is minimized by superposing a magnetic lens in the gun, for a resulting value of 2 × 109 A/cm2 sr. This high brightness has lead to the following distinguished features. The minimum spacing (d) of carrier fringes is d = 0.09 Å, thus allowing a reconstructed image with a resolution, at least in principle, as high as 3d=0.3 Å. The precision in phase measurement can be as high as 2π/100, since the position of fringes can be known precisely from a high-contrast hologram formed under highly collimated illumination. Dynamic observation becomes possible because the current density is high.

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.


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.


Author(s):  
Akira Tonomura

Electron-holographic interference microscopy, which provides an image of the phase distribution of an electron wave transmitted through a specimen, has become practical with the development of a field-emission electron microscope. This instrument, increasing the brightness of the electron beam by more than two orders of magnitude, allows biprism interference fringes to be directly observed on a fluorescent screen. The coherence of this microscope's electron beam has enabled phase measurement to a precision of 1/100 of the wavelength, and it even makes dynamical observation possible.


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):  
O. C. Wells ◽  
S. A. Rishton

The low-loss electron (LLE) image in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) shows stronger topographic contrast, less sensitivity to specimen charging and a shallower information depth in comparison with the more familiar secondary electron (SE) imaging method. When working with a poorly conducting or insulating sample the beam energy must be reduced to typically ~1.5 keV to minimise the net charging current at the surface of the specimen. Even if this is done correctly the topographic contrasts in the LLE image can still be considerably stronger than in the SE image.Fig. 1(a) shows the original LLE detector in which the sample is inclined at 45° to the electron beam. Fig. 1(b) shows a new detector which operates with a specimen tilt of 20°. Both have been used in a Cambridge Instrument Co. S250 Mk.III SEM.The possibility of obtaining a LLE image with a 20° specimen tilt is demonstrated with uncoated photoresist in Fig. 2 (tungsten filament) and with a “Crystal“ image store to capture and replay the image.


Author(s):  
Akira. Tonomura

Electromagnetic fields are not observable with conventional electron microscopy: The fields deflect an incident electron beam but no contrast is produced in the electron micrograph for the fields since all the electrons deflected at an object point are focused into a single image point through the electron lens. The information about the electomagnetic fields is included in the deflection distribution or the phase distribution of an electron beam, which is lost in electron micrographs. Electron interferometry has been carried out since 1950s using a transmission electron microscope equipped with an electron biprism to make ultra-fine measurements. The advent of a "coherent" field-emission electron beam has greatly expanded the range of applications and possibilities: Electric and magnetic fields are directly observed as equipotential lines and magnetic lines of force in an electron-holographic interference micrograph. Precision in phase measurement has increased to 2π/50 thanks to a phase amplification technique peculiar to holography.In magnetic field observation, contour fringes in an interference micrograph directly indicate projected magnetic lines of force in h/e flux units. An example of a magnetic field micrograph is shown in Fig. 1.


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):  
Chester J. Calbick ◽  
Richard E. Hartman

Quantitative studies of the phenomenon associated with reactions induced by the electron beam between specimens and gases present in the electron microscope require precise knowledge and control of the local environment experienced by the portion of the specimen in the electron beam. Because of outgassing phenomena, the environment at the irradiated portion of the specimen is very different from that in any place where gas pressures and compositions can be measured. We have found that differential pumping of the specimen chamber by a 4" Orb-Ion pump, following roughing by a zeolite sorption pump, can produce a specimen-chamber pressure 100- to 1000-fold less than that in the region below the objective lens.


Author(s):  
R. C. Moretz ◽  
D. F. Parsons

Short lifetime or total absence of electron diffraction of ordered biological specimens is an indication that the specimen undergoes extensive molecular structural damage in the electron microscope. The specimen damage is due to the interaction of the electron beam (40-100 kV) with the specimen and the total removal of water from the structure by vacuum drying. The lower percentage of inelastic scattering at 1 MeV makes it possible to minimize the beam damage to the specimen. The elimination of vacuum drying by modification of the electron microscope is expected to allow more meaningful investigations of biological specimens at 100 kV until 1 MeV electron microscopes become more readily available. One modification, two-film microchambers, has been explored for both biological and non-biological studies.


Author(s):  
R. Sinclair ◽  
B.E. Jacobson

INTRODUCTIONThe prospect of performing chemical analysis of thin specimens at any desired level of resolution is particularly appealing to the materials scientist. Commercial TEM-based systems are now available which virtually provide this capability. The purpose of this contribution is to illustrate its application to problems which would have been intractable until recently, pointing out some current limitations.X-RAY ANALYSISIn an attempt to fabricate superconducting materials with high critical currents and temperature, thin Nb3Sn films have been prepared by electron beam vapor deposition [1]. Fine-grain size material is desirable which may be achieved by codeposition with small amounts of Al2O3 . Figure 1 shows the STEM microstructure, with large (∽ 200 Å dia) voids present at the grain boundaries. Higher quality TEM micrographs (e.g. fig. 2) reveal the presence of small voids within the grains which are absent in pure Nb3Sn prepared under identical conditions. The X-ray spectrum from large (∽ lμ dia) or small (∽100 Ǻ dia) areas within the grains indicates only small amounts of A1 (fig.3).


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document