scholarly journals Digital Imaging for TEM Part 1

1994 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 24-25
Author(s):  
Anthony D. Buonaquisit

We are all familiar with digital imaging for SEM instruments. Digital Imaging for TEM applications is not as well established. Nevertheless, it seems clear that it will not be long before digital imaging for TEM becomes common place. Systems are improving and costs are plummeting. With this in mind it is timely to review what digital imaging for TEM involves.In normal TEM operation an electron bream is scattered through a thin section of a sample. Physical mechanisms cause the electrons of the beam to scatter, producing bright-field images, dark-field images and diffraction patterns. The operator adjusts the instrument to display one of these images on the instrument's viewing screen. A photographic record is collected by flipping the viewing screen and exposing a sheet of film held in the TEM's camera. Exposed negatives can be removed for developing and printing in batches, using standard darkroom techniques.

Author(s):  
P. Humble

There has been sustained interest over the last few years into both the intrinsic (primary and secondary) structure of grain boundaries and the extrinsic structure e.g. the interaction of matrix dislocations with the boundary. Most of the investigations carried out by electron microscopy have involved only the use of information contained in the transmitted image (bright field, dark field, weak beam etc.). Whilst these imaging modes are appropriate to the cases of relatively coarse intrinsic or extrinsic grain boundary dislocation structures, it is apparent that in principle (and indeed in practice, e.g. (1)-(3)) the diffraction patterns from the boundary can give extra independent information about the fine scale periodic intrinsic structure of the boundary.In this paper I shall describe one investigation into each type of structure using the appropriate method of obtaining the necessary information which has been carried out recently at Tribophysics.


Author(s):  
J.M. Cowley

The HB5 STEM instrument at ASU has been modified previously to include an efficient two-dimensional detector incorporating an optical analyser device and also a digital system for the recording of multiple images. The detector system was built to explore a wide range of possibilities including in-line electron holography, the observation and recording of diffraction patterns from very small specimen regions (having diameters as small as 3Å) and the formation of both bright field and dark field images by detection of various portions of the diffraction pattern. Experience in the use of this system has shown that sane of its capabilities are unique and valuable. For other purposes it appears that, while the principles of the operational modes may be verified, the practical applications are limited by the details of the initial design.


Author(s):  
Marian Mankos ◽  
Shi Yao Wang ◽  
J.K. Weiss ◽  
J.M. Cowley

A novel detection system has been designed and realized experimentally on the HB5 STEM instrument. Shadow images, diffraction patterns as well as high-angle annular dark field and bright field images are observed simultaneously with high efficiency using CCD and TV cameras. The microscope can be operated in a wide range of instrument modes which includes the implementation of new techniques for high resolution imaging.As shown in Fig. 1, the detection system has three triple choice stages. Diffracted beams can be collected by three P47 fast phosphor annular detectors inclined at 45 degree to the axis and having different inner and outer acceptance angles, which can be adjusted by the postspecimen lenses. The detector is observed through a window by a photomultiplier. The annular detectors have been used also for a new bright field STEM technique which utilizes the inner rim of the detectors to collect only the outermost annular part of the central beam and promises an improvement in resolution by a factor of about 1.6. Initial results show some promise (Fig. 2). The transmitted beam is then converted into a light signal in YAG and P47 detectors; optionally the central part of the beam can be detected in the EELS spectrometer. The generated light signal is reflected through a system of mirrors, exits the vacuum chamber and is collected with high efficiency by high aperture optical lenses.


Author(s):  
Larry Pierce ◽  
Peter R. Buseck

High resolution dark field (DF) images of the superstructures of the pyrrhotite (Fe1-xS) and bornite-digenite (Cu5FeS4-Cu9S5) series can be related to structure. Further, they provide more detail than bright field (BF) images. The same objective aperture size and stigmater settings were used for DF as for BF imaging; symmetrical arrangements of diffracted beams in the objective aperture were used. Images that can be related to structure were obtained at the defocus value giving the greatest image contrast, thereby enabling proper defocusing without requiring extensive through-focus series.For the minerals of interest, diffraction patterns consist of many superstructure reflections and a few subcell reflections. BF images contain primarily features of the superstructure, presumably because the subcell reflections fall far from the axis of the objective lens and thus are affected by spherical and chromatic aberrations and beam divergence. Likewise, DF images formed with a similar arrangement of beams as that in BF contain only features of superstructure, but with reverse contrast to BF.


2006 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 665-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klemens Kelm ◽  
Werner Mader

Well-crystallized particles of cubic and tetragonal γ -Fe2O3 embedded in a Pd matrix were produced besides other oxides by internal oxidation of a Pd-Fe alloy in air. Particles of tetragonal γ -Fe2O3 consist of orientation domains with the c axes normal to each other. Particles of the ordered cubic γ -Fe2O3 appear single crystalline in bright field and in dark field images with reflections of the basic spinel structure. In dark field images enantiomorphous domains were observed using reflections of the ordered phase. From the analysis of electron diffraction patterns in the principal zone axes the description of ordered cubic γ -Fe2O3 in the enantiomorphous space groups P4132/P4332 follows without further presumptions. In the sequence from space group Fd3m of disordered cubic γ -Fe2O3 via P4132/P4332 of the ordered cubic phase to the pair P41212/P43212 of tetragonal γ -Fe2O3 a continuous group-subgroup relation can be derived. This relation shows that ordered cubic γ -Fe2O3 is an intermediate phase upon ordering of vacant octahedral sites towards tetragonal γ -Fe2O3


Author(s):  
J.C.H. Spence ◽  
J. Mayer

The Zeiss 912 is a new fully digital, side-entry, 120 Kv TEM/STEM instrument for materials science, fitted with an omega magnetic imaging energy filter. Pumping is by turbopump and ion pump. The magnetic imaging filter allows energy-filtered images or diffraction patterns to be recorded without scanning using efficient parallel (area) detection. The energy loss intensity distribution may also be displayed on the screen, and recorded by scanning it over the PMT supplied. If a CCD camera is fitted and suitable new software developed, “parallel ELS” recording results. For large fields of view, filtered images can be recorded much more efficiently than by Scanning Reflection Electron Microscopy, and the large background of inelastic scattering removed. We have therefore evaluated the 912 for REM and RHEED applications. Causes of streaking and resonance in RHEED patterns are being studied, and a more quantitative analysis of CBRED patterns may be possible. Dark field band-gap REM imaging of surface states may also be possible.


Author(s):  
D.W. Andrews ◽  
F.P. Ottensmeyer

Shadowing with heavy metals has been used for many years to enhance the topological features of biological macromolecular complexes. The three dimensional features present in directionaly shadowed specimens often simplifies interpretation of projection images provided by other techniques. One difficulty with the method is the relatively large amount of metal used to achieve sufficient contrast in bright field images. Thick shadow films are undesirable because they decrease resolution due to an increased tendency for microcrystalline aggregates to form, because decoration artefacts become more severe and increased cap thickness makes estimation of dimensions more uncertain.The large increase in contrast provided by the dark field mode of imaging allows the use of shadow replicas with a much lower average mass thickness. To form the images in Fig. 1, latex spheres of 0.087 μ average diameter were unidirectionally shadowed with platinum carbon (Pt-C) and a thin film of carbon was indirectly evaporated on the specimen as a support.


Author(s):  
J. M. Oblak ◽  
B. H. Kear

The “weak-beam” and systematic many-beam techniques are the currently available methods for resolution of closely spaced dislocations or other inhomogeneities imaged through strain contrast. The former is a dark field technique and image intensities are usually very weak. The latter is a bright field technique, but generally use of a high voltage instrument is required. In what follows a bright field method for obtaining enhanced resolution of partial dislocations at 100 KV accelerating potential will be described.A brief discussion of an application will first be given. A study of intermediate temperature creep processes in commercial nickel-base alloys strengthened by the Ll2 Ni3 Al γ precipitate has suggested that partial dislocations such as those labelled 1 and 2 in Fig. 1(a) are in reality composed of two closely spaced a/6 <112> Shockley partials. Stacking fault contrast, when present, tends to obscure resolution of the partials; thus, conditions for resolution must be chosen such that the phase shift at the fault is 0 or a multiple of 2π.


Author(s):  
Eal H. Lee ◽  
Helmut Poppa

The formation of thin films of gold on mica has been studied in ultra-high vacuum (5xl0-10 torr) . The mica substrates were heat-treated for 24 hours at 375°C, cleaved, and annealed for 15 minutes at the deposition temperature of 300°C prior to deposition. An impingement flux of 3x1013 atoms cm-2 sec-1 was used. These conditions were found to give high number densities of multiple twin particles and are based on a systematic series of nucleation experiments described elsewhere. Individual deposits of varying deposition time were made and examined by bright and dark field TEM after "cleavage preparation" of highly transparent specimens. In the early stages of growth, the films generally consist of small particles which are either single crystals or multiply twinned; a strong preference for multiply twinned particles was found whenever the particle number densities were high. Fig. 1 shows the stable cluster density ns and the variation with deposition time of multiple twin particle and single crystal particle densities, respectively. Corresponding micrographs and diffraction patterns are shown in Fig. 2.


Author(s):  
J. M. Cowley

Recently a number of authors have reported detail in dark-field images obtained from diffuse-scattering regions of electron diffraction patterns. Bright spots in images from short-range order diffuse peaks of disordered binary alloys have been interpreted as evidence for the existence of microdomains of ordered lattice or of segragated clusters of one component. Spotty contrast in dark field images of near-amorphous materials has been interpreted as evidence for the existense of microcrystals. Without a careful analysis of the imaging conditions such conclusions may be invalid. Usually the conditions of the experiment have not been specified in sufficient detail to allow evaluation of the conclusions.Elementary considerations show that even for a completely random arrangement of atoms the statistical fluctuations of density will give a spotty contrast with spots of minimum diameter determined by the dark field aperture size and other factors influencing the minimum resolvable distance under darkfield imaging conditions, including fluctuations and drift over long exposure times (resolution usually 10Å or more).


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