Application of EUV dark field image for EUVL mask fabrication

Author(s):  
Takeshi Yamane ◽  
Hidehiro Watanabe
Author(s):  
H. Todokoro ◽  
S. Nomura ◽  
T. Komoda

It is interesting to observe polymers at atomic size resolution. Some works have been reported for thorium pyromellitate by using a STEM (1), or a CTEM (2,3). The results showed that this polymer forms a chain in which thorium atoms are arranged. However, the distance between adjacent thorium atoms varies over a wide range (0.4-1.3nm) according to the different authors.The present authors have also observed thorium pyromellitate specimens by means of a field emission STEM, described in reference 4. The specimen was prepared by placing a drop of thorium pyromellitate in 10-3 CH3OH solution onto an amorphous carbon film about 2nm thick. The dark field image is shown in Fig. 1A. Thorium atoms are clearly observed as regular atom rows having a spacing of 0.85nm. This lattice gradually deteriorated by successive observations. The image changed to granular structures, as shown in Fig. 1B, which was taken after four scanning frames.


Author(s):  
Prakash Rao

Image shifts in out-of-focus dark field images have been used in the past to determine, for example, epitaxial relationships in thin films. A recent extension of the use of dark field image shifts has been to out-of-focus images in conjunction with stereoviewing to produce an artificial stereo image effect. The technique, called through-focus dark field electron microscopy or 2-1/2D microscopy, basically involves obtaining two beam-tilted dark field images such that one is slightly over-focus and the other slightly under-focus, followed by examination of the two images through a conventional stereoviewer. The elevation differences so produced are usually unrelated to object positions in the thin foil and no specimen tilting is required.In order to produce this artificial stereo effect for the purpose of phase separation and identification, it is first necessary to select a region of the diffraction pattern containing more than just one discrete spot, with the objective aperture.


Author(s):  
D.I. Potter ◽  
A. Taylor

Thermal aging of Ni-12.8 at. % A1 and Ni-12.7 at. % Si produces spatially homogeneous dispersions of cuboidal γ'-Ni3Al or Ni3Si precipitate particles arrayed in the Ni solid solution. We have used 3.5-MeV 58Ni+ ion irradiation to examine the effect of irradiation during precipitation on precipitate morphology and distribution. The nearness of free surfaces produced unusual morphologies in foils thinned prior to irradiation. These thin-foil effects will be important during in-situ investigations of precipitation in the HVEM. The thin foil results can be interpreted in terms of observations from bulk irradiations which are described first.Figure 1a is a dark field image of the γ' precipitate 5000 Å beneath the surface(∿1200 Å short of peak damage) of the Ni-Al alloy irradiated in bulk form. The inhomogeneous spatial distribution of γ' results from the presence of voids and dislocation loops which can be seen in the bright field image of the same area, Fig. 1b.


Author(s):  
Joachim Frank

Cryo-electron microscopy combined with single-particle reconstruction techniques has allowed us to form a three-dimensional image of the Escherichia coli ribosome.In the interior, we observe strong density variations which may be attributed to the difference in scattering density between ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and protein. This identification can only be tentative, and lacks quantitation at this stage, because of the nature of image formation by bright field phase contrast. Apart from limiting the resolution, the contrast transfer function acts as a high-pass filter which produces edge enhancement effects that can explain at least part of the observed variations. As a step toward a more quantitative analysis, it is necessary to correct the transfer function in the low-spatial-frequency range. Unfortunately, it is in that range where Fourier components unrelated to elastic bright-field imaging are found, and a Wiener-filter type restoration would lead to incorrect results. Depending upon the thickness of the ice layer, a varying contribution to the Fourier components in the low-spatial-frequency range originates from an “inelastic dark field” image. The only prospect to obtain quantitatively interpretable images (i.e., which would allow discrimination between rRNA and protein by application of a density threshold set to the average RNA scattering density may therefore lie in the use of energy-filtering microscopes.


Author(s):  
Raja K. Mishra

The discovery of a new class of permanent magnets based on Nd2Fe14B phase in the last decade has led to intense research and development efforts aimed at commercial exploitation of the new alloy. The material can be prepared either by rapid solidification or by powder metallurgy techniques and the resulting microstructures are very different. This paper details the microstructure of Nd-Fe-B magnets produced by melt-spinning.In melt spinning, quench rate can be varied easily by changing the rate of rotation of the quench wheel. There is an optimum quench rate when the material shows maximum magnetic hardening. For faster or slower quench rates, both coercivity and maximum energy product of the material fall off. These results can be directly related to the changes in the microstructure of the melt-spun ribbon as a function of quench rate. Figure 1 shows the microstructure of (a) an overquenched and (b) an optimally quenched ribbon. In Fig. 1(a), the material is nearly amorphous, with small nuclei of Nd2Fe14B grains visible and in Fig. 1(b) the microstructure consists of equiaxed Nd2Fe14B grains surrounded by a thin noncrystalline Nd-rich phase. Fig. 1(c) shows an annular dark field image of the intergranular phase. Nd enrichment in this phase is shown in the EDX spectra in Fig. 2.


1996 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry N. Chapman ◽  
Jenny Fu ◽  
Chris Jacobsen ◽  
Shawn Williams

The methods of immunolabeling make visible the presence of specific antigens, proteins, genetic sequences, or functions of a cell. In this paper we present examples of imaging immunolabels in a scanning transmission x-ray microscope using the novel method of dark-field contrast. Colloidal gold, or silver-enhanced colloidal gold, is used as a label, which strongly scatters x-rays. This leads to a high-contrast dark-field image of the label and reduced radiation dose to the specimen. The x-ray images are compared with electron micrographs of the same labeled, unsectioned, whole cell. It is verified that the dark-field x-ray signal is primarily due to the label and the bright-field x-ray signal, showing absorption due to carbon, is largely unaffected by the label. The label can be well visualized even when it is embedded in or laying behind dense material, such as the cell nucleus. The resolution of the images is measured to be 60 nm, without the need for computer processing. This figure includes the x-ray microscope resolution and the accuracy of the label positioning. The technique should be particularly useful for the study of relatively thick (up to 10 μm), wet, or frozen hydrated specimens.


2007 ◽  
Vol 561-565 ◽  
pp. 275-278
Author(s):  
Wei Sun ◽  
Li Sun ◽  
Lin Lin Liu ◽  
Ze Zhang

By means of high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM) and high-angle annular dark-field image technique (HAADF), morphological, structural and compositional characteristics of the precipitates in the Mg-4Y-3Nd alloy aged at 200°C for different periods of time have been studied. On the basis of HREM observations, an atomic structural model for the β’-precipitate with an orthorhombic unit cell has been proposed. The characteristic distribution of the precipitates which are rich in rare-earth elements (Y, Nd) has been clearly revealed by the HAADF imaging technique.


2011 ◽  
Vol 675-677 ◽  
pp. 247-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshio Tanita ◽  
Daiji Matsui ◽  
Hiroshi Fukushima

Micro- and nano-structures of the Cr-Mo electroplated layers were studied mainly by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), High Resolution TEM (HRTEM) and Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS). These electroplated layers which were deposited in Cr-Mo electrolyte containing an organic sulfonic acid, showed surface structures having severe ups and downs of small crystal grains. Both selected area diffraction and dark-field image of TEM confirmed the presence of very small crystal grains of less than 50 nm. These small crystal grains exhibited textured structure when the electrolyte contained an organic sulfonic catalyst. PALS results indicated the presence of high density nano-size voids, and HRTEM analysis confirmed the presence of high density voids of 1 nm to 2 nm in diameter. Size and density of these nano-voids increased with the amount of catalyst in the electrolyte.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document