Limitations of the S² (spatially and spectrally resolved) imaging technique

There have Been a number of studies of low-angle, θ < 4°, [10] tilt boundaries in the diamond lattice. Dislocations with Burgers vectors a/2<110>, a/2<112>, a<111> and a<001> have been reported in melt-grown bicrystals of germanium, and dislocations with Burgers vectors a<001> and a/2<112> have been reported in hot-pressed bicrystals of silicon. Most of the dislocations were found to be dissociated, the dissociation widths being dependent on the tilt angle. Possible dissociation schemes and formation mechanisms for the a<001> and a<111> dislocations from the interaction of lattice dislocations have recently been given.The present study reports on the dislocation structure of a 10° [10] tilt boundary in chemically vapor deposited silicon. The dislocations in the boundary were spaced about 1-3nm apart, making them difficult to resolve by conventional diffraction contrast techniques. The dislocation structure was therefore studied by the lattice-fringe imaging technique.

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X-ray microtomography

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100107058 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 998-999

Author(s):

H.W. Deckman ◽

B.F. Flannery ◽

J.H. Dunsmuir ◽

K.D' Amico

Keyword(s):

Computed Tomography ◽

Internal Structure ◽

Imaging Technique ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Tissue Structure ◽

Individual Element ◽

X Ray ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Panoramic Imaging ◽

Three Dimensional Images

We have developed a new X-ray microscope which produces complete three dimensional images of samples. The microscope operates by performing X-ray tomography with unprecedented resolution. Tomography is a non-invasive imaging technique that creates maps of the internal structure of samples from measurement of the attenuation of penetrating radiation. As conventionally practiced in medical Computed Tomography (CT), radiologists produce maps of bone and tissue structure in several planar sections that reveal features with 1mm resolution and 1% contrast. Microtomography extends the capability of CT in several ways. First, the resolution which approaches one micron, is one thousand times higher than that of the medical CT. Second, our approach acquires and analyses the data in a panoramic imaging format that directly produces three-dimensional maps in a series of contiguous stacked planes. Typical maps available today consist of three hundred planar sections each containing 512x512 pixels. Finally, and perhaps of most import scientifically, microtomography using a synchrotron X-ray source, allows us to generate maps of individual element.

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TEM Study of a Tilt Boundary in Hot-Pressed Silicon

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100097454 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 39 ◽

pp. 160-161

Author(s):

C. B. Carter ◽

J. Rose ◽

D. G. Ast

Keyword(s):

Electron Diffraction ◽

Imaging Technique ◽

Interface Structure ◽

Large Area ◽

Weak Beam ◽

Lattice Fringe ◽

Electron Diffraction Technique ◽

Tilt Boundaries ◽

Beam Technique ◽

Twist Boundaries

The hot-pressing technique which has been successfully used to manufacture twist boundaries in silicon has now been used to form tilt boundaries in this material. In the present study, weak-beam imaging, lattice-fringe imaging and electron diffraction techniques have been combined to identify different features of the interface structure. The weak-beam technique gives an overall picture of the geometry of the boundary and in particular allows steps in the plane of the boundary which are normal to the dislocation lines to be identified. It also allows pockets of amorphous SiO2 remaining in the interface to be recognized. The lattice-fringe imaging technique allows the boundary plane parallel to the dislocation to be identified. Finally the electron diffraction technique allows the periodic structure of the boundary to be evaluated over a large area - this is particularly valuable when the dislocations are closely spaced - and can also provide information on the structural width of the interface.

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Defects of Platelet Function Recognized by X-Ray Imaging and Scanning Electron Microscopy

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100119806 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

pp. 610-613

Author(s):

M.G. Baldini ◽

S. Morinaga ◽

D. Minasian ◽

R. Feder ◽

D. Sayre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽

Cell Biology ◽

Imaging Technique ◽

Human Platelets ◽

X Rays ◽

X Ray ◽

X Ray Imaging ◽

Complex Phenomena ◽

Scanning Electron

Contact X-ray imaging is presently developing as an important imaging technique in cell biology. Our recent studies on human platelets have demonstrated that the cytoskeleton of these cells contains photondense structures which can preferentially be imaged by soft X-ray imaging. Our present research has dealt with platelet activation, i.e., the complex phenomena which precede platelet appregation and are associated with profound changes in platelet cytoskeleton. Human platelets suspended in plasma were used. Whole cell mounts were fixed and dehydrated, then exposed to a stationary source of soft X-rays as previously described. Developed replicas and respective grids were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

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Automated electron tomography: from data collection to image processing

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100136507 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 26-27

Author(s):

Weiping Liu ◽

Jennifer Fung ◽

W.J. de Ruijter ◽

Hans Chen ◽

John W. Sedat ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Image Processing ◽

Data Collection ◽

Structural Information ◽

Imaging Technique ◽

Electron Tomography ◽

Ccd Camera ◽

Automated Data Collection ◽

Full Control ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Amorphous Structures

Electron tomography is a technique where many projections of an object are collected from the transmission electron microscope (TEM), and are then used to reconstruct the object in its entirety, allowing internal structure to be viewed. As vital as is the 3-D structural information and with no other 3-D imaging technique to compete in its resolution range, electron tomography of amorphous structures has been exercised only sporadically over the last ten years. Its general lack of popularity can be attributed to the tediousness of the entire process starting from the data collection, image processing for reconstruction, and extending to the 3-D image analysis. We have been investing effort to automate all aspects of electron tomography. Our systems of data collection and tomographic image processing will be briefly described.To date, we have developed a second generation automated data collection system based on an SGI workstation (Fig. 1) (The previous version used a micro VAX). The computer takes full control of the microscope operations with its graphical menu driven environment. This is made possible by the direct digital recording of images using the CCD camera.

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EMCAT: An automatic image-processing system for electron-microscopic tomography

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100169821 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 52 ◽

pp. 418-419

Author(s):

Weiping Liu ◽

John W. Sedat ◽

David A. Agard

Keyword(s):

Image Processing ◽

Structural Information ◽

Imaging Technique ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Processing System ◽

Electron Microscopic ◽

Data Set ◽

Ordered Structures ◽

Automatic Image Processing ◽

Em Tomography

Any real world object is three-dimensional. The principle of tomography, which reconstructs the 3-D structure of an object from its 2-D projections of different view angles has found application in many disciplines. Electron Microscopic (EM) tomography on non-ordered structures (e.g., subcellular structures in biology and non-crystalline structures in material science) has been exercised sporadically in the last twenty years or so. As vital as is the 3-D structural information and with no existing alternative 3-D imaging technique to compete in its high resolution range, the technique to date remains the kingdom of a brave few. Its tedious tasks have been preventing it from being a routine tool. One keyword in promoting its popularity is automation: The data collection has been automated in our lab, which can routinely yield a data set of over 100 projections in the matter of a few hours. Now the image processing part is also automated. Such automations finish the job easier, faster and better.

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Atomic resolution characterisation of interface structures by Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s042482010014871x ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 51 ◽

pp. 576-577

Author(s):

N. D. Browning ◽

M. M. McGibbon ◽

M. F. Chisholm ◽

S. J. Pennycook

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Energy Loss ◽

Electron Energy ◽

Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy ◽

Imaging Technique ◽

Atomic Scale ◽

Atomic Resolution ◽

Reference Image ◽

The Impact ◽

Electron Energy Loss

The recent development of the Z-contrast imaging technique for the VG HB501 UX dedicated STEM, has added a high-resolution imaging facility to a microscope used mainly for microanalysis. This imaging technique not only provides a high-resolution reference image, but as it can be performed simultaneously with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), can be used to position the electron probe at the atomic scale. The spatial resolution of both the image and the energy loss spectrum can be identical, and in principle limited only by the 2.2 Å probe size of the microscope. There now exists, therefore, the possibility to perform chemical analysis of materials on the scale of single atomic columns or planes.In order to achieve atomic resolution energy loss spectroscopy, the range over which a fast electron can cause a particular excitation event, must be less than the interatomic spacing. This range is described classically by the impact parameter, b, which ranges from ~10 Å for the low loss region of the spectrum to <1Å for the core losses.

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