Using Quantitative Stereology on High Resolution SEM Images to Estimate Diatom Percentages

Images obtained from an analog SEM are traditionally viewed and recorded from a cathode-ray tube (CRT). Many laboratories use instant film (e.g. Polaroid #52, #55 instant film) to justify image quality and obtain permanent image quickly. Digital imaging provides an alternative approach for image acquisition and recording. One major advantage of digital SEM is image averaging that allows one to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) from a noisy quick-scan image to reduce charging. SEM signal yield is proportional to incident beam intensity, image acquisition time or duration of beam interaction with specimen (dwell time). The higher beam intensity, or longer the dwell time, the more signal generated. However, for high-resolution SEM imaging, the beam dose and dwell time are limited by drafting, radiation damage, and contamination. Therefore high-resolution biological SEM images invariably have poor SNR.

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Interlaboratory Measurements of Contiguity in WC-Co Hardmetals

Metals ◽

10.3390/met9030328 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 328 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ken Mingard ◽

Bryan Roebuck

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Grain Boundaries ◽

Electron Backscatter Diffraction ◽

Ion Beam ◽

Recent Analysis ◽

Polished Surface ◽

Binder Phase ◽

Sem Images ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Etched Surface

The contiguity of a hardmetal is a measure of the proportion of the carbide grain boundaries that are in direct contact with other carbide grain boundaries. Recent analysis of data available in the literature shows a large scatter in results and a significant difference in values measured from scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and from electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) mapping. An interlaboratory exercise has been carried out with the measurement of a range of WC-Co hardmetal grades. For each grade, SEM images were acquired from both an etched surface and an ion beam polished surface and EBSD maps with two different processing routes. These maps and images were provided to the participants for measurement to eliminate variability from sample preparation and image acquisition. It was shown that measurement of contiguity from EBSD maps is likely to lead to an overestimation of contiguity, largely because EBSD maps do not have the resolution of SEM images to identify small binder phase regions between WC grains. Ion beam polishing combined with backscattered electron imaging was found to provide the best images of the microstructure to underpin a confident measurement of contiguity. However, high resolution SEM images of etched surfaces gave values close to those from ion beam polished samples so it is recommended that, as etching is much more widely available, high-resolution imaging of a lightly etched WC surface should be promoted as the preferred method for measurement of contiguity, in combination with backscattered imaging where possible. Even with good images, variation between operators can give uncertainties of approximately ±10%.

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Characterizing the Image Forming Particles of Modern Ungilded Daguerreotypes Using XRD and SEM

Microscopy and Microanalysis ◽

10.1017/s1431927619000709 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 1037-1051

Author(s):

Patrick Ravines ◽

Alexander Y. Nazarenko

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Diffraction Data ◽

Regions Of Interest ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

Sem Images ◽

Cubic Crystals ◽

X Ray ◽

Silver Amalgam ◽

Crystalline Nature ◽

Scanning Electron

AbstractX-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been used to characterize the silver mercury amalgam particles resting on the surface that comprise the image of five daguerreotype plates that were not gilded and that were prepared by three different contemporary daguerreotype makers. The regions of interest of the surface that were examined were overexposed, solarized, and highlight (white) areas. The XRD portion of the study shows that the two main silver mercury amalgam particles identified using the International Center for Diffraction Data PF4 + database were the Schachnerite/ζ (zeta) phase amalgam, Ag1.1Hg0.9, and the mercury silver amalgam, Ag0.65Hg0.35. On one of the daguerreotypes a third silver mercury amalgam, Moschellandsbergite, Ag2Hg3, was also identified in small concentrations. High-resolution SEM images corroborate the diffraction data and show that the crystalline nature of the silver mercury amalgam particles on all five plates to be mostly hexagonal, which would correspond to the Schachnerite/ζ (zeta) phase amalgam, and fewer rectangular solid and cubic crystals corresponding to the mercury silver amalgam.

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Scanning probe microscopy of polymers in the field emission SEM

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100166841 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 54 ◽

pp. 876-877

Author(s):

J. Brostin

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Field Emission ◽

Scanning Probe Microscopy ◽

Scanning Probe ◽

Sem Images ◽

Thin Coatings ◽

Probe Microscopy ◽

Average Atomic Number ◽

Electron Mode ◽

Backscattered Electron

The field emission SEM (FESEM) is well suited for imaging polymer and other non-conductive surfaces. High resolution SEM images can be obtained without the application of a conductive coating when operated at low accelerating voltages. Compositional imaging in the backscattered electron mode is facilitated at low voltages by the incorporation of a microchannel plate (MCP) detector. The MCP equipped FESEM has been shown to be phenomenally sensitive to very small differences in average atomic number. Compositional contrasts are achieved in polymer and other low-Z composites that differ only in oxygen content. Those systems that completely lack intrinsic contrast can be differentially stained with ruthenium tetroxide vapors.These capabilities make the FESEM an ideal platform for locating phases and/or subtle features for scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Transparent, thin coatings or very fine, heterogeneously dispersed structures that cannot be readily located or observed with conventional light optics can generally be seen in the FESEM.

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Acquisition and processing of TV and high resolution slow scan SEM images

Micron and Microscopica Acta ◽

10.1016/0739-6260(87)90056-6 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 195-196

Author(s):

R.B. De Zanger ◽

M. Nyssen ◽

E. Wisse

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Sem Images

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Observation of a supported metal catalyst in an ultra-high-resolution field-emission SEM

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100149751 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 51 ◽

pp. 784-785

Author(s):

J. Liu ◽

G. E. Spinnler

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Field Emission ◽

Carbon Film ◽

Incident Beam ◽

Metal Particles ◽

Metal Catalyst ◽

Sem Images ◽

Catalytic Systems ◽

Conducting Materials ◽

Small Metal Particles

Zeolites loaded with noble-metal particles are interesting catalytic systems. The relative positions of small metal particles on and within the support structure may have significant consequences for catalytic activity. Small metal particles dispersed on model and commercial catalyst supports have been observed by using secondary and Auger electrons in a UHV STEM. In this paper we further report preliminary results of observing a metal/zeolite catalyst in a commercial high-resolution field-emission SEM and investigate the contrast variations of SEM images with the change of incident beam energies.Metal-loaded zeolite samples were ground to fine powders and were dispersed onto a thin holey carbon film coated on a copper grid. The samples were directly observed without being coated with conducting materials. Such coating would obscure fine-scale surface details and make imaging of small metal particles impossible. The experiments were performed in a field-emission Hitachi S-5000 SEM, operating from 0.5 to 30 kV.

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SEM-microphotogrammetry, a new take on an old method for generating high-resolution 3D models from SEM images

Journal of Microscopy ◽

10.1111/jmi.12560 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 267 (2) ◽

pp. 214-226 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

A.D. BALL ◽

P.A. JOB ◽

A.E.L. WALKER

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

3D Models ◽

Sem Images

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Automated Gas-Enhanced PFIB Surface Preparation Enabled Metrology and Statistical Analysis of 3D NAND Devices

ISTFA 2019: Conference Proceedings from the 45th International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis ◽

10.31399/asm.cp.istfa2019p0227 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Chris Hakala ◽

James Clarke ◽

Mark Biedrzycki ◽

Kesley Price ◽

Jamie Johnson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Statistical Analysis ◽

High Resolution ◽

Aspect Ratio ◽

High Aspect Ratio ◽

Surface Preparation ◽

Cell Area ◽

Sem Images ◽

The Past ◽

Aspect Ratios ◽

Current Trends

Abstract The development of vertical 3D NAND technology over the past 5 years has been accelerated by the parallel development of metrology techniques capable of characterizing these device stacks. Current trends point toward a continuous scaling of dimensions along the z-axis, involving a critical etch step with aspect ratios of ~50:1. These high aspect ratio process steps present both fabrication and metrology challenges where the channel holes can bend, bow, and pinch off throughout the stack. Work presented herein demonstrates the capability of an automated workflow developed using the Thermo Scientific™ Helios™ G4 HXe DualBeam™ platform. The workflow iteratively exposes desired layers within the NAND stack, collects high resolution SEM images, and performs metrology to enable statistical analysis of trends as a function of depth within the stack. Results will be presented from 3 sites in an automatically delayered 72-layer 3D NAND die. Automated SEM metrology was performed every 10 layers, capturing more than 6000 devices. Over 19000 measurements were made on imaged devices yielding assessment of statistically significant trends in the planar cell area, eccentricity, and position of the bits as a function of depth.

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Application of the Laplacian filter to high-resolution enhancement of SEM images

Journal of Electron Microscopy Technique ◽

10.1002/jemt.1060010403 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 1 (4) ◽

pp. 331-340 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Eisaku Oho ◽

Norio Baba ◽

Masaru Katoh ◽

Takashi Nagatani ◽

Masako Osumi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Resolution Enhancement ◽

Sem Images ◽

Laplacian Filter

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Effects of the Interfacial Bonding Behavior on the Mechanical Properties of E-Glass Fiber/Nanographite Reinforced Hybrid Composites

Advances in Polymer Technology ◽

10.1155/2021/6651896 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

N. Saravanan ◽

V. Yamunadevi ◽

V. Mohanavel ◽

V. Kumar Chinnaiyan ◽

Murugesan Bharani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

High Resolution ◽

Hybrid Composites ◽

Interfacial Bonding ◽

Tensile Fracture ◽

Sem Images ◽

Tensile Fracture Surface ◽

Epoxy Nanocomposite ◽

Mechanical Stirring ◽

The Impact

The nanoparticles are incorporated into the composite to mark their unique properties. This work investigates the hybrid epoxy nanocomposite and the impact of nanographite reinforcement. The composite was prepared by using a mechanical stirring technique. The amount of nanographite was added in different volumes, i.e., 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 wt.%. Results of mechanical and dynamic loading properties were analyzed in accordance to the quantity of nano-G. The fiber and matrix interfacial bonding enrichments were evident in high-resolution SEM images-tensile fracture surface. Finally, the optimum content of nanoparticle which impacts the sample greatly was found to be 1.5 wt.%.

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