Abstract:
A 4D electron tomography system includes a stage having one or more degrees of freedom, an electron source, and electron optics operable to direct electron pulses to impinge on a sample supported on the stage. A pulse of the electron pulses impinges on the sample at a first time. The system also includes a laser system and optics operable to direct optical pulses to impinge on the sample. A pulse of the optical pulses impinges on the sample at a second time. The system further includes a detector operable to receive the electron pulses passing through the sample, a controller operable to independently modify an orientation of the stage and at least one of the first time or the second time, a memory operable to store sets of images, and a processor operable to form a 4D tomgraphic image set from the sets of images.
Abstract:
The disclosure relates to sample inspection using an ion-beam microscope. In some embodiments, the disclosure involves the use of multiple detectors, each of which provides different information about a sample.
Abstract:
The disclosure relates to sample inspection methods, systems and components. In some embodiments, the disclosure involves the use of multiple detectors, each of which provides different information about a sample.
Abstract:
An ultrafast system (and methods) for characterizing one or more samples. The system includes a stage assembly, which has a sample (150) to be characterized. The system has a laser source that is capable of emitting an optical pulse of less than 1 ps in duration. The system has a cathode coupled to the laser source. In a specific embodiment, the cathode (140) is capable of emitting an electron pulse less than 1 ps in duration. The system has an electron lens assembly (146) adapted to focus the electron pulse onto the sample disposed on the stage. The system has a detector (154) adapted to capture one or more electrons passing through the sample. The one or more electrons passing through the sample is representative of the structure of the sample. The detector provides a signal (e.g. , data signal) associated with the one or more electrons passing through the sample that represents the structure of ihe sample. T he system has a processor coupled to the detector. The processor is adapted to process the data signal associated with the one or more electrons passing through the sample to output information associated with the structure of the sample. The system has an output device coupled to the processor. The output device is adapted to output the information associated with the structure of the sample.
Abstract:
There is provided a scanning transmission electron microscope capable of producing plural types of STEM (scanning transmission electron microscopy) images using a single detector. The electron microscope (100) has an electron source (10) emitting an electron beam, a scanning deflector (13) for scanning the beam over a sample (S), an objective lens (14) for focusing the beam, an imager (22) placed at a back focal plane of the objective lens (14) or at a plane conjugate with the back focal plane, and a scanned image generator (40) for generating scanned images on the basis of images captured by the imager. The scanned image generator (40) operates to form electron diffraction patterns from the electron beam passing through positions on the sample by the scanning of the electron beam, to capture the electron diffraction patterns by the imager so that plural images are produced, to integrate the intensity of each pixel over an integration region that is set based on the size of an image of a transmitted wave in a respective one of the produced images for each of the produced images such that the signal intensity at each position on the sample is found, and to generate the scanned images on the basis of the signal intensities at the positions on the sample.
Abstract:
There is provided a charged particle system capable of measuring deflection fields in a sample without using a segmented detector. The charged particle system (100) has: illumination optics (104) for illuminating the sample with charged particles; an imaging deflector system (112) disposed behind an objective lens (110) and operative to deflect the charged particles; a detector (116) having a detection surface (115) and operative to detect the charged particles incident thereon, imaging optics (114) disposed behind the imaging deflector system (112) and operative to focus the charged particles as diffraction discs (2) onto the detection surface (115); a storage unit (120) for storing intensity information detected by the detector (116); and a controller (130) for controlling the imaging deflector system (112). The controller (130) controls the imaging deflector system (112) to cause the charged particles passing through a given position of particle impingement on the sample to be deflected under successively different sets of deflection conditions and to bring the diffraction discs (2) into focus onto successively different regions of the detection surface (115). The storage unit (120) stores the intensity information for each set of the deflection conditions.
Abstract:
A low energy electron diffraction (LEED) detection module (100) includes: a first vacuum chamber for receiving diffracted electrons from a specimen (109); a larger second vacuum chamber connected to the first vacuum chamber to receive the diffracted electrons that have been transported through the first vacuum chamber; a two-dimensional electron detector disposed in the second vacuum chamber to detect the diffracted electrons; a potential shield (106) disposed generally along an inner surface of the first vacuum chamber and an inner surface of the second vacuum chamber; a magnetic lens (105) to expand a beam of the diffracted electrons that have been transported through the first vacuum chamber towards the two-dimensional electron detector; and a generally plane-shaped energy filter (103) to repel electrons having an energy lower than the probe beam (203) of electrons that impinges on the specimen (109).
Abstract:
A method and system for the imaging and localization of fluorescent markers such as fluorescent proteins or quantum dots within biological samples is disclosed. The use of recombinant genetics technology to insert "reporter" genes into many species is well established. In particular, green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) and their genetically-modified variants ranging from blue to yellow, are easily spliced into many genomes at the sites of genes of interest (Gols), where the GFPs are expressed with no apparent effect on the functioning of the proteins of interest (Pols) coded for by the Gols. One goal of biologists is more precise localization of Pols within cells. The invention is a method and system for enabling more rapid and precise Pol localization using charged particle beam-induced damage to GFPs. Multiple embodiments of systems for implementing the method are presented, along with an image processing method relatively immune to high statistical noise levels. Fig. 3