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Bandpass filter for secondary electrons in SEM - simulations
Konvalina, Ivo ; Mika, Filip ; Krátký, Stanislav ; Müllerová, Ilona
Scanning electron microscope (SEM) is commonly equipped with a through-the-lens secondary electron detector (TLD). The TLD detector in Magellan 400 FEG SEM works as a bandpass filter for the special setup of potentials of electrodes inside the objective lens, the positive potential on the specimen regulates the energy window of the filter. An energy filtered image contains additional information to that of an unfiltered one. The contrast of the filtered image is changed and new information about the topography and the material can be observed.\nTo understand image contrast formation with TLD detector we traced SEs and BSEs through the three-dimensional (3D) model of included 3D distribution of the electrostatic and magnetic fields. The properties of the bandpass filter were simulated for a working distance (WD) in the range of 1 mm to 3 mm and a primary beam energy (EP) from 1 keV to 10 keV.\nThe 3D electrostatic field of the system was calculated by Simion, magnetic field and raytracing were done using EOD program.
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Field emission from the surface of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite
Knápek, Alexandr ; Pokorná, Zuzana
This paper deals with the electrical characterization of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface based on field emission of electrons. The effect of field emission, occurs only at disrupted surface, i.e. surface containing ripped and warped shreds of the uppermost layers of graphite. These deformations provide the necessary field gradients which are required for measuring tunneling current caused by field electron emission. Results of the field emission measurements are correlated with other surface\ncharacterization methods such as scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) or atomic force microscopy. A simple method utilizing the field emission of electrons has been devised to characterize the sample surface. Electron and probe microscopies were used to determine the structure of both the bulk sample and the partially exfoliated shreds of the uppermost layers of graphite in locations where field emission is observed.
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Treatment of surfaces with slow electrons
Frank, Luděk ; Mikmeková, Eliška
Historically, the most annoying obstacle to acquiring SEM micrographs, in particular higher magnification micrographs taken with the ambition of resolving the finest observable details, may be said to be carbonaceous contamination “highlighting” the previous field of view with a black rectangle contoured by an even darker frame. This contamination is generated by decomposition of adsorbed hydrocarbon molecules with incident electrons leaving a crosslinked\nlayer of carbon atoms as a surface coating. The darker contours come from high surface mobility of hydrocarbon molecules from outside the field. The situation has been improved in recent decades by a lower pressure and dryer vacuum in specimen chambers, but even under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions the phenomenon occurs due to hydrocarbon molecules deposited on the specimen when loaded. Therefore, only in-situ cleaning with an\nattachment producing an ion beam solves this problem in UHV, while some plasma cleaners have also started appearing in standard-vacuum SEM chambers. The goal of complete removal of hydrocarbons is motivated by the supposed unavoidability of their decomposition with primary electrons. However, we have found hydrocarbon molecules being released, rather than their decomposition, when the energy of the impinging electrons drops beneath 50 eV or so.
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Examination of Graphene with Very Slow Electrons
Mikmeková, Eliška ; Frank, Luděk
Although graphene has been available and intensively studied for nearly a full decade, new methods are still required for its examination and diagnostics. Even checking the continuity of layers and the reliable counting of layers of graphene and other 2D crystals should be easier to perform. Scanning electron microscopy with slow and very slow electrons offers an innovative tool enabling one to see graphene samples at nanometer or even sub-nanometer lateral resolution in both transmitted and reflected electrons and to count the number of layers reliably in both imaging modes. Diagnostics can be performed in this way on freestanding graphene samples as well as on graphene grown on the surfaces of bulk substrates. Moreover, bombardment with very slow electrons acts as an ultimate cleaning procedure removing adsorbed gases from crystal surfaces which can be monitored in scanned transmission electron images taken at below 50 eV.
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Exposure Time Comparison between E-beam Writer with Gaussian Beam and Variable Shaped Beam
Horáček, Miroslav ; Krátký, Stanislav ; Urbánek, Michal ; Kolařík, Vladimír ; Meluzín, Petr ; Matějka, Milan ; Chlumská, Jana
One of the main goals in e-beam lithography is to increase exposure speed to achieve higher throughput. There are basically two types of electron-beam writers, shaped beam lithography systems and Gaussian beam lithography systems. The exposure time of both e-beam writers consist in essence of beam-on time, deflection system stabilization time and stage movement time. Exposure time testing was carried out on two types of patterns. There were completely filled in areas, binary period gratings (ratio 1:1 between exposed and unexposed areas), and multileveled structures (computer generated holograms). Exposures data was prepared according to standard technology (PMMA resist, exposure dose, non-alcoholic based developer) for both systems. The result of experiment shows that variable shaped beam system has advantage in multileveled structures while the Gaussian beam system is more suitable for gratings type of pattern. It was proved that combination of both systems has its use to increase exposures throughput.
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Beam damage of embedding media sections and their investigations by SEM
Krzyžánek, Vladislav ; Novotná, V. ; Hrubanová, Kamila ; Nebesářová, J.
A scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) is useful device combining features of scanning and transmission electron microscopes. The sample in form of the ultrathin section is scanned by the electron probe and the transmitted electrons are detected. Except the dedicated STEMs this mode can exist as options in both TEM and SEM. The STEM based on the SEM equipped by a transmission detector was used for presented experiments. Nowadays, such low voltage STEM is more often used, and in many cases replaces the typical TEM. Here, we report investigations of embedding media that are typically used for TEM preparation of biological samples. The STEM detector in SEM may be able to detect both bright-field and dark-fields images. It uses much lower acceleration voltages (30 kV and below) than conventional TEM or STEM. However, materials like biological samples, polymers including embedding media are electron beam sensitive. Two the most important beam damages are the mass loss and the contamination. Both types of damages depend on the used electron energy and the electron dose applied to the sample. The mass loss depends on the sample composition, and the contamination results from the poor vacuum in the specimen chamber of the SEM, cleanness of the sample surface, etc.
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Fázové masky vyrobené elektronovou litografií a iontovým leptáním pro přípravu vláken s braggovými mřížkami
Krátký, Stanislav ; Urbánek, Michal ; Kolařík, Vladimír ; Horáček, Miroslav ; Chlumská, Jana ; Matějka, Milan ; Šerý, Mojmír ; Mikel, Břetislav
Braggovská vláknová mřížka je založena na principu lokální změny indexu lomu ve vlákně optického vlákna. Má širokou aplikační oblast, používá se např. pro různé typy filtrů v komunikacích, může se též použít v oblasti snímačů mechanického namáhání. Pro přípravu tohoto typu mřížek lze použít různé technologie. Například, index lomu je možné modifikovat přímo při výrobě optického vlákna. Dále, mřížka může být exponována bod po bodu laserovým svazkem. Nejefektivnějším způsobem je expozice přes fázovou masku, neboť jednu masku lze použít pro výrobu stovek mřížek (i když kvalita masky se při expozicích postupně snižuje, ačkoliv je připravena v křemenném skle). Tento příspěvek se zabývá různými přístupy pro přípravu fázových masek z pohledu vlivu na kvalitu exponovaných Braggovských mřížek. Mřížková fázová maska je definována zejména dvěma parametry; periodou a hloubkou (předpokládáme střídu 1:1 mezi výstupky a prohlubněmi mřížky).
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Comparison of freeze fracture images of mixed bacterial/yeast biofilm in cryo-SEM with high pressure freezing fixation
Hrubanová, Kamila ; Nebesářová, Jana ; Růžička, F. ; Krzyžánek, Vladislav
Microscopic organisms include bacteria and yeasts have been studied in this project. Besides the planktonic way of living, microbes are able to adhere to surfaces or interfaces and to form organized communities, a so-called biofilm, which are embedded in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances that they produce; visualization and quantification of this microscopic formation is the main goal of this study. In medicine the biofilm formation allows microorganisms to colonize the surface of implants and it also protects the microbial cells from attacks by the immunity system as well as from the effect of antibiotics. Therefore, the biofilm is considered to be important virulence factor in these microorganisms. The characteristic features of the biofilm infections, especially high resistance to antifungal agents, complicate therapy. Understanding of the biofilm structure can contribute to understanding the biofilmformation and basic biochemical mechanisms underlying this process. It may help to develop more efficient treatment strategy for biofilm infection.
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Characterization of .beta.-phase in Al-Mg-Si alloys by SLEEM and STLEEM techniques
Ligas, A. ; Hida, S. ; Matsuda, K. ; Mikmeková, Šárka
Knowledge of the distribution and morphology of the Mg2Si precipitates (i.e. .beta.-phase) in Al-Mg-Si alloys are very important for many practical reasons and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique is widely used for their visualization. Unfortunately, in the standard SEM images these precipitates are barely visible and finding them can be very difficult. Using the cathode lens (CL) mode in the SEM (so called SLEEM) these difficulties have been overcome and a very high contrast between the hexagonal-shaped .beta.-phase and the matrix has been obtained. Moreover, it has been found that the SLEEM images offer the possibility to distinguish between the hexagonal-shaped and the conventional .beta.-phase based on their different brightness, not only on their shape, which can be in some cases difficult or even impossible. Mg2Si precipitates have been also characterized by means of the scanning transmission low energy electron microscopy (STLEEM) method based on the using of a STEM detector in the SEM operated in the CL mode.
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Microstructural characterization of metallic materials using advanced SEM techniques
Piňos, Jakub ; Konvalina, Ivo ; Kasl, J. ; Jandová, D. ; Mikmeková, Šárka
The development of advanced materials is inseparably connected with detailed knowledge of the relationship between microstructure and mechanical properties. Traditional high-voltage scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is one of the most commonly used techniques for microstructure analysis, though it may be insufficient particularly for the characterization of advanced materials exhibiting a complex microstructure. The benefits of using slow electrons have been described in several articles. Experiments have been performed with a XHR SEM Magellan 400L (FEI Company) equipped with two detectors for secondary electrons (SE), an Everhart Thornley detector and an in-lens TLD detector, and solid-state BSE detector (CBS) located below the pole piece. This microscope can also be operated in the beam deceleration (BD) mode. The field of the BD not only decelerates the primary electrons, but also accelerates the emitted (signal) electrons towards the detector. Furthermore, high-angle backscattered electrons (BSE) are also collimated towards the optical axis and are detected. These electrons carry, first and foremost, crystal orientation contrast. SE and low-angle BSE can be detected by the TLD detector located inside the objective lens. Angle-resolved detection of BSE is performed using a CBS detector divided into four concentric segments.
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