Electron Optic Documents

STEM-in-SEM (Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy in an SEM) has become a popular technique for biologists, polymer scientists and materials scientists for its ease of use, cost effectiveness and high resolution. It is especially suited to investigating the internal structure of thin film (100-200nm) samples as well as size and shape of submicron to nanometer particles. With standard SEM imaging modes on bulk samples, there are limitations in the ultimate resolution that can be achieved due in part by the beam-sample interactions. With STEM-in-SEM, the sample is very thin and the interaction volume is small. Therefore, the resolution more closely approximates the diameter of the electron beam at the exit surface of the sample allowing for high resolution; using STEM with our state of the art FE SEMs, sub-nanometer resolution is easily achieved.

JEOL’s Three Dimensional Image Software is a program that takes stereo pair SEM images and constructs a three dimensional (3D) image of the sample surface. From this 3D image, height and contour maps can be created to provide cross sectional shape and height data. The easiest approach to creating stereo pair images is to take two images of the same area but at different tilt angles. Images can be taken with any detector, at any magnification, with high or low accelerating voltage and even in low vacuum mode. With this software, any offset to the stereo pair images can be corrected for automatically and an anaglyph image or 3D model of the surface created.