Radiant energy – Inspection of solids or liquids by charged particles – Electron microscope type
Reexamination Certificate
2008-11-20
2010-11-02
Wells, Nikita (Department: 2881)
Radiant energy
Inspection of solids or liquids by charged particles
Electron microscope type
C250S310000, C250S306000, C250S307000, C250S492200, C250S492300, C850S003000
Reexamination Certificate
active
07825378
ABSTRACT:
A method for improving the resolution of STEM images of thick samples. In STEM, the diameter of the cross-over depends on the opening half-angle α of the beam and can be as low as 0.1 nm. For optimum resolution an opening half-angle is chosen at which the diameter of the cross-over R(α) shows a minimum. For thick samples the resolution is, for those parts of the sample removed from the cross-over plane, limited by the convergence of the beam, resulting in a diameter D of the beam at the surface of the sample. The opening angle is chosen to balance the contribution of convergence and of diameter of the cross-over by choosing an opening half-angle smaller than the optimum opening half-angle. Effectively the sample is then scanned with a beam that has a substantially constant diameter over the length of the sample material through which the electrons have to travel.
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Freitag Bert
Luecken Uwe
Sourty Erwan
Yakushevska Alevtyna
FEI Company
McMinn Robert
Scheinberg Michael O.
Scheinberg & Griner LLP
Wells Nikita
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