A scanning electron microscope modification for simultaneous numeration of exposures

Neither the standard photographic facilities nor the Record Console of the Cambridge 600 Scanning Electron Microscope have provision for numbering films at the time of exposure. This omission is inconvenient and admits confusion at the later stages of printing. An earlier modification to the viewing screen of the basic instrument has later been transferred to the Record Console. Both are described, providing a convenient numbering facility using cheap proprietary electronic calculators, but leaving the calculating facility available. The system described gives a display of up to seven digits recorded by the camera at the time of exposure, without interfering with either image size or quality.     

A simply constructed heating stage for the scanning electron microscope

An easily constructed heating stage has been designed for a Cambridge Scientific Instruments' Stereoscan Scanning Electron Microscope. This heating stage is capable of reaching temperatures of at least 1273 K. The stage is a simple design which can easily be built from non-magnetic stainless steel and a natural stone consisting mainly of pyrophyllite. All heat shielding is made from these materials without the need for any liquid coolant surrounding the stage. The use of this heating stage as an instrument for the study of morphological changes during heating processes up to 1273 K is described briefly.     

A fluorescence scanning electron microscope

Fluorescence techniques are widely used in biological research to examine molecular localization, while electron microscopy can provide unique ultrastructural information. To date, correlative images from both fluorescence and electron microscopy have been obtained separately using two different instruments, i.e. a fluorescence microscope (FM) and an electron microscope (EM). In the current study, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) (JEOL JXA8600 M) was combined with a fluorescence digital camera microscope unit and this hybrid instrument was named a fluorescence SEM (FL-SEM). In the labeling of FL-SEM samples, both Fluolid, which is an organic EL dye, and Alexa Fluor, were employed. We successfully demonstrated that the FL-SEM is a simple and practical tool for correlative fluorescence and electron microscopy.     

A spectroscopic scanning electron microscope design

This paper describes a proposal to improve the design of scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). The design is based upon using an SEM column similar to the conventional one, magnetic sector plates and a mixed field immersion objective lens. The optical axis of the SEM column lies in the horizontal direction and the primary beam is turned through 90 degrees before it reaches the specimen. This arrangement allows for the efficient collection, detection and spectral analysis of the scattered electrons on a hemispherical surface that is located well away from the rest of the SEM column. The proposed SEM design can also be easily extended to incorporate time multiplexed columns and multi-column arrays.     

A robust micromanipulator for the scanning electron microscope.

A simple device for holding and moving mechanical tools in the region of a sample being viewed in the scanning electron microscope is described. The unit has a 20:1 mechanical reduction and when fitted with a tungsten carbide dental chisel, it is sufficiently rigid to cut biological hard tissues. Alternately, when fitted with an electro-etched tungsten needle, it can be used, in conjunction with specimen stage controls, to remove individual cells from the surface of soft tissues. Examples of these applications are illustrated.     

Nanometric cutting in a scanning electron microscope

A nanometric cutting device under high vacuum conditions in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was developed. The performance, tool-sample positioning, and processing capacity of the nanometric cutting platform were studied. The proposed device can be used to realize a displacement of 7 μm, with a closed-loop resolution of 0.6 nm in both the cutting direction and the depth direction. Using a diamond cutting tool with an edge radius of 43 nm formed by focused ion beam (FIB) processing, nanometric cutting experiments on monocrystalline silicon were performed on the developed cutting device under SEM online observation. Chips and machining results of different depths of cut were studied during the cutting process, and cutting depths of less than 10 nm could be obtained with high repeatability. Moreover, the cutting speed was found to exhibit a strong relationship with the brittle–ductile transition depth on brittle material. The experimental results of taper cutting and sinusoidal cutting indicated that the developed device has the ability to perform multiple degrees of freedom (DOFs) cutting and to study nanoscale material removal behaviour.     

The conversion of a field-emission scanning electron microscope to a high-resolution,high-performance scanning transmission electron microscope,while maintaining original functions

Recently, the reliability of field-emission electron guns has increased. In addition, the cost of computer systems for on-line processing has dropped. Hence, we should now consider the use of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) for routine work, especially, in the field of biology where one may expect to utilize digital image processing techniques. An STEM has been constructed, without disturbing the original functions, by converting a commercial scanning electron microscope equipped with a fieldemission gun. The STEM is generally operated at accelerating voltage 30 kV, focal length 7.5 mm, and beam current 1?2 × 10^?10 A. Several improvements have been incorporated for removing the effects of vibration, contamination, and stray magnetic fields. Also, an adjustable detector aperture was utilized. The modified instrument was connected to an on-line digital image processing system for utilizing the information obtained from STEM images. The advantages of the modified system were studied from various viewpoints.     

环境扫描电镜可通讯高温样品台的设计与应用

介绍了环境扫描电镜可通讯高温样品台的设计与制作。所开发的高温样品台体积小，可加热温度较高，升降温速率的可调范围大。由计算机与可编程控制仪表组成的控制系统具有指令功能强大，操作灵活，可以通讯等特点。本系统在实际应用中具有良好的效果。     

A scanning near-field optical microscope having scanning electron tunnelling microscope capability using a single metallic probe tip

A new microscope system that has the combined capabilities of a scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM) and a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) is described. This is achieved with the use of a single metallic probe tip. The distance between the probe tip and the sample surface is regulated by keeping the tunnelling current constant. In this mode of operation, information about the optical properties of the sample, such as its refractive index distribution and absorption characteristics, can be disassociated from the information describing its surface structure. Details of the surface structure can be studied at resolutions smaller than the illumination wavelength. The performance of the microscope is evaluated by analysing a grating sample that was made by coating a glass substrate with gold. The results are then compared with the corresponding SNOM and STM images of the grating.     

Biological structures imaged in a hybrid scanning transmission electron microscope and scanning tunneling microscope

A hybrid scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is described which allows simultaneous imaging of biological structures adsorbed to electron-transparent specimen supports in both modes of scanning microscopy, as demonstrated on uncoated phage T4 polyheads. We further discuss the reproducibility and validity of height data obtained from STM topographs of biomacromolecules and present raw data from topographs of freeze-dried, metal-coated nuclear envelopes from Xenopus laevis oocytes.     

SIMSEM—A simulated scanning electron microscope

A computer-based simulator for a scanning electron microscope (SEM) has been developed. The simulator, called SIMSEM, is interactive – it teaches students the fundamentals of scanning electron microscopy and the basic methods for operating a SEM in the secondary-electron or backscattered imaging modes. We anticipate that this type of system will find wide acceptance in SEM laboratories pursuing a policy of research productivity in a multi-user environment with a high turn-over of students. In this paper, hardware and software systems in SIMSEM are described and an example of a SIMSEM session is given.     

Laser powered heating stage in a scanning electron microscope for microstructural investigations at elevated temperatures

A laser powered heating stage designed for application in high vacuum environment of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) is presented. It was developed to observe and characterize microstructural changes in crystalline materials at elevated temperatures up to 1000 degrees C. The approach utilizes the power output of a commercial infrared diode laser in order to heat up specimens without interference with the electronic system of the SEM. The heating stage can be used in combination with any standard characterization technique applicable for SEMs--electron backscatter diffraction, orientation contrast imaging, x-ray energy dispersive spectrometry, etc. The results of test measurements are presented.     

Scanning tunneling microscope combined with scanning electron microscope

A scanning tunneling microscope (STM) has been installed in a usual scanning electron microscope (SEM) with a vacuum of 10⁻⁶ Torr. The STM image is displayed on the cathode ray tube of the SEM, 512 × 512 pixels, with a scanning rate of 80 s/picture. The spatial resolution of the STM is about 1 Å, while that of the SEM is several tens of ångströms. The combined scanning microscope covers a wide magnification range from 10 to 10⁷, where STM covers the high magnification region from 10⁵ to 10⁷.     

A system to acquire and process scanning transmission electron microscope images

The numerical processing of electron microscope images is becoming important as more investigators need quantitative data on size and density of objects visualized by means of a STEM system [1–3]. We describe the hard- and software of a system for acquisition and processing of such images. Traditionally, the processed negatives of electromicrographs are scanned by a microdensitometer to provide a digital image [4,5]. We decided upon direct digitization of the transmission detector's output without intermediate optical or photochemical steps. The system's performance was tested on latex spheres.     

Low-cost image-capture system for a scanning electron microscope

We describe a PC-based active-capture system for recording digital images from a scanning electron microscope. The system is based on a National Instruments data-acquisition board and a Pentium computer, controlled by software that we have written in Visual Basic.     

Auger microanalysis in a conventional scanning electron microscope

We have coupled an Auger spectrometer to a conventional scanning electron microscope. Specimens were examined without an ultrahigh vacuum by maintaining a high partial pressure of argon in the vicinity of the specimen. It was possible to examine the specimens by means of both Auger and x-ray microanalysis. Sputtering profiles could be recorded by removing surface layers by ion bombardment. Examples of the application of the method are drawn from studies of surface layers on metals, and are compared with XRMA results.     

Simple modification of a commercial scanning laser microscope to incorporate dark-field imaging

Dark-field imaging modes have attracted less interest in biological confocal microscopy than the extensive applications of immunofluorescence imaging. There are, however, certain biological and materials science applications where it is necessary to use a confocal imaging mode that is capable of partial or full rejection of light specularly reflected from coverslips, microscope slides or specimen surfaces. In this paper we present a simple modification of a commercial confocal microscope to incorporate dark-field imaging. We discuss theoretical aspects of the resulting dark-field imaging mode and also give experimental examples.