STEM in SEM Capabilities with Built-in ARGUS Imaging System
ARGUS the All-Seeing Mythical Giant is Back
Like its predecessor, OPTIMUS 2 detector head has been designed with built-in ARGUSTM system to provide STEM in SEM imaging capabilities. With three Si diodes at its front edge and one Si diode at the center of its screen, OPTIMUS 2 provides:
- Dark Field (DF)-like imaging
- Bright Field (BF)-like imaging while in TKD mapping position
- Imaging at speeds of up to 125,000 pixels/sec
- Fully automatic signal optimization to create images with unequalled quality and detail
The new BF-like imaging capability is particularly useful for drift correction during mapping as well as for near real-time visualization of samples during dynamic experiments like in-situ tensile testing, heating, and electrical biasing of electron transparent samples.
2.8 Mpixel DF-like image (left) and zoomed view of highlighted area of a 20 nm gold film deposited on amorphous Si₃N₄ membrane showing sub-10 nm annealing twins. Image was acquired in 66 seconds using a probe current of 800 pA and an accelerating voltage of 30 kV. Scale bars in the main image and zoomed view image represent 400 nm and 50 nm.
DF-like & BF-like Images Acquired from Various Materials
BF-like image of a Ru thin film acquired in 3 s using steps of 1 nm, a probe current of 400 pA and an accelerating voltage of 30 kV
Ultra-high resolution BF-like image of a Ru thin film acquired in 3 s using steps of 0.5 nm, a probe current of 400 pA and an accelerating voltage of 30 kV
DF-like image of a Ru thin film acquired in 3 s using steps of 1 nm, a probe current of 800 pA and an accelerating voltage of 30 kV
4 Mpixel, plane-view BF-like image of a Ge-Sb-Te (GST) thin film deposited on a TEM grid with Silicon Nitride support film. Image was acquired in 2:05 min using steps of 5 nm, a probe current of 2 nA and an accelerating voltage of 30 kV. Sample is courtesy of Prof. Aaron Lindenberg and his group at Stanford University in USA.
4 Mpixel, plane-view DF-like image of a Ge-Sb-Te (GST) thin film deposited on a TEM grid with Silicon Nitride support film. Image was acquired in 2:05 min using steps of 5 nm, a probe current of 2 nA and an accelerating voltage of 30 kV. Sample is courtesy of Prof. Aaron Lindenberg and his group at Stanford University in USA.
BF-like image of a Ru thin film acquired in 8 s using steps of 1 nm, a probe current of 700 pA and an accelerating voltage of 30 kV
BF-like image of a Ru thin film acquired in 8 s using steps of 0.5 nm, a probe current of 700 pA and an accelerating voltage of 30 kV
DF-like image of a Ru thin film acquired in 8 s using steps of 1 nm, a probe current of 700 pA and an accelerating voltage of 30 kV
DF-like image of a Ru thin film acquired in 8 s using steps of 0.5 nm, a probe current of 700 pA and an accelerating voltage of 30 kV
Plane-view DF-like image of a Pt thin film deposited on Si wafer substrate and thinned using the dimpling method. The image was acquired in 14 s using steps of 2 nm, a probe current of 1.7 nA and an accelerating voltage of 30 kV. Thanks to Dr. Wolfgang Grünewald from Leica Microsystems in Germany, for preparing/thinning the TKD sample.