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Sample records for resolution scanning transmission

  1. Precision controlled atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy using spiral scan pathways

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sang, Xiahan; Lupini, Andrew R.; Ding, Jilai; Kalinin, Sergei V.; Jesse, Stephen; Unocic, Raymond R.

    2017-03-01

    Atomic-resolution imaging in an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) can enable direct correlation between atomic structure and materials functionality. The fast and precise control of the STEM probe is, however, challenging because the true beam location deviates from the assigned location depending on the properties of the deflectors. To reduce these deviations, i.e. image distortions, we use spiral scanning paths, allowing precise control of a sub-Å sized electron probe within an aberration-corrected STEM. Although spiral scanning avoids the sudden changes in the beam location (fly-back distortion) present in conventional raster scans, it is not distortion-free. “Archimedean” spirals, with a constant angular frequency within each scan, are used to determine the characteristic response at different frequencies. We then show that such characteristic functions can be used to correct image distortions present in more complicated constant linear velocity spirals, where the frequency varies within each scan. Through the combined application of constant linear velocity scanning and beam path corrections, spiral scan images are shown to exhibit less scan distortion than conventional raster scan images. The methodology presented here will be useful for in situ STEM imaging at higher temporal resolution and for imaging beam sensitive materials.

  2. Automated transmission-mode scanning electron microscopy (tSEM for large volume analysis at nanoscale resolution.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masaaki Kuwajima

    Full Text Available Transmission-mode scanning electron microscopy (tSEM on a field emission SEM platform was developed for efficient and cost-effective imaging of circuit-scale volumes from brain at nanoscale resolution. Image area was maximized while optimizing the resolution and dynamic range necessary for discriminating key subcellular structures, such as small axonal, dendritic and glial processes, synapses, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, vesicles, microtubules, polyribosomes, and endosomes which are critical for neuronal function. Individual image fields from the tSEM system were up to 4,295 µm(2 (65.54 µm per side at 2 nm pixel size, contrasting with image fields from a modern transmission electron microscope (TEM system, which were only 66.59 µm(2 (8.160 µm per side at the same pixel size. The tSEM produced outstanding images and had reduced distortion and drift relative to TEM. Automated stage and scan control in tSEM easily provided unattended serial section imaging and montaging. Lens and scan properties on both TEM and SEM platforms revealed no significant nonlinear distortions within a central field of ∼100 µm(2 and produced near-perfect image registration across serial sections using the computational elastic alignment tool in Fiji/TrakEM2 software, and reliable geometric measurements from RECONSTRUCT™ or Fiji/TrakEM2 software. Axial resolution limits the analysis of small structures contained within a section (∼45 nm. Since this new tSEM is non-destructive, objects within a section can be explored at finer axial resolution in TEM tomography with current methods. Future development of tSEM tomography promises thinner axial resolution producing nearly isotropic voxels and should provide within-section analyses of structures without changing platforms. Brain was the test system given our interest in synaptic connectivity and plasticity; however, the new tSEM system is readily applicable to other biological systems.

  3. Attainment of 40.5 pm spatial resolution using 300 kV scanning transmission electron microscope equipped with fifth-order aberration corrector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morishita, Shigeyuki; Ishikawa, Ryo; Kohno, Yuji; Sawada, Hidetaka; Shibata, Naoya; Ikuhara, Yuichi

    2018-02-01

    The achievement of a fine electron probe for high-resolution imaging in scanning transmission electron microscopy requires technological developments, especially in electron optics. For this purpose, we developed a microscope with a fifth-order aberration corrector that operates at 300 kV. The contrast flat region in an experimental Ronchigram, which indicates the aberration-free angle, was expanded to 70 mrad. By using a probe with convergence angle of 40 mrad in the scanning transmission electron microscope at 300 kV, we attained the spatial resolution of 40.5 pm, which is the projected interatomic distance between Ga-Ga atomic columns of GaN observed along [212] direction.

  4. High-resolution imaging in the scanning transmission electron microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pennycook, S.J.; Jesson, D.E.

    1992-03-01

    The high-resolution imaging of crystalline materials in the scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is reviewed with particular emphasis on the conditions under which an incoherent image can be obtained. It is shown that a high-angle annular detector can be used to break the coherence of the imaging process, in the transverse plane through the geometry of the detector, or in three dimensions if multiphonon diffuse scattering is detected. In the latter case, each atom can be treated as a highly independent source of high-angle scattering. The most effective fast electron states are therefore tightly bound s-type Bloch states. Furthermore, they add constructively for each incident angle in the coherent STEM probe, so that s states are responsible for practically the entire image contrast. Dynamical effects are largely removed, and almost perfect incoherent imaging is achieved. s states are relatively insensitive to neighboring strings, so that incoherent imaging is maintained for superlattice and interfaces, and supercell calculations are unnecessary. With an optimum probe profile, the incoherent image represents a direct image of the crystal projection, with compositional sensitivity built in through the strong dependence of the scattering cross sections on atomic number Z

  5. High resolution techniques using scanning proton microprobe (SPM)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cholewa, M.; Saint, A.; Prawer, S.; Laird, J.S.; Legge, G.J.F.; Bardos, R.A.; Moorhead, G.F.; Taylor, G.N.; Stuart, S.A.; Howard, J.

    1994-01-01

    The very high resolution (down to 50 nm) achieved with low beam currents (fA) in a scanning ion microprobe have lead to many nondestructive techniques of microanalysis. This paper discusses recent developments and applications in the use of 3-D STIM (scanning transmission ion microscopy) Tomography, channeling STIM and IBIC (ion beam induced charge). (orig.)

  6. Monochromated scanning transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rechberger, W.; Kothleitner, G.; Hofer, F.

    2006-01-01

    Full text: Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) has developed into an established technique for chemical and structural analysis of thin specimens in the (scanning) transmission electron microscope (S)TEM. The energy resolution in EELS is largely limited by the stability of the high voltage supply, by the resolution of the spectrometer and by the energy spread of the source. To overcome this limitation a Wien filter monochromator was recently introduced with commercially available STEMs, offering the advantage to better resolve EELS fine structures, which contain valuable bonding information. The method of atomic resolution Z-contrast imaging within an STEM, utilizing a high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) detector can perfectly complement the excellent energy resolution, since EELS spectra can be collected simultaneously. In combination with a monochromator microscope not only high spatial resolution images can be recorded but also high energy resolution EELS spectra are attainable. In this work we investigated the STEM performance of a 200 kV monochromated Tecnai F20 with a high resolution Gatan Imaging Filter (HR-GIF). (author)

  7. Scanning transmission ion micro-tomography (STIM-T) of biological specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwertner, Michael; Sakellariou, Arthur; Reinert, Tilo; Butz, Tilman

    2006-01-01

    Computed tomography (CT) was applied to sets of Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy (STIM) projections recorded at the LIPSION ion beam laboratory (Leipzig) in order to visualize the 3D-mass distribution in several specimens. Examples for a test structure (copper grid) and for biological specimens (cartilage cells, cygospore) are shown. Scanning Transmission Micro-Tomography (STIM-T) at a resolution of 260 nm was demonstrated for the first time. Sub-micron features of the Cu-grid specimen were verified by scanning electron microscopy. The ion energy loss measured during a STIM-T experiment is related to the mass density of the specimen. Typically, biological specimens can be analysed without staining. Only shock freezing and freeze-drying is required to preserve the ultra-structure of the specimen. The radiation damage to the specimen during the experiment can be neglected. This is an advantage compared to other techniques like X-ray micro-tomography. At present, the spatial resolution is limited by beam position fluctuations and specimen vibrations

  8. Phase contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging of light and heavy atoms at the limit of contrast and resolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yücelen, Emrah; Lazić, Ivan; Bosch, Eric G T

    2018-02-08

    Using state of the art scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) it is nowadays possible to directly image single atomic columns at sub-Å resolution. In standard (high angle) annular dark field STEM ((HA)ADF-STEM), however, light elements are usually invisible when imaged together with heavier elements in one image. Here we demonstrate the capability of the recently introduced Integrated Differential Phase Contrast STEM (iDPC-STEM) technique to image both light and heavy atoms in a thin sample at sub-Å resolution. We use the technique to resolve both the Gallium and Nitrogen dumbbells in a GaN crystal in [[Formula: see text

  9. On the Progress of Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) Imaging in a Scanning Electron Microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Cheng; Müller, Erich; Meffert, Matthias; Gerthsen, Dagmar

    2018-04-01

    Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with low-energy electrons has been recognized as an important addition to the family of electron microscopies as it may avoid knock-on damage and increase the contrast of weakly scattering objects. Scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) are well suited for low-energy electron microscopy with maximum electron energies of 30 keV, but they are mainly used for topography imaging of bulk samples. Implementation of a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) detector and a charge-coupled-device camera for the acquisition of on-axis transmission electron diffraction (TED) patterns, in combination with recent resolution improvements, make SEMs highly interesting for structure analysis of some electron-transparent specimens which are traditionally investigated by TEM. A new aspect is correlative SEM, STEM, and TED imaging from the same specimen region in a SEM which leads to a wealth of information. Simultaneous image acquisition gives information on surface topography, inner structure including crystal defects and qualitative material contrast. Lattice-fringe resolution is obtained in bright-field STEM imaging. The benefits of correlative SEM/STEM/TED imaging in a SEM are exemplified by structure analyses from representative sample classes such as nanoparticulates and bulk materials.

  10. Transmission environmental scanning electron microscope with scintillation gaseous detection device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Danilatos, Gerasimos; Kollia, Mary; Dracopoulos, Vassileios

    2015-01-01

    A transmission environmental scanning electron microscope with use of a scintillation gaseous detection device has been implemented. This corresponds to a transmission scanning electron microscope but with addition of a gaseous environment acting both as environmental and detection medium. A commercial type of low vacuum machine has been employed together with appropriate modifications to the detection configuration. This involves controlled screening of various emitted signals in conjunction with a scintillation gaseous detection device already provided with the machine for regular surface imaging. Dark field and bright field imaging has been obtained along with other detection conditions. With a progressive series of modifications and tests, the theory and practice of a novel type of microscopy is briefly shown now ushering further significant improvements and developments in electron microscopy as a whole. - Highlights: • Novel scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) with an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) called TESEM. • Use of the gaseous detection device (GDD) in scintillation mode that allows high resolution bright and dark field imaging in the TESEM. • Novel approach towards a unification of both vacuum and environmental conditions in both bulk/surface and transmission mode of electron microscopy

  11. Composition measurement in substitutionally disordered materials by atomic resolution energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in scanning transmission electron microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Z; Taplin, D J; Weyland, M; Allen, L J; Findlay, S D

    2017-05-01

    The increasing use of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy invites the question of whether its success in precision composition determination at lower magnifications can be replicated in the atomic resolution regime. In this paper, we explore, through simulation, the prospects for composition measurement via the model system of Al x Ga 1-x As, discussing the approximations used in the modelling, the variability in the signal due to changes in configuration at constant composition, and the ability to distinguish between different compositions. Results are presented in such a way that the number of X-ray counts, and thus the expected variation due to counting statistics, can be gauged for a range of operating conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Visualising reacting single atoms under controlled conditions: Advances in atomic resolution in situ Environmental (Scanning) Transmission Electron Microscopy (E(S)TEM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyes, Edward D.; Gai, Pratibha L.

    2014-02-01

    Advances in atomic resolution Environmental (Scanning) Transmission Electron Microscopy (E(S)TEM) for probing gas-solid catalyst reactions in situ at the atomic level under controlled reaction conditions of gas environment and temperature are described. The recent development of the ESTEM extends the capability of the ETEM by providing the direct visualisation of single atoms and the atomic structure of selected solid state heterogeneous catalysts in their working states in real-time. Atomic resolution E(S)TEM provides a deeper understanding of the dynamic atomic processes at the surface of solids and their mechanisms of operation. The benefits of atomic resolution-E(S)TEM to science and technology include new knowledge leading to improved technological processes with substantial economic benefits, improved healthcare, reductions in energy needs and the management of environmental waste generation. xml:lang="fr"

  13. Aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy of semiconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krivanek, O L; Dellby, N; Murfitt, M F

    2011-01-01

    The scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) has been able to image individual heavy atoms in a light matrix for some time. It is now able to do much more: it can resolve individual atoms as light as boron in monolayer materials; image atomic columns as light as hydrogen, identify the chemical type of individual isolated atoms from the intensity of their annular dark field (ADF) image and by electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS); and map elemental composition at atomic resolution by EELS and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). It can even map electronic states, also by EELS, at atomic resolution. The instrumentation developments that have made this level of performance possible are reviewed, and examples of applications to semiconductors and oxides are shown.

  14. Three-Dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy of biological specimens

    KAUST Repository

    De Jonge, Niels

    2010-01-18

    A three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the cytoskeleton and a clathrin-coated pit in mammalian cells has been achieved from a focal-series of images recorded in an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). The specimen was a metallic replica of the biological structure comprising Pt nanoparticles 2-3 nm in diameter, with a high stability under electron beam radiation. The 3D dataset was processed by an automated deconvolution procedure. The lateral resolution was 1.1 nm, set by pixel size. Particles differing by only 10 nm in vertical position were identified as separate objects with greater than 20% dip in contrast between them. We refer to this value as the axial resolution of the deconvolution or reconstruction, the ability to recognize two objects, which were unresolved in the original dataset. The resolution of the reconstruction is comparable to that achieved by tilt-series transmission electron microscopy. However, the focal-series method does not require mechanical tilting and is therefore much faster. 3D STEM images were also recorded of the Golgi ribbon in conventional thin sections containing 3T3 cells with a comparable axial resolution in the deconvolved dataset. © 2010 Microscopy Society of America.

  15. In-air scanning transmission ion microscopy of cultured cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ortega, R.; Deves, G.; Moretto, Ph.

    2001-01-01

    Scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) imaging of living cultured cells has been carried out using a proton external-beam with the nuclear microprobe of Bordeaux-Gradignan. STIM could be performed in air atmosphere after passage of a focused proton beam through a 150 nm thick silicon nitride window. Energy loss STIM images were obtained with a spatial resolution in the micrometer range and enabled the identification of sub-cellular ultrastructures

  16. Transmission/Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy | Materials Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    crystallographic structure of a material. Amplitude-contrast images yield information about the chemistry and microstructure of a material and its defects. Phase-contrast imaging or high-resolution (HR) TEM imaging gives information about the microstructure of a material and its defects at an atomic resolution. With scanning

  17. Method and apparatus for a high-resolution three dimensional confocal scanning transmission electron microscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Jonge, Niels [Oak Ridge, TN

    2010-08-17

    A confocal scanning transmission electron microscope which includes an electron illumination device providing an incident electron beam propagating in a direction defining a propagation axis, and a precision specimen scanning stage positioned along the propagation axis and movable in at least one direction transverse to the propagation axis. The precision specimen scanning stage is configured for positioning a specimen relative to the incident electron beam. A projector lens receives a transmitted electron beam transmitted through at least part of the specimen and focuses this transmitted beam onto an image plane, where the transmitted beam results from the specimen being illuminated by the incident electron beam. A detection system is placed approximately in the image plane.

  18. Re-scan confocal microscopy: scanning twice for better resolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Luca, Giulia M R; Breedijk, Ronald M P; Brandt, Rick A J; Zeelenberg, Christiaan H C; de Jong, Babette E; Timmermans, Wendy; Azar, Leila Nahidi; Hoebe, Ron A; Stallinga, Sjoerd; Manders, Erik M M

    2013-01-01

    We present a new super-resolution technique, Re-scan Confocal Microscopy (RCM), based on standard confocal microscopy extended with an optical (re-scanning) unit that projects the image directly on a CCD-camera. This new microscope has improved lateral resolution and strongly improved sensitivity while maintaining the sectioning capability of a standard confocal microscope. This simple technology is typically useful for biological applications where the combination high-resolution and high-sensitivity is required.

  19. Elemental mapping in scanning transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allen, L J; D'Alfonso, A J; Lugg, N R; Findlay, S D; LeBeau, J M; Stemmer, S

    2010-01-01

    We discuss atomic resolution chemical mapping in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) based on core-loss electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and also on energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) imaging. Chemical mapping using EELS can yield counterintuitive results which, however, can be understood using first principles calculations. Experimental chemical maps based on EDX bear out the thesis that such maps are always likely to be directly interpretable. This can be explained in terms of the local nature of the effective optical potential for ionization under those imaging conditions. This is followed by an excursion into the complementary technique of elemental mapping using energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) in a conventional transmission electron microscope. We will then consider the widely used technique of Z-contrast or high-angle annular dark field (HAADF) imaging, which is based on phonon excitation, where it has recently been shown that intensity variations can be placed on an absolute scale by normalizing the measured intensities to the incident beam. Results, showing excellent agreement between theory and experiment to within a few percent, are shown for Z-contrast imaging from a sample of PbWO 4 .

  20. Optical depth sectioning in the aberration-corrected scanning transmission and scanning confocal electron microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Behan, G; Nellist, P D

    2008-01-01

    The use of spherical aberration correctors in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) has the effect of reducing the depth of field of the microscope, making three-dimensional imaging of a specimen possible by optical sectioning. Depth resolution can be improved further by placing aberration correctors and lenses pre and post specimen to achieve an imaging mode known as scanning confocal electron microscopy (SCEM). We present the calculated incoherent point spread functions (PSF) and optical transfer functions (OTF) of a STEM and SCEM. The OTF for a STEM is shown to have a missing cone region which results in severe blurring along the optic axis, which can be especially severe for extended objects. We also present strategies for reconstruction of experimental data, such as three-dimensional deconvolution of the point spread function.

  1. Strain fields around dislocation arrays in a Σ9 silicon bicrystal measured by scanning transmission electron microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Couillard, Martin; Radtke, Guillaume; Botton, Gianluigi A.

    2013-04-01

    Strain fields around grain boundary dislocations are measured by applying geometric phase analysis on atomic resolution images obtained from multiple fast acquisitions in scanning transmission electron microscopy. Maps of lattice distortions in silicon introduced by an array of pure edge dislocations located at a Σ9(122) grain boundary are compared with the predictions from isotropic elastic theory, and the atomic structure of dislocation cores is deduced from images displaying all the atomic columns. For strain measurements, reducing the acquisition time is found to significantly decrease the effects of instabilities on the high-resolution images. Contributions from scanning artefacts are also diminished by summing multiple images following a cross-correlation alignment procedure. Combined with the sub-Ångström resolution obtained with an aberration corrector, and the stable dedicated microscope's environment, therapid acquisition method provides the measurements of atomic displacements with accuracy below 10 pm. Finally, the advantages of combining strain measurements with the collection of various analytical signals in a scanning transmission electron microscope are discussed.

  2. Scanning transmission ion microscopy on Fudan SPM facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Yongqiang; Shen Hao; Zheng Yi; Li Xinyi; Liu Bo; Satoh Takahiro

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, we report a novel measurement system based on the development of Fudan Scanning Proton Microscopy (SPM) facility. By using Si-PIN diode(Hamamatsu S1223-01) detector, scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) measurement system has been set up. It can provide density and structural images with high probing efficiency and non-destruction by utilizing the energy loss of high energy (MeV) and focused ions penetrating through a thin sample. STIM measurement is able to map the density distribution of organic elements which mostly compose biology materials, such information can not be detected by using conventional Be-windowed Si (Li) X-ray detector in Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) technique. The spatial resolution capability of STIM is higher than PIXE technique at same accelerator status. As a result of STIM measurement, Paramecium attached on the top of Kapton tube was measured by STIM. (authors)

  3. Statistical image reconstruction methods for simultaneous emission/transmission PET scans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erdogan, H.; Fessler, J.A.

    1996-01-01

    Transmission scans are necessary for estimating the attenuation correction factors (ACFs) to yield quantitatively accurate PET emission images. To reduce the total scan time, post-injection transmission scans have been proposed in which one can simultaneously acquire emission and transmission data using rod sources and sinogram windowing. However, since the post-injection transmission scans are corrupted by emission coincidences, accurate correction for attenuation becomes more challenging. Conventional methods (emission subtraction) for ACF computation from post-injection scans are suboptimal and require relatively long scan times. We introduce statistical methods based on penalized-likelihood objectives to compute ACFs and then use them to reconstruct lower noise PET emission images from simultaneous transmission/emission scans. Simulations show the efficacy of the proposed methods. These methods improve image quality and SNR of the estimates as compared to conventional methods

  4. Scanning transmission electron microscopy: Albert Crewe's vision and beyond

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krivanek, Ondrej L.; Chisholm, Matthew F.; Murfitt, Matthew F.; Dellby, Niklas

    2012-01-01

    Some four decades were needed to catch up with the vision that Albert Crewe and his group had for the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) in the nineteen sixties and seventies: attaining 0.5 Å resolution, and identifying single atoms spectroscopically. With these goals now attained, STEM developments are turning toward new directions, such as rapid atomic resolution imaging and exploring atomic bonding and electronic properties of samples at atomic resolution. The accomplishments and the future challenges are reviewed and illustrated with practical examples. -- Highlights: ► TV-rate STEM imaging of heavy atoms is demonstrated. ► DNA sequencing by STEM dark field imaging should be possible at a rate of 10 6 bases/s. ► Individual silicon atom impurities in graphene are imaged atom-by-atom. ► Single atoms of nitrogen and boron incorporated in graphene are imaged spectroscopically. ► Bonding of individual atoms can be probed by analyzing the fine structures of their EEL spectra.

  5. Diagnosis of spatial resolution for microbeam scanning PIXE using STIM method and CR-39 track detector in PASTA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamano, T.; Imaseki, H.; Yukawa, M.; Ishikawa, T.; Iso, H.; Matsumoto, K.

    2003-01-01

    In PIXE analysis system and Tandem Accelerator facility (PASTA) of NIRS, we are using Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy (STIM) method and solid track detector to diagnose the spatial resolution of scanning microbeam PIXE analysis system. These methods are widely used by many microbeam facilities. (author)

  6. Quantitative atomic resolution mapping using high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Aert, S.; Verbeeck, J.; Erni, R.; Bals, S.; Luysberg, M.; Dyck, D. Van; Tendeloo, G. Van

    2009-01-01

    A model-based method is proposed to relatively quantify the chemical composition of atomic columns using high angle annular dark field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images. The method is based on a quantification of the total intensity of the scattered electrons for the individual atomic columns using statistical parameter estimation theory. In order to apply this theory, a model is required describing the image contrast of the HAADF STEM images. Therefore, a simple, effective incoherent model has been assumed which takes the probe intensity profile into account. The scattered intensities can then be estimated by fitting this model to an experimental HAADF STEM image. These estimates are used as a performance measure to distinguish between different atomic column types and to identify the nature of unknown columns with good accuracy and precision using statistical hypothesis testing. The reliability of the method is supported by means of simulated HAADF STEM images as well as a combination of experimental images and electron energy-loss spectra. It is experimentally shown that statistically meaningful information on the composition of individual columns can be obtained even if the difference in averaged atomic number Z is only 3. Using this method, quantitative mapping at atomic resolution using HAADF STEM images only has become possible without the need of simultaneously recorded electron energy loss spectra.

  7. Novel low-dose imaging technique for characterizing atomic structures through scanning transmission electron microscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Chia-Ping; Syu, Wei-Jhe; Hsiao, Chien-Nan; Lai, Ping-Shan; Chen, Chien-Chun

    2017-08-01

    To investigate dislocations or heterostructures across interfaces is now of great interest to condensed matter and materials scientists. With the advances in aberration-corrected electron optics, the scanning transmission electron microscope has demonstrated its excellent capability of characterizing atomic structures within nanomaterials, and well-resolved atomic-resolution images can be obtained through long-exposure data acquisition. However, the sample drifting, carbon contamination, and radiation damage hinder further analysis, such as deriving three-dimensional (3D) structures from a series of images. In this study, a method for obtaining atomic-resolution images with significantly reduced exposure time was developed, using which an original high-resolution image with approximately one tenth the electron dose can be obtained by combining a fast-scan high-magnification image and a slow-scan low-magnification image. The feasibility of obtaining 3D atomic structures using the proposed approach was demonstrated through multislice simulation. Finally, the feasibility and accuracy of image restoration were experimentally verified. This general method cannot only apply to electron microscopy but also benefit to image radiation-sensitive materials using various light sources.

  8. Soft x-ray scanning microtomography with submicron resolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McNulty, I.; Haddad, W.S.; Trebes, J.E.; Anderson, E.H.

    1994-01-01

    Scanning soft x-ray microtomography was used to obtain high-resolution three-dimensional images of a microfabricated test object. Using a special rotation stage mounted on the scanning transmission x-ray microscope at the XIA Beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source, we recorded nine two-dimensional projections of the 3D test object over an angular range of -50 degrees to +55 degrees. The x-ray wavelength was 3.6 nm and the radiation dose to the object per projection was approximately 2 x 10 6 Gy. The object consisted of two gold patterns supported on transparent silicon nitride membranes, separated by 4.75 Jim, with 100 to 300-nm wide and 65-nm thick features. We reconstructed a volumetric data set of the test object from the two-dimensional projections using an algebraic reconstruction technique algorithm. Features of the test object were resolved to ∼100 nm in transverse and longitudinal extent in three-dimensional images rendered from the volumetric set

  9. Scanning transmission proton microscopy tomography of reconstruction cells from simulated data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Conghua; Li Min; Hou Qing

    2011-01-01

    For scanning transmission proton microscopy tomography, to compare cell images of the proton stopping power and relative electron density, two cell phantoms are designed and simulated by code FLUKA. The cell images are reconstructed by the filtered back projection algorithm, and compared with their tomography imaging. The images of stopping power and relative electron density slightly vary with proton energies, but the internal images are of clear with high resolution. The organic glass image of relative electron density reveals the resolution power of proton tomography. Also, the simulation results reflect effects of the boundary enhancement, the weak artifacts, and the internal structure border extension by multiple scattering. So using proton tomography to analyze internal structure of a cell is a superior. (authors)

  10. Dysprosium disilicide nanostructures on silicon(001) studied by scanning tunneling microscopy and transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ye Gangfeng; Nogami, Jun; Crimp, Martin A.

    2006-01-01

    The microstructure of self-assembled dysprosium silicide nanostructures on silicon(001) has been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The studies focused on nanostructures that involve multiple atomic layers of the silicide. Cross-sectional high resolution transmission electron microscopy images and fast Fourier transform analysis showed that both hexagonal and orthorhombic/tetragonal silicide phases were present. Both the magnitude and the anisotropy of lattice mismatch between the silicide and the substrate play roles in the morphology and epitaxial growth of the nanostructures formed

  11. Compact design of a transmission electron microscope-scanning tunneling microscope holder with three-dimensional coarse motion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Svensson, K.; Jompol, Y.; Olin, H.; Olsson, E.

    2003-01-01

    A scanning tunneling microscope (STM) with a compact, three-dimensional, inertial slider design is presented. Inertial sliding of the STM tip, in three dimensions, enables coarse motion and scanning using only one piezoelectric tube. Using the same electronics both for scanning and inertial sliding, step lengths of less than 5% of the piezo range were achieved. The compact design, less than 1 cm3 in volume, ensures a low mechanical noise level and enables us to fit the STM into the sample holder of a transmission electron microscope (TEM), while maintaining atomic scale resolution in both STM and TEM imaging

  12. Soft x-ray scanning microtomography with submicrometer resolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McNulty, I.; Haddad, W.S.; Trebes, J.E.; Anderson, E.H.

    1995-01-01

    Scanning soft x-ray microtomography was used to obtain high-resolution three-dimensional images of a microfabricated test object. Using a special rotation stage mounted on the scanning transmission x-ray microscope at the X1A beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source, we recorded nine two-dimensional projections of the 3D test object over an angular range of -50 degree to +55 degree. The x-ray wavelength was 3.6 nm and the radiation dose to the object per projection was approximately 2x10 6 Gy. The object consisted of two gold patterns supported on transparent silicon nitride membranes, separated by 4.75 μm, with 100- to 300-nm-wide and 65-nm-thick features. We reconstructed a volumetric data set of the test object from the two-dimensional projections using an algebraic reconstruction technique algorithm. Features of the test object were resolved to ∼100 nm in transverse and longitudinal extent with low artifact in three-dimensional images rendered from the volumetric set

  13. The Enhancement of 3D Scans Depth Resolution Obtained by Confocal Scanning of Porous Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martisek, Dalibor; Prochazkova, Jana

    2017-12-01

    The 3D reconstruction of simple structured materials using a confocal microscope is widely used in many different areas including civil engineering. Nonetheless, scans of porous materials such as concrete or cement paste are highly problematic. The well-known problem of these scans is low depth resolution in comparison to the horizontal and vertical resolution. The degradation of the image depth resolution is caused by systematic errors and especially by different random events. Our method is focused on the elimination of such random events, mainly the additive noise. We use an averaging method based on the Lindeberg-Lévy theorem that improves the final depth resolution to a level comparable with horizontal and vertical resolution. Moreover, using the least square method, we also precisely determine the limit value of a depth resolution. Therefore, we can continuously evaluate the difference between current resolution and the optimal one. This substantially simplifies the scanning process because the operator can easily determine the required number of scans.

  14. The Enhancement of 3D Scans Depth Resolution Obtained by Confocal Scanning of Porous Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martisek Dalibor

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The 3D reconstruction of simple structured materials using a confocal microscope is widely used in many different areas including civil engineering. Nonetheless, scans of porous materials such as concrete or cement paste are highly problematic. The well-known problem of these scans is low depth resolution in comparison to the horizontal and vertical resolution. The degradation of the image depth resolution is caused by systematic errors and especially by different random events. Our method is focused on the elimination of such random events, mainly the additive noise. We use an averaging method based on the Lindeberg-Lévy theorem that improves the final depth resolution to a level comparable with horizontal and vertical resolution. Moreover, using the least square method, we also precisely determine the limit value of a depth resolution. Therefore, we can continuously evaluate the difference between current resolution and the optimal one. This substantially simplifies the scanning process because the operator can easily determine the required number of scans.

  15. Visualization of bacterial polysaccharides by scanning transmission electron microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolanski, B S; McAleer, W J; Hilleman, M R

    1983-04-01

    Highly purified capsular polysaccharides of Neisseria meningitidis groups A, B, and C have been visualized by high resolution Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM). Spheroidal macromolecules approximately 200 A in diameter are characteristic of the Meningococcus A and C polysaccharides whereas filaments that are 400-600 A in length are found in Meningococcus B polysaccharide preparations. Filaments are occasionally found associated with the spheroidal Meningococcus A and C polysaccharides and it is proposed that these structures are composed of a long (1-4 microns) filament or filaments that are arranged in spheroidal molecules or micelles of high molecular weight. The Meningococcus B polysaccharide, by contrast, is a short flexuous filament or strand of relatively low molecular weight. A relationship between morphology and antigenicity is proposed.

  16. Analysis of self-organized In(Ga)As quantum structures with the scanning transmission electron microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sauerwald, Andres

    2008-01-01

    Aim of this thesis was to apply the analytical methods of the scanning transmission electron microscopy to the study of self-organized In(Ga)As quantum structures. With the imaging methods Z contrast and bright field (position resolutions in the subnanometer range) and especially with the possibilities of the quantitative chemical EELS analysis of the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) fundamental questions concerning morphology and chemical properties of self-organized quantum structures should be answered. By the high position resolution of the STEM among others essentail morphological and structural parameters in the growth behaviour of ''dot in a well'' (DWell) structures and of vertically correlated quantum dots (QDs) could be analyzed. For the optimization of DWell structures samples were studied, the nominal InAs-QD growth position was directedly varied within the embedding InGaAs quantum wells. The STEM offers in connection with the EELS method a large potential for the chemical analysis of quantum structures. Studied was a sample series of self-organized InGaAs/GaAs structures on GaAs substrate, the stress of which was changed by varying the Ga content of the INGaAs material between 2.4 % and 4.3 % [de

  17. Methods for Motion Correction Evaluation Using 18F-FDG Human Brain Scans on a High-Resolution PET Scanner

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Keller, Sune H.; Sibomana, Merence; Olesen, Oline Vinter

    2012-01-01

    Many authors have reported the importance of motion correction (MC) for PET. Patient motion during scanning disturbs kinetic analysis and degrades resolution. In addition, using misaligned transmission for attenuation and scatter correction may produce regional quantification bias in the reconstr......Many authors have reported the importance of motion correction (MC) for PET. Patient motion during scanning disturbs kinetic analysis and degrades resolution. In addition, using misaligned transmission for attenuation and scatter correction may produce regional quantification bias...... in the reconstructed emission images. The purpose of this work was the development of quality control (QC) methods for MC procedures based on external motion tracking (EMT) for human scanning using an optical motion tracking system. Methods: Two scans with minor motion and 5 with major motion (as reported...... (automated image registration) software. The following 3 QC methods were used to evaluate the EMT and AIR MC: a method using the ratio between 2 regions of interest with gray matter voxels (GM) and white matter voxels (WM), called GM/WM; mutual information; and cross correlation. Results: The results...

  18. Development of a scanning transmission x-ray microscope for the beamline P04 at PETRA III DESY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrianov, Konstantin; Ewald, Johannes; Nisius, Thomas; Wilhein, Thomas; Lühl, Lars; Malzer, Wolfgang; Kanngießer, Birgit

    2016-01-01

    We present a scanning transmission x-ray microscope (STXM) built on top of our existing modular platform for high resolution imaging experiments. This platform consists of up to three separate vacuum chambers and custom designed piezo stages. These piezo stages are able to move precisely in x-, y- and z-direction, this makes it possible to adjust the components for different imaging modes. During recent experiments the endstation was operated mainly as a transmission x-ray microscope (TXM) [1, 2

  19. Scanning SQUID susceptometers with sub-micron spatial resolution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kirtley, John R., E-mail: jkirtley@stanford.edu; Rosenberg, Aaron J.; Palmstrom, Johanna C.; Holland, Connor M.; Moler, Kathryn A. [Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-4045 (United States); Paulius, Lisa [Department of Physics, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5252 (United States); Spanton, Eric M. [Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-4045 (United States); Schiessl, Daniel [Attocube Systems AG, Königinstraße 11A, 80539 Munich (Germany); Jermain, Colin L.; Gibbons, Jonathan [Department of Physics, Cornell University, Cornell, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States); Fung, Y.-K.K.; Gibson, Gerald W. [IBM Research Division, T. J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598 (United States); Huber, Martin E. [Department of Physics, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado 80217-3364 (United States); Ralph, Daniel C. [Department of Physics, Cornell University, Cornell, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States); Kavli Institute at Cornell, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States); Ketchen, Mark B. [OcteVue, Hadley, Massachusetts 01035 (United States)

    2016-09-15

    Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) microscopy has excellent magnetic field sensitivity, but suffers from modest spatial resolution when compared with other scanning probes. This spatial resolution is determined by both the size of the field sensitive area and the spacing between this area and the sample surface. In this paper we describe scanning SQUID susceptometers that achieve sub-micron spatial resolution while retaining a white noise floor flux sensitivity of ≈2μΦ{sub 0}/Hz{sup 1/2}. This high spatial resolution is accomplished by deep sub-micron feature sizes, well shielded pickup loops fabricated using a planarized process, and a deep etch step that minimizes the spacing between the sample surface and the SQUID pickup loop. We describe the design, modeling, fabrication, and testing of these sensors. Although sub-micron spatial resolution has been achieved previously in scanning SQUID sensors, our sensors not only achieve high spatial resolution but also have integrated modulation coils for flux feedback, integrated field coils for susceptibility measurements, and batch processing. They are therefore a generally applicable tool for imaging sample magnetization, currents, and susceptibilities with higher spatial resolution than previous susceptometers.

  20. Scanning SQUID susceptometers with sub-micron spatial resolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirtley, John R.; Rosenberg, Aaron J.; Palmstrom, Johanna C.; Holland, Connor M.; Moler, Kathryn A.; Paulius, Lisa; Spanton, Eric M.; Schiessl, Daniel; Jermain, Colin L.; Gibbons, Jonathan; Fung, Y.-K.K.; Gibson, Gerald W.; Huber, Martin E.; Ralph, Daniel C.; Ketchen, Mark B.

    2016-01-01

    Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) microscopy has excellent magnetic field sensitivity, but suffers from modest spatial resolution when compared with other scanning probes. This spatial resolution is determined by both the size of the field sensitive area and the spacing between this area and the sample surface. In this paper we describe scanning SQUID susceptometers that achieve sub-micron spatial resolution while retaining a white noise floor flux sensitivity of ≈2μΦ_0/Hz"1"/"2. This high spatial resolution is accomplished by deep sub-micron feature sizes, well shielded pickup loops fabricated using a planarized process, and a deep etch step that minimizes the spacing between the sample surface and the SQUID pickup loop. We describe the design, modeling, fabrication, and testing of these sensors. Although sub-micron spatial resolution has been achieved previously in scanning SQUID sensors, our sensors not only achieve high spatial resolution but also have integrated modulation coils for flux feedback, integrated field coils for susceptibility measurements, and batch processing. They are therefore a generally applicable tool for imaging sample magnetization, currents, and susceptibilities with higher spatial resolution than previous susceptometers.

  1. Nanochannel alignment analysis by scanning transmission ion microscopy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rajta, I.; Gál, G.A.B.; Szilasi, S.Z.

    2010-01-01

    In this paper a study on the ion transmission ratio of a nanoporous alumina sample is presented. The sample was investigated by scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) with different beam sizes. The hexagonally close-packed AlO nanocapillary array, realized as a suspended membrane of 15 νm...

  2. Preparation and Loading Process of Single Crystalline Samples into a Gas Environmental Cell Holder for In Situ Atomic Resolution Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopic Observation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Straubinger, Rainer; Beyer, Andreas; Volz, Kerstin

    2016-06-01

    A reproducible way to transfer a single crystalline sample into a gas environmental cell holder for in situ transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis is shown in this study. As in situ holders have only single-tilt capability, it is necessary to prepare the sample precisely along a specific zone axis. This can be achieved by a very accurate focused ion beam lift-out preparation. We show a step-by-step procedure to prepare the sample and transfer it into the gas environmental cell. The sample material is a GaP/Ga(NAsP)/GaP multi-quantum well structure on Si. Scanning TEM observations prove that it is possible to achieve atomic resolution at very high temperatures in a nitrogen environment of 100,000 Pa.

  3. Observations of localised dielectric excitations, secondary events and ionisation damage by scanning transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Howie, A.

    1988-01-01

    In the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) a high intensity /approximately/0.5nm diameter, probe of 100 keV electrons is formed. This can be positioned to collect energy loss spectra from surfaces, interfaces, small spheres or other particles at controlled values of impact parameter or can be scanned across the object (usually a thin film) to produce high resolution images formed from a variety of signals - small angle or large angle (Z contrast) elastic scattering, inelastic scattering (both valence and core losses), secondary electron emission and x-ray or optical photon emission. The high spatial resolution achievable in a variety of simple structures raises many unsolved theoretical problems concerning the generation, propagation and decay of excitations in inhomogeneous media. These range from quite well posed problems in the mathematical physics of dielectric excitation to problems of plasmon propagation and rather more exotic and less well understood problems of radiation damage. 15 refs., 4 figs

  4. High-resolution whole-brain diffusion MRI at 7T using radiofrequency parallel transmission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Xiaoping; Auerbach, Edward J; Vu, An T; Moeller, Steen; Lenglet, Christophe; Schmitter, Sebastian; Van de Moortele, Pierre-François; Yacoub, Essa; Uğurbil, Kâmil

    2018-03-30

    Investigating the utility of RF parallel transmission (pTx) for Human Connectome Project (HCP)-style whole-brain diffusion MRI (dMRI) data at 7 Tesla (7T). Healthy subjects were scanned in pTx and single-transmit (1Tx) modes. Multiband (MB), single-spoke pTx pulses were designed to image sagittal slices. HCP-style dMRI data (i.e., 1.05-mm resolutions, MB2, b-values = 1000/2000 s/mm 2 , 286 images and 40-min scan) and data with higher accelerations (MB3 and MB4) were acquired with pTx. pTx significantly improved flip-angle detected signal uniformity across the brain, yielding ∼19% increase in temporal SNR (tSNR) averaged over the brain relative to 1Tx. This allowed significantly enhanced estimation of multiple fiber orientations (with ∼21% decrease in dispersion) in HCP-style 7T dMRI datasets. Additionally, pTx pulses achieved substantially lower power deposition, permitting higher accelerations, enabling collection of the same data in 2/3 and 1/2 the scan time or of more data in the same scan time. pTx provides a solution to two major limitations for slice-accelerated high-resolution whole-brain dMRI at 7T; it improves flip-angle uniformity, and enables higher slice acceleration relative to current state-of-the-art. As such, pTx provides significant advantages for rapid acquisition of high-quality, high-resolution truly whole-brain dMRI data. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  5. Confocal soft X-ray scanning transmission microscopy: setup, alignment procedure and limitations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Späth, Andreas; Raabe, Jörg; Fink, Rainer H.

    2015-01-01

    A conventional STXM setup has been upgraded with a second micro zone plate and aligned to confocal geometry. Two confocal geometries (in-line and off-axis) have been evaluated and a discussion on prospects and limitations is presented. Zone-plate-based scanning transmission soft X-ray microspectroscopy (STXM) is a well established technique for high-contrast imaging of sufficiently transparent specimens (e.g. ultrathin biological tissues, polymer materials, archaeometric specimens or magnetic thin films) with spatial resolutions in the regime of 20 nm and high spectroscopic or chemical sensitivity. However, due to the relatively large depth of focus of zone plates, the resolution of STXM along the optical axis so far stays unambiguously behind for thicker X-ray transparent specimens. This challenge can be addressed by the implementation of a second zone plate in the detection pathway of the beam, resulting in a confocal arrangement. Within this paper a first proof-of-principle study for a confocal STXM (cSTXM) and an elaborate alignment procedure in transmission and fluorescence geometry are presented. Based on first confocal soft X-ray micrographs of well known specimens, the advantage and limitation of cSTXM as well as further development potentials for future applications are discussed

  6. Confocal soft X-ray scanning transmission microscopy: setup, alignment procedure and limitations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Späth, Andreas [Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Egerlandstraße 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Raabe, Jörg [Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen (Switzerland); Fink, Rainer H., E-mail: rainer.fink@fau.de [Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Egerlandstraße 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Egerlandstraße 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany)

    2015-01-01

    A conventional STXM setup has been upgraded with a second micro zone plate and aligned to confocal geometry. Two confocal geometries (in-line and off-axis) have been evaluated and a discussion on prospects and limitations is presented. Zone-plate-based scanning transmission soft X-ray microspectroscopy (STXM) is a well established technique for high-contrast imaging of sufficiently transparent specimens (e.g. ultrathin biological tissues, polymer materials, archaeometric specimens or magnetic thin films) with spatial resolutions in the regime of 20 nm and high spectroscopic or chemical sensitivity. However, due to the relatively large depth of focus of zone plates, the resolution of STXM along the optical axis so far stays unambiguously behind for thicker X-ray transparent specimens. This challenge can be addressed by the implementation of a second zone plate in the detection pathway of the beam, resulting in a confocal arrangement. Within this paper a first proof-of-principle study for a confocal STXM (cSTXM) and an elaborate alignment procedure in transmission and fluorescence geometry are presented. Based on first confocal soft X-ray micrographs of well known specimens, the advantage and limitation of cSTXM as well as further development potentials for future applications are discussed.

  7. Design and performance of a compact scanning transmission X-ray microscope at the Photon Factory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Takeichi, Y., E-mail: yasuo.takeichi@kek.jp; Mase, K.; Ono, K. [Institute of Materials Structure Science, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba 305-0801 (Japan); Department of Materials Structure Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba 305-0801 (Japan); Inami, N. [Institute of Materials Structure Science, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba 305-0801 (Japan); Suga, H. [Department of Earth and Planetary Systems Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526 (Japan); Miyamoto, C. [Department of Earth and Planetary Systems Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku 113-0033 (Japan); Ueno, T. [National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047 (Japan); Takahashi, Y. [Institute of Materials Structure Science, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba 305-0801 (Japan); Department of Earth and Planetary Systems Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526 (Japan); Department of Earth and Planetary Systems Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku 113-0033 (Japan)

    2016-01-15

    We present a new compact instrument designed for scanning transmission X-ray microscopy. It has piezo-driven linear stages, making it small and light. Optical components from the virtual source point to the detector are located on a single optical table, resulting in a portable instrument that can be operated at a general-purpose spectroscopy beamline without requiring any major reconstruction. Careful consideration has been given to solving the vibration problem common to high-resolution microscopy, so as not to affect the spatial resolution determined by the Fresnel zone plate. Results on bacteriogenic iron oxides, single particle aerosols, and rare-earth permanent magnets are presented as examples of its performance under diverse applications.

  8. Development of the Atomic-Resolution Environmental Transmission Electron Microscope

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gai, Pratibha L.; Boyes, Edward D.; Yoshida, Kenta

    2016-01-01

    The development of the novel atomic-resolution environmental transmission electron microscope (atomic-resolution ETEM) for directly probing dynamic gas–solid reactions in situ at the atomic level under controlled reaction conditions consisting of gas environment and elevated temperatures is descr......The development of the novel atomic-resolution environmental transmission electron microscope (atomic-resolution ETEM) for directly probing dynamic gas–solid reactions in situ at the atomic level under controlled reaction conditions consisting of gas environment and elevated temperatures...... is used to study steels, graphene, nanowires, etc. In this chapter, the experimental setup of the microscope column and its peripherals are described....

  9. Characterizing deformed ultrafine-grained and nanocrystalline materials using transmission Kikuchi diffraction in a scanning electron microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trimby, Patrick W.; Cao, Yang; Chen, Zibin; Han, Shuang; Hemker, Kevin J.; Lian, Jianshe; Liao, Xiaozhou; Rottmann, Paul; Samudrala, Saritha; Sun, Jingli; Wang, Jing Tao; Wheeler, John; Cairney, Julie M.

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: -- Abstract: The recent development of transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) in a scanning electron microscope enables fast, automated orientation mapping of electron transparent samples using standard electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) hardware. TKD in a scanning electron microscope has significantly better spatial resolution than conventional EBSD, enabling routine characterization of nanocrystalline materials and allowing effective measurement of samples that have undergone severe plastic deformation. Combining TKD with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) provides complementary chemical information, while a standard forescatter detector system below the EBSD detector can be used to generate dark field and oriented dark field images. Here we illustrate the application of this exciting new approach to a range of deformed, ultrafine grained and nanocrystalline samples, including duplex stainless steel, nanocrystalline copper and highly deformed titanium and nickel–cobalt. The results show that TKD combined with EDS is a highly effective and widely accessible tool for measuring key microstructural parameters at resolutions that are inaccessible using conventional EBSD

  10. Large area strain analysis using scanning transmission electron microscopy across multiple images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oni, A. A.; Sang, X.; LeBeau, J. M.; Raju, S. V.; Saxena, S.; Dumpala, S.; Broderick, S.; Rajan, K.; Kumar, A.; Sinnott, S.

    2015-01-01

    Here, we apply revolving scanning transmission electron microscopy to measure lattice strain across a sample using a single reference area. To do so, we remove image distortion introduced by sample drift, which usually restricts strain analysis to a single image. Overcoming this challenge, we show that it is possible to use strain reference areas elsewhere in the sample, thereby enabling reliable strain mapping across large areas. As a prototypical example, we determine the strain present within the microstructure of a Ni-based superalloy directly from atom column positions as well as geometric phase analysis. While maintaining atomic resolution, we quantify strain within nanoscale regions and demonstrate that large, unit-cell level strain fluctuations are present within the intermetallic phase

  11. Microsphere-based super-resolution scanning optical microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huszka, Gergely; Yang, Hui; Gijs, Martin A M

    2017-06-26

    High-refractive index dielectric microspheres positioned within the field of view of a microscope objective in a dielectric medium can focus the light into a so-called photonic nanojet. A sample placed in such nanojet can be imaged by the objective with super-resolution, i.e. with a resolution beyond the classical diffraction limit. However, when imaging nanostructures on a substrate, the propagation distance of a light wave in the dielectric medium in between the substrate and the microsphere must be small enough to reveal the sample's nanometric features. Therefore, only the central part of an image obtained through a microsphere shows super-resolution details, which are typically ∼100 nm using white light (peak at λ = 600 nm). We have performed finite element simulations of the role of this critical distance in the super-resolution effect. Super-resolution imaging of a sample placed beneath the microsphere is only possible within a very restricted central area of ∼10 μm 2 , where the separation distance between the substrate and the microsphere surface is very small (∼1 μm). To generate super-resolution images over larger areas of the sample, we have fixed a microsphere on a frame attached to the microscope objective, which is automatically scanned over the sample in a step-by-step fashion. This generates a set of image tiles, which are subsequently stitched into a single super-resolution image (with resolution of λ/4-λ/5) of a sample area of up to ∼10 4 μm 2 . Scanning a standard optical microscope objective with microsphere therefore enables super-resolution microscopy over the complete field-of-view of the objective.

  12. Theoretical and experimental study of image formation in scanning transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prunier epouse Mory, Claudie

    1985-01-01

    This thesis contains a theoretical and experimental study of image formation in a dedicated scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). Using a detailed description of the different optical elements between the field emission source and the specimen, one calculates the shape and size of the primary probe of electrons impinging on the sample. This modelization enables to estimate the spatial resolution in the different imaging or microanalytical modes. The influence of the specimen and the role of the various detectors are taken into account to calculate the point spread function of the instrument in STEM imaging modes. An experimental study of the characteristic properties of phase contrast bright field micrographs and incoherent dark field ones is performed by comparison of digitally recorded images in similar conditions. Spatial resolution, contrast and signal/noise ratio are assessed by correlation methods, Fourier analysis and statistical considerations; one can deduce the optimum focusing conditions. Limits such as the point resolution on quasi-atomic metallic clusters are determined and an analysis of the capabilities of signal mixing concludes this work. Applications are offered in various domains such as the visualisation of small metallic particles, biomolecules and unstained biological sections. (author) [fr

  13. Nanoscale Energy-Filtered Scanning Confocal Electron Microscopy Using a Double-Aberration-Corrected Transmission Electron Microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Peng; Behan, Gavin; Kirkland, Angus I.; Nellist, Peter D.; Takeguchi, Masaki; Hashimoto, Ayako; Mitsuishi, Kazutaka; Shimojo, Masayuki

    2010-01-01

    We demonstrate that a transmission electron microscope fitted with two spherical-aberration correctors can be operated as an energy-filtered scanning confocal electron microscope. A method for establishing this mode is described and initial results showing 3D chemical mapping with nanoscale sensitivity to height and thickness changes in a carbon film are presented. Importantly, uncorrected chromatic aberration does not limit the depth resolution of this technique and moreover performs an energy-filtering role, which is explained in terms of a combined depth and energy-loss response function.

  14. MRI isotropic resolution reconstruction from two orthogonal scans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamez-Pena, Jose G.; Totterman, Saara; Parker, Kevin J.

    2001-07-01

    An algorithm for the reconstructions of ISO-resolution volumetric MR data sets from two standard orthogonal MR scans having anisotropic resolution has been developed. The reconstruction algorithm starts by registering a pair of orthogonal volumetric MR data sets. The registration is done by maximizing the correlation between the gradient magnitude using a simple translation-rotation model in a multi-resolution approach. Then algorithm assumes that the individual voxels on the MR data are an average of the magnetic resonance properties of an elongated imaging volume. Then, the process is modeled as the projection of MR properties into a single sensor. This model allows the derivation of a set of linear equations that can be used to recover the MR properties of every single voxel in the SO-resolution volume given only two orthogonal MR scans. Projections on convex sets (POCS) was used to solve the set of linear equations. Experimental results show the advantage of having a ISO-resolution reconstructions for the visualization and analysis of small and thin muscular structures.

  15. A scanning tunneling microscope with a scanning range from hundreds of micrometers down to nanometer resolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalkan, Fatih; Zaum, Christopher; Morgenstern, Karina

    2012-10-01

    A beetle type stage and a flexure scanning stage are combined to form a two stages scanning tunneling microscope (STM). It operates at room temperature in ultrahigh vacuum and is capable of scanning areas up to 300 μm × 450 μm down to resolution on the nanometer scale. This multi-scale STM has been designed and constructed in order to investigate prestructured metallic or semiconducting micro- and nano-structures in real space from atomic-sized structures up to the large-scale environment. The principle of the instrument is demonstrated on two different systems. Gallium nitride based micropillars demonstrate scan areas up to hundreds of micrometers; a Au(111) surface demonstrates nanometer resolution.

  16. Angularly-selective transmission imaging in a scanning electron microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holm, Jason; Keller, Robert R

    2016-08-01

    This work presents recent advances in transmission scanning electron microscopy (t-SEM) imaging control capabilities. A modular aperture system and a cantilever-style sample holder that enable comprehensive angular selectivity of forward-scattered electrons are described. When combined with a commercially available solid-state transmission detector having only basic bright-field and dark-field imaging capabilities, the advances described here enable numerous transmission imaging modes. Several examples are provided that demonstrate how contrast arising from diffraction to mass-thickness can be obtained. Unanticipated image contrast at some imaging conditions is also observed and addressed. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  17. Quantitative transmission electron microscopy at atomic resolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allen, L J; D'Alfonso, A J; Forbes, B D; Findlay, S D; LeBeau, J M; Stemmer, S

    2012-01-01

    In scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) it is possible to operate the microscope in bright-field mode under conditions which, by the quantum mechanical principle of reciprocity, are equivalent to those in conventional transmission electron microscopy (CTEM). The results of such an experiment will be presented which are in excellent quantitative agreement with theory for specimens up to 25 nm thick. This is at variance with the large contrast mismatch (typically between two and five) noted in equivalent CTEM experiments. The implications of this will be discussed.

  18. Low resolution scans can provide a sufficiently accurate, cost- and time-effective alternative to high resolution scans for 3D shape analyses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ariel E. Marcy

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Background Advances in 3D shape capture technology have made powerful shape analyses, such as geometric morphometrics, more feasible. While the highly accurate micro-computed tomography (µCT scanners have been the “gold standard,” recent improvements in 3D surface scanners may make this technology a faster, portable, and cost-effective alternative. Several studies have already compared the two devices but all use relatively large specimens such as human crania. Here we perform shape analyses on Australia’s smallest rodent to test whether a 3D scanner produces similar results to a µCT scanner. Methods We captured 19 delicate mouse (Pseudomys delicatulus crania with a µCT scanner and a 3D scanner for geometric morphometrics. We ran multiple Procrustes ANOVAs to test how variation due to scan device compared to other sources such as biologically relevant variation and operator error. We quantified operator error as levels of variation and repeatability. Further, we tested if the two devices performed differently at classifying individuals based on sexual dimorphism. Finally, we inspected scatterplots of principal component analysis (PCA scores for non-random patterns. Results In all Procrustes ANOVAs, regardless of factors included, differences between individuals contributed the most to total variation. The PCA plots reflect this in how the individuals are dispersed. Including only the symmetric component of shape increased the biological signal relative to variation due to device and due to error. 3D scans showed a higher level of operator error as evidenced by a greater spread of their replicates on the PCA, a higher level of multivariate variation, and a lower repeatability score. However, the 3D scan and µCT scan datasets performed identically in classifying individuals based on intra-specific patterns of sexual dimorphism. Discussion Compared to µCT scans, we find that even low resolution 3D scans of very small specimens are

  19. Three-Dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy of biological specimens

    KAUST Repository

    De Jonge, Niels; Sougrat, Rachid; Northan, Brian M.; Pennycook, Stephen J.

    2010-01-01

    A three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the cytoskeleton and a clathrin-coated pit in mammalian cells has been achieved from a focal-series of images recorded in an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM

  20. Defect imaging and channeling studies using channeling scanning transmission ion microscopy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    King, PJC; Breese, MBH; Smulders, PJM; Wilshaw, PR; Grime, GW

    The technique of channeling scanning transmission ion microscopy (CSTIM) can be used to produce images of individual crystal defects (such as dislocations and stacking faults) using the scanned, focused ion beam from a nuclear microprobe. As well as offering a new method for studies of crystal

  1. Understanding the structure of nanocatalysts with high resolution scanning/transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Francis, L D; Rivas, J; José-Yacamán, M

    2014-01-01

    Nanomaterials including nanoparticles, nanowires and nanotubes play an important role in heterogeneous catalysis. Thanks to the rapid improvement of the electron microscopic techniques and with the advent of aberration corrected electron microscopy as well as theoretical methodologies, the potential effects induced by nanocatalysts are better understood than before by unravelling their atomic structure. A brief introduction to advanced electron microscopic techniques namely aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (Cs-STEM) is presented and subsequently two examples of nanocatalysts are considered in the present review. The first example will focus on the study of bimetallic/core-shell nanoalloys. In heterogeneous catalysis, catalysts containing two or more metals might show significantly different catalytic properties compared to the parent metals and thus are widely utilized in several catalytic reactions. Atom-by-atom insights of the nanoalloy based catalysts ex: Au-Pd will be described in the present review using a combination of advanced electron microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. A related example on the understanding of bimetallic clusters by HAADF-STEM will also be presented in addition to nanoparticles. In the second case understanding the structure of transition metal chalcogenide based nanocatalysts by HRTEM and aberration corrected STEM, for the case of MoS 2 will be discussed. MoS 2 -based catalysts serve as model catalysts and are employed in the hydrodesulphurisations (HDS) reactions in the removal of sulphur from gasoline and related petrochemical products. They have been studied in various forms including nanowires, nanotubes and nanoplates. Their structure, atomic insights and as a consequence elucidation of their corresponding catalytic activity are thus important

  2. Super-resolution for scanning light stimulation systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bitzer, L. A.; Neumann, K.; Benson, N., E-mail: niels.benson@uni-due.de; Schmechel, R. [Faculty of Engineering, NST and CENIDE, University of Duisburg-Essen, Bismarckstr. 81, 47057 Duisburg (Germany)

    2016-09-15

    Super-resolution (SR) is a technique used in digital image processing to overcome the resolution limitation of imaging systems. In this process, a single high resolution image is reconstructed from multiple low resolution images. SR is commonly used for CCD and CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) sensor images, as well as for medical applications, e.g., magnetic resonance imaging. Here, we demonstrate that super-resolution can be applied with scanning light stimulation (LS) systems, which are common to obtain space-resolved electro-optical parameters of a sample. For our purposes, the Projection Onto Convex Sets (POCS) was chosen and modified to suit the needs of LS systems. To demonstrate the SR adaption, an Optical Beam Induced Current (OBIC) LS system was used. The POCS algorithm was optimized by means of OBIC short circuit current measurements on a multicrystalline solar cell, resulting in a mean square error reduction of up to 61% and improved image quality.

  3. Atomic-scale Ge diffusion in strained Si revealed by quantitative scanning transmission electron microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radtke, G.; Favre, L.; Couillard, M.; Amiard, G.; Berbezier, I.; Botton, G. A.

    2013-05-01

    Aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy is employed to investigate the local chemistry in the vicinity of a Si0.8Ge0.2/Si interface grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. Atomic-resolution high-angle annular dark field contrast reveals the presence of a nonuniform diffusion of Ge from the substrate into the strained Si thin film. On the basis of multislice calculations, a model is proposed to quantify the experimental contrast, showing that the Ge concentration in the thin film reaches about 4% at the interface and decreases monotonically on a typical length scale of 10 nm. Diffusion occurring during the growth process itself therefore appears as a major factor limiting the abruptness of interfaces in the Si-Ge system.

  4. Transmission environmental scanning electron microscope with scintillation gaseous detection device.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danilatos, Gerasimos; Kollia, Mary; Dracopoulos, Vassileios

    2015-03-01

    A transmission environmental scanning electron microscope with use of a scintillation gaseous detection device has been implemented. This corresponds to a transmission scanning electron microscope but with addition of a gaseous environment acting both as environmental and detection medium. A commercial type of low vacuum machine has been employed together with appropriate modifications to the detection configuration. This involves controlled screening of various emitted signals in conjunction with a scintillation gaseous detection device already provided with the machine for regular surface imaging. Dark field and bright field imaging has been obtained along with other detection conditions. With a progressive series of modifications and tests, the theory and practice of a novel type of microscopy is briefly shown now ushering further significant improvements and developments in electron microscopy as a whole. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Ultrafast terahertz scanning tunneling microscopy with atomic resolution

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jelic, Vedran; Iwaszczuk, Krzysztof; Nguyen, Peter H.

    2016-01-01

    We demonstrate that ultrafast terahertz scanning tunneling microscopy (THz-STM) can probe single atoms on a silicon surface with simultaneous sub-nanometer and sub-picosecond spatio-temporal resolution. THz-STM is established as a new technique for exploring high-field non-equilibrium tunneling...

  6. Common Bias Readout for TES Array on Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamamoto, R.; Sakai, K.; Maehisa, K.; Nagayoshi, K.; Hayashi, T.; Muramatsu, H.; Nakashima, Y.; Mitsuda, K.; Yamasaki, N. Y.; Takei, Y.; Hidaka, M.; Nagasawa, S.; Maehata, K.; Hara, T.

    2016-07-01

    A transition edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter array as an X-ray sensor for a scanning transmission electron microscope system is being developed. The technical challenge of this system is a high count rate of ˜ 5000 counts/second/array. We adopted a 64 pixel array with a parallel readout. Common SQUID bias, and common TES bias are planned to reduce the number of wires and the resources of a room temperature circuit. The reduction rate of wires is 44 % when a 64 pixel array is read out by a common bias of 8 channels. The possible degradation of the energy resolution has been investigated by simulations and experiments. The bias fluctuation effects of a series connection are less than those of a parallel connection. Simple calculations expect that the fluctuations of the common SQUID bias and common TES bias in a series connection are 10^{-7} and 10^{-3}, respectively. We constructed 8 SQUIDs which are connected to 8 TES outputs and a room temperature circuit for common bias readout and evaluated experimentally. Our simulation of crosstalk indicates that at an X-ray event rate of 500 cps/pixel, crosstalk will broaden a monochromatic line by about 0.01 %, or about 1.5 eV at 15 keV. Thus, our design goal of 10 eV energy resolution across the 0.5-15 keV band should be achievable.

  7. The effect, identification and correction of misalignment between PET transmission and emission scans on brain PET imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Xiangsong; He Zuoxiang; Tang Anwu; Qiao Suixian

    2004-01-01

    Objectives: To study the effect of misalignment between PET transmission and emission scans of brain on brain PET imaging, and the Methods to identify and correct it. Methods: 18F-FDG PET imaging was performed on 8 volunteers. The emission images were reconstructed with attenuation correction after some translations and rotations in the x-axis and transverse plane were given, 1 mm and 1 degree each step, respectively. The 3-D volume fusion of PET emission and transmission scans was used to identify the suspected misalignment on 10 18F-FDG PET brain imaging. Three Methods were used to correct the misalignment. First, to quantitate the amount of the misalignment by 3-D volume registration of PET emission and transmission scans, the emission images were reconstructed with corrected translations and rotations in x-direction and transverse plane. Second, the emission images were reconstructed with mathematic calculation of brain attenuation. Third, 18F-FDG PET brain imaging was redone with careful application of laser alignment. Results: The translations greater than 3 mm in x-direction and the rotations greater than 8 degrees in transverse plane could lead to visible artifacts, which were presented with decreasing radioactivity uptake in the cortex of half cerebrum and in the frontal cortex at the side in the translating or rotating direction, respectively. The 3-D volume fusion of PET emission and transmission scans could identify and quantitate the amount of misalignment between PET emission and transmission scans of brain. The PET emission images reconstructed with corrected misalignment and mathematic calculation of brain attenuation were consistent with redone PET brain imaging. Conclusions: The misalignment between PET transmission and emission scans of brain can lead to visible artifacts. The 3-D volume fusion of PET emission and transmission scans can identify and quantitate the amount of the misalignment. The visible artifacts caused by the misalignment can be

  8. Hi-Res scan mode in clinical MDCT systems: Experimental assessment of spatial resolution performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruz-Bastida, Juan P; Gomez-Cardona, Daniel; Li, Ke; Sun, Heyi; Hsieh, Jiang; Szczykutowicz, Timothy P; Chen, Guang-Hong

    2016-05-01

    The introduction of a High-Resolution (Hi-Res) scan mode and another associated option that combines Hi-Res mode with the so-called High Definition (HD) reconstruction kernels (referred to as a Hi-Res/HD mode in this paper) in some multi-detector CT (MDCT) systems offers new opportunities to increase spatial resolution for some clinical applications that demand high spatial resolution. The purpose of this work was to quantify the in-plane spatial resolution along both the radial direction and tangential direction for the Hi-Res and Hi-Res/HD scan modes at different off-center positions. A technique was introduced and validated to address the signal saturation problem encountered in the attempt to quantify spatial resolution for the Hi-Res and Hi-Res/HD scan modes. Using the proposed method, the modulation transfer functions (MTFs) of a 64-slice MDCT system (Discovery CT750 HD, GE Healthcare) equipped with both Hi-Res and Hi-Res/HD modes were measured using a metal bead at nine different off-centered positions (0-16 cm with a step size of 2 cm); at each position, both conventional scans and Hi-Res scans were performed. For each type of scan and position, 80 repeated acquisitions were performed to reduce noise induced uncertainties in the MTF measurements. A total of 15 reconstruction kernels, including eight conventional kernels and seven HD kernels, were used to reconstruct CT images of the bead. An ex vivo animal study consisting of a bone fracture model was performed to corroborate the MTF results, as the detection of this high-contrast and high frequency task is predominantly determined by spatial resolution. Images of this animal model generated by different scan modes and reconstruction kernels were qualitatively compared with the MTF results. At the centered position, the use of Hi-Res mode resulted in a slight improvement in the MTF; each HD kernel generated higher spatial resolution than its counterpart conventional kernel. However, the MTF along the

  9. High-resolution photoluminescence electro-modulation microscopy by scanning lock-in

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koopman, W.; Muccini, M.; Toffanin, S.

    2018-04-01

    Morphological inhomogeneities and structural defects in organic semiconductors crucially determine the charge accumulation and lateral transport in organic thin-film transistors. Photoluminescence Electro-Modulation (PLEM) microscopy is a laser-scanning microscopy technique that relies on the modulation of the thin-film fluorescence in the presence of charge-carriers to image the spatial distribution of charges within the active organic semiconductor. Here, we present a lock-in scheme based on a scanning beam approach for increasing the PLEM microscopy resolution and contrast. The charge density in the device is modulated by a sinusoidal electrical signal, phase-locked to the scanning beam of the excitation laser. The lock-in detection scheme is achieved by acquiring a series of images with different phases between the beam scan and the electrical modulation. Application of high resolution PLEM to an organic transistor in accumulation mode demonstrates its potential to image local variations in the charge accumulation. A diffraction-limited precision of sub-300 nm and a signal to noise ratio of 21.4 dB could be achieved.

  10. Amyloid Structure and Assembly: Insights from Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goldsbury, C.; Wall, J.; Baxa, U.; Simon, M. N.; Steven, A. C.; Engel, A.; Aebi, U.; Muller, S. A.

    2011-01-01

    Amyloid fibrils are filamentous protein aggregates implicated in several common diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and type II diabetes. Similar structures are also the molecular principle of the infectious spongiform encephalopathies such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, scrapie in sheep, and of the so-called yeast prions, inherited non-chromosomal elements found in yeast and fungi. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is often used to delineate the assembly mechanism and structural properties of amyloid aggregates. In this review we consider specifically contributions and limitations of STEM for the investigation of amyloid assembly pathways, fibril polymorphisms and structural models of amyloid fibrils. This type of microscopy provides the only method to directly measure the mass-per-length (MPL) of individual filaments. Made on both in vitro assembled and ex vivo samples, STEM mass measurements have illuminated the hierarchical relationships between amyloid fibrils and revealed that polymorphic fibrils and various globular oligomers can assemble simultaneously from a single polypeptide. The MPLs also impose strong constraints on possible packing schemes, assisting in molecular model building when combined with high-resolution methods like solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR).

  11. Simultaneous emission and transmission scanning in positron emission tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Satoh, Tomohiko; Tanaka, Kazumi; Kitamura, Keishi; Amano, Masaharu; Miura, Shuichi

    2001-01-01

    Examination by PET (positron emission tomography) scanning, following the dosage of 2-deoxy- 18 F fluoro-D-glucose (FDG), is positively utilized for the diagnosis of cancers, rather than for the purpose of studies. This is because the examination by FDG-PET (PET scanning following the dosage of FDG) ensures higher efficiency in discrimination of cancers, than conventional CT and PET. The method of whole body scanning by PET scanning following the dosage of FDG is effectively utilized not only for discrimination cancers, but also for determining the degree of malignancy of tumors and evaluating the methods of treatment of cancers. In conventional methods for examining the degree of malignancy of tumors and evaluating the methods of cancer treatment, it is necessary to correct for the gamma-ray attenuation, which requires a longer time for examination, increasing the physical and psychological pains of the patients. We have installed the simultaneous emission and transmission scanning capability into the HEADTOME-V of the Shimadzu SET-2000W Series positron emission tomographic scanning instruments, to establish an instrument that permits FDG-PET whole body scanning in actual clinical fields, with minimized physical and psychological pains of patients concerned, yet ensuring an outstandingly high examination efficiency. This report also presents some data obtained by this newly developed instrument and those obtained in practical applications. (author)

  12. Computer simulation of high resolution transmission electron micrographs: theory and analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kilaas, R.

    1985-03-01

    Computer simulation of electron micrographs is an invaluable aid in their proper interpretation and in defining optimum conditions for obtaining images experimentally. Since modern instruments are capable of atomic resolution, simulation techniques employing high precision are required. This thesis makes contributions to four specific areas of this field. First, the validity of a new method for simulating high resolution electron microscope images has been critically examined. Second, three different methods for computing scattering amplitudes in High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) have been investigated as to their ability to include upper Laue layer (ULL) interaction. Third, a new method for computing scattering amplitudes in high resolution transmission electron microscopy has been examined. Fourth, the effect of a surface layer of amorphous silicon dioxide on images of crystalline silicon has been investigated for a range of crystal thicknesses varying from zero to 2 1/2 times that of the surface layer

  13. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy as a speciation tool for natural organic molecules

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rothe, J.; Plaschke, M.; Denecke, M.A. [Inst. fuer Nukleare Entsorgung, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe (Germany)

    2004-07-01

    A molecular-scale understanding of the basic processes affecting stability and transport behavior of actinide cations, complexes or hydroxide ('eigencolloid') species is prerequisite to performance assessment of nuclear waste disposal in geological formations. Depending on their functional group chemistry and macromolecular structure, naturally occurring organic molecules (NOM) possess a high tendency towards actinide complexation reactions. However, the compositional and structural heterogeneity of NOM and mixed aggregates with inorganic phases makes speciation by spectromicroscopy techniques highly desirable. The applicability of Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy (STXM) as a speciation tool for the characterization of NOM is demonstrated for a multifunctional natural organic acid (chlorogenic acid), Eu(III)-loaded humic acid (HA) aggregates and Eu(III)-oxo/hydroxide/HA hetero-aggregates. It is shown that in situ probing of HA functional group chemistry down to a spatial resolution < 100 nm (i.e., less than femto-liter sampled volumes) is feasible, at the same time revealing morphological details on NOM aggregates and NOM/mineral associations. (orig.)

  14. Atomic resolution ultrafast scanning tunneling microscope with scan rate breaking the resonant frequency of a quartz tuning fork resonator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Quanfeng; Lu, Qingyou

    2011-05-01

    We present an ultra-fast scanning tunneling microscope with atomic resolution at 26 kHz scan rate which surpasses the resonant frequency of the quartz tuning fork resonator used as the fast scan actuator. The main improvements employed in achieving this new record are (1) fully low voltage design (2) independent scan control and data acquisition, where the tuning fork (carrying a tip) is blindly driven to scan by a function generator with the scan voltage and tunneling current (I(T)) being measured as image data (this is unlike the traditional point-by-point move and measure method where data acquisition and scan control are switched many times).

  15. Structure Identification in High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopic Images

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vestergaard, Jacob Schack; Kling, Jens; Dahl, Anders Bjorholm

    2014-01-01

    A connection between microscopic structure and macroscopic properties is expected for almost all material systems. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy is a technique offering insight into the atomic structure, but the analysis of large image series can be time consuming. The present ...

  16. Characterisation of nanoparticles by means of high-resolution SEM/EDS in transmission mode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hodoroaba, V-D; Rades, S; Mielke, J; Ortel, E; Salge, T; Schmidt, R

    2016-01-01

    Advances in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) enable the high-resolution imaging of single nanoparticles (NPs) with sizes well below 10 nm. The SEM analysis in transmission mode (T-SEM) of NPs on thin film supports has many benefits when compared to the analysis of NPs on bulk substrates. The enhanced material (mass - thickness) contrast of the T-SEM imaging mode is well suited for in-depth and, particularly valuable, to very accurate, traceable, lateral dimensional measurements of NPs. Compared to samples prepared on bulk substrates, T-SEM with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) achieves a drastically improved spatial resolution of the emitted X-rays. The poor signal-to-noise ratio of the X-ray spectra emitted by a single nanoparticle (NP) can be improved by the use of high-sensitivity (high collection solid angle) silicon drift (SDD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometers (EDS). The EDS spectral imaging of a single NP with a spatial resolution below 10 nm has become possible. This is demonstrated by means of various examples of nanostructures. Advanced data processing of T-SEM/EDS results sets the stage for the automated classification of NPs by feature analysis. This method combines the detection of morphological structures of interest by image processing of T-SEM micrographs with the chemical classification by EDS. (paper)

  17. Characterization of catalysts by scanning transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Targos, W.M.; Bradley, S.A.

    1989-01-01

    The dedicated scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) is an integral tool for characterizing catalysts because of its unique ability to image and analyze nanosized volumes. This information is valuable in optimizing catalyst formulations and determining causes for reduced catalyst performance. For many commercial catalysts direct correlations between structural features of metal crystallites and catalytic performance are not attainable. When these instances occur, determination of elemental distribution may be the only information available. In this paper the authors discuss some of the techniques employed and limitations associated with characterizing commercial catalysts

  18. Ribbon scanning confocal for high-speed high-resolution volume imaging of brain.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alan M Watson

    Full Text Available Whole-brain imaging is becoming a fundamental means of experimental insight; however, achieving subcellular resolution imagery in a reasonable time window has not been possible. We describe the first application of multicolor ribbon scanning confocal methods to collect high-resolution volume images of chemically cleared brains. We demonstrate that ribbon scanning collects images over ten times faster than conventional high speed confocal systems but with equivalent spectral and spatial resolution. Further, using this technology, we reconstruct large volumes of mouse brain infected with encephalitic alphaviruses and demonstrate that regions of the brain with abundant viral replication were inaccessible to vascular perfusion. This reveals that the destruction or collapse of large regions of brain micro vasculature may contribute to the severe disease caused by Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus. Visualization of this fundamental impact of infection would not be possible without sampling at subcellular resolution within large brain volumes.

  19. Aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy for complex transition metal oxides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qing-Hua, Zhang; Dong-Dong, Xiao; Lin, Gu

    2016-06-01

    Lattice, charge, orbital, and spin are the four fundamental degrees of freedom in condensed matter, of which the interactive coupling derives tremendous novel physical phenomena, such as high-temperature superconductivity (high-T c SC) and colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) in strongly correlated electronic system. Direct experimental observation of these freedoms is essential to understanding the structure-property relationship and the physics behind it, and also indispensable for designing new materials and devices. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) integrating multiple techniques of structure imaging and spectrum analysis, is a comprehensive platform for providing structural, chemical and electronic information of materials with a high spatial resolution. Benefiting from the development of aberration correctors, STEM has taken a big breakthrough towards sub-angstrom resolution in last decade and always steps forward to improve the capability of material characterization; many improvements have been achieved in recent years, thereby giving an in-depth insight into material research. Here, we present a brief review of the recent advances of STEM by some representative examples of perovskite transition metal oxides; atomic-scale mapping of ferroelectric polarization, octahedral distortions and rotations, valence state, coordination and spin ordering are presented. We expect that this brief introduction about the current capability of STEM could facilitate the understanding of the relationship between functional properties and these fundamental degrees of freedom in complex oxides. Project supported by the National Key Basic Research Project, China (Grant No. 2014CB921002), the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDB07030200), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51522212 and 51421002).

  20. Re-scan confocal microscopy (RCM) improves the resolution of confocal microscopy and increases the sensitivity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Luca, Giulia; Breedijk, Ronald; Hoebe, Ron; Stallinga, Sjoerd; Manders, Erik

    2017-01-01

    Re-scan confocal microscopy (RCM) is a new super-resolution technique based on a standard confocal microscope extended with a re-scan unit in the detection path that projects the emitted light onto a sensitive camera. In this paper the fundamental properties of RCM, lateral resolution, axial

  1. Re-scan confocal microscopy (RCM) improves the resolution of confocal microscopy and increases the sensitivity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Luca, G.; Breedijk, R.; Hoebe, R.; Stallinga, S.; Manders, E.

    Re-scan confocal microscopy (RCM) is a new super-resolution technique based on a standard confocal microscope extended with a re-scan unit in the detection path that projects the emitted light onto a sensitive camera. In this paper the fundamental properties of RCM, lateral resolution, axial

  2. Force scanning: a rapid, high-resolution approach for spatial mechanical property mapping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Darling, E M

    2011-01-01

    Atomic force microscopy (AFM) can be used to co-localize mechanical properties and topographical features through property mapping techniques. The most common approach for testing biological materials at the microscale and nanoscale is force mapping, which involves taking individual force curves at discrete sites across a region of interest. The limitations of force mapping include long testing times and low resolution. While newer AFM methodologies, like modulated scanning and torsional oscillation, circumvent this problem, their adoption for biological materials has been limited. This could be due to their need for specialized software algorithms and/or hardware. The objective of this study is to develop a novel force scanning technique using AFM to rapidly capture high-resolution topographical images of soft biological materials while simultaneously quantifying their mechanical properties. Force scanning is a straightforward methodology applicable to a wide range of materials and testing environments, requiring no special modification to standard AFMs. Essentially, if a contact-mode image can be acquired, then force scanning can be used to produce a spatial modulus map. The current study first validates this technique using agarose gels, comparing results to ones achieved by the standard force mapping approach. Biologically relevant demonstrations are then presented for high-resolution modulus mapping of individual cells, cell-cell interfaces, and articular cartilage tissue.

  3. High resolution transmission imaging without lenses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodenburg, J M; Hurst, A C; Maiden, A

    2010-01-01

    The whole history of transmission imaging has been dominated by the lens, whether used in visible-light optics, electron optics or X-ray optics. Lenses can be thought of as a very efficient method of processing a wave front scattered from an object into an image of that object. An alternative approach is to undertake this image-formation process using a computational technique. The crudest scattering experiment is to simply record the intensity of a diffraction pattern. Recent progress in so-called diffractive imaging has shown that it is possible to recover the phase of a scattered wavefield from its diffraction pattern alone, as long as the object (or the illumination on the object) is of finite extent. In this paper we present results from a very efficient phase retrieval method which can image infinitely large fields of view. It may have important applications in improving resolution in electron microscopy, or at least allowing low specification microscopes to achieve resolution comparable to state-of-the-art machines.

  4. High resolution transmission spectroscopy as a diagnostic for Jovian exoplanet atmospheres: constraints from theoretical models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kempton, Eliza M.-R. [Department of Physics, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA 50112 (United States); Perna, Rosalba [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794 (United States); Heng, Kevin, E-mail: kemptone@grinnell.edu [University of Bern, Center for Space and Habitability, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern (Switzerland)

    2014-11-01

    We present high resolution transmission spectra of giant planet atmospheres from a coupled three-dimensional (3D) atmospheric dynamics and transmission spectrum model that includes Doppler shifts which arise from winds and planetary motion. We model Jovian planets covering more than two orders of magnitude in incident flux, corresponding to planets with 0.9-55 day orbital periods around solar-type stars. The results of our 3D dynamical models reveal certain aspects of high resolution transmission spectra that are not present in simple one-dimensional (1D) models. We find that the hottest planets experience strong substellar to anti-stellar (SSAS) winds, resulting in transmission spectra with net blueshifts of up to 3 km s{sup –1}, whereas less irradiated planets show almost no net Doppler shifts. We find only minor differences between transmission spectra for atmospheres with temperature inversions and those without. Compared to 1D models, peak line strengths are significantly reduced for the hottest atmospheres owing to Doppler broadening from a combination of rotation (which is faster for close-in planets under the assumption of tidal locking) and atmospheric winds. Finally, high resolution transmission spectra may be useful in studying the atmospheres of exoplanets with optically thick clouds since line cores for very strong transitions should remain optically thick to very high altitude. High resolution transmission spectra are an excellent observational test for the validity of 3D atmospheric dynamics models, because they provide a direct probe of wind structures and heat circulation. Ground-based exoplanet spectroscopy is currently on the verge of being able to verify some of our modeling predictions, most notably the dependence of SSAS winds on insolation. We caution that interpretation of high resolution transmission spectra based on 1D atmospheric models may be inadequate, as 3D atmospheric motions can produce a noticeable effect on the absorption

  5. Determining the resolution of scanning microwave impedance microscopy using atomic-precision buried donor structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scrymgeour, D. A.; Baca, A.; Fishgrab, K.; Simonson, R. J.; Marshall, M.; Bussmann, E.; Nakakura, C. Y.; Anderson, M.; Misra, S.

    2017-11-01

    To quantify the resolution limits of scanning microwave impedance microscopy (sMIM), we created scanning tunneling microscope (STM)-patterned donor nanostructures in silicon composed of 10 nm lines of highly conductive silicon buried under a protective top cap of silicon, and imaged them with sMIM. This dopant pattern is an ideal test of the resolution and sensitivity of the sMIM technique, as it is made with nm-resolution and offers minimal complications from topography convolution. It has been determined that typical sMIM tips can resolve lines down to ∼80 nm spacing, while resolution is independent of tip geometry as extreme tip wear does not change the resolving power, contrary to traditional scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM). Going forward, sMIM is an ideal technique for qualifying buried patterned devices, potentially allowing for quantitative post-fabrication characterization of donor structures, which may be an important tool for the study of atomic-scale transistors and state of the art quantum computation schemes.

  6. The influence of Cs/Cc correction in analytical imaging and spectroscopy in scanning and transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zaluzec, Nestor J.

    2015-01-01

    Aberration correction in scanning/transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM) owes much to the efforts of a small dedicated group of innovators. Leading that frontier has been Prof. Harald Rose. To date his leadership and dynamic personality has spearheaded our ability to leave behind many of the limitations imposed by spherical aberration (C s ) in high resolution phase contrast imaging. Following shortly behind, has been the development of chromatic aberration correction (C c ) which augments those accomplishments. In this paper we will review and summarize how the combination of C s /C c technology enhances our ability to conduct hyperspectral imaging and spectroscopy in today's and future computationally mediated experiments in both thin as well as realistic specimens in vacuo and during in-situ/environmental experiments

  7. Spherical aberration correction in a scanning transmission electron microscope using a sculpted thin film.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shiloh, Roy; Remez, Roei; Lu, Peng-Han; Jin, Lei; Lereah, Yossi; Tavabi, Amir H; Dunin-Borkowski, Rafal E; Arie, Ady

    2018-06-01

    Nearly eighty years ago, Scherzer showed that rotationally symmetric, charge-free, static electron lenses are limited by an unavoidable, positive spherical aberration. Following a long struggle, a major breakthrough in the spatial resolution of electron microscopes was reached two decades ago by abandoning the first of these conditions, with the successful development of multipole aberration correctors. Here, we use a refractive silicon nitride thin film to tackle the second of Scherzer's constraints and demonstrate an alternative method for correcting spherical aberration in a scanning transmission electron microscope. We reveal features in Si and Cu samples that cannot be resolved in an uncorrected microscope. Our thin film corrector can be implemented as an immediate low cost upgrade to existing electron microscopes without re-engineering of the electron column or complicated operation protocols and can be extended to the correction of additional aberrations. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Accelerator-based Single-shot Ultrafast Transmission Electron Microscope with Picosecond Temporal Resolution and Nanometer Spatial Resolution

    OpenAIRE

    Xiang, D.; Fu, F.; Zhang, J.; Huang, X.; Wang, L.; Wang, X.; Wan, W.

    2014-01-01

    We present feasibility study of an accelerator-based ultrafast transmission electron microscope (u-TEM) capable of producing a full field image in a single-shot with simultaneous picosecond temporal resolution and nanometer spatial resolution. We study key physics related to performance of u-TEMs, and discuss major challenges as well as possible solutions for practical realization of u-TEMs. The feasibility of u-TEMs is confirmed through simulations using realistic electron beam parameters. W...

  9. [Accuracy of attenuation coefficient obtained by 137Cs single-transmission scanning in PET: comparison with conventional germanium line source].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsumoto, Keiichi; Kitamura, Keishi; Mizuta, Tetsuro; Shimizu, Keiji; Murase, Kenya; Senda, Michio

    2006-02-20

    Transmission scanning can be successfully performed with a Cs-137 single-photon-emitting point source for three-dimensional PET imaging. This method was effective for postinjection transmission scanning because of differences in physical energy. However, scatter contamination in the transmission data lowers measured attenuation coefficients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of the influence of object scattering by measuring the attenuation coefficients on the transmission images. We also compared the results with the conventional germanium line source method. Two different types of PET scanner, the SET-3000 G/X (Shimadzu Corp.) and ECAT EXACT HR(+) (Siemens/CTI) , were used. For the transmission scanning, the SET-3000 G/X and ECAT HR(+) were the Cs-137 point source and Ge-68/Ga-68 line source, respectively. With the SET-3000 G/X, we performed transmission measurement at two energy gate settings, the standard 600-800 keV as well as 500-800 keV. The energy gate setting of the ECAT HR(+) was 350-650 keV. The effects of scattering in a uniform phantom with different cross-sectional areas ranging from 201 cm(2) to 314 cm(2) to 628 cm(2) (apposition of the two 20 cm diameter phantoms) and 943 cm(2) (stacking of the three 20 cm diameter phantoms) were acquired without emission activity. First, we evaluated the attenuation coefficients of the two different types of transmission scanning using region of interest (ROI) analysis. In addition, we evaluated the attenuation coefficients with and without segmentation for Cs-137 transmission images using the same analysis. The segmentation method was a histogram-based soft-tissue segmentation process that can also be applied to reconstructed transmission images. In the Cs-137 experiment, the maximum underestimation was 3% without segmentation, which was reduced to less than 1% with segmentation at the center of the largest phantom. In the Ge-68/Ga-68 experiment, the difference in mean attenuation

  10. Accuracy of attenuation coefficient obtained by 137Cs single-transmission scanning in PET. Comparison with conventional germanium line source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsumoto, Keiichi; Shimizu, Keiji; Senda, Michio; Kitamura, Keishi; Mizuta, Tetsuro; Murase, Kenya

    2006-01-01

    Transmission scanning can be successfully performed with a Cs-137 single-photon-emitting point source for three-dimensional PET imaging. This method was effective for postinjection transmission scanning because of differences in physical energy. However, scatter contamination in the transmission data lowers measured attenuation coefficients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of the influence of object scattering by measuring the attenuation coefficients on the transmission images. We also compared the results with the conventional germanium line source method. Two different types of PET scanner, the SET-3000 G/X (Shimadzu Corp.) and ECAT EXACT HR + (Siemens/CTI), were used. For the transmission scanning, the SET-3000 G/X and ECAT HR + were the Cs-137 point source and Ge-68/Ga-68 line source, respectively. With the SET-3000 G/X, we performed transmission measurement at two energy gate settings, the standard 600-800 keV as well as 500-800 keV. The energy gate setting of the ECAT HR 2 + was 350-650 keV. The effects of scattering in a uniform phantom with different cross-sectional areas ranging from 201 cm 2 to 314 cm 2 to 628 cm 2 (apposition of the two 20 cm diameter phantoms) and 943 cm 2 (stacking of the three 20 cm diameter phantoms) were acquired without emission activity. First, we evaluated the attenuation coefficients of the two different types of transmission scanning using region of interest (ROI) analysis. In addition, we evaluated the attenuation coefficients with and without segmentation for Cs-137 transmission images using the same analysis. The segmentation method was a histogram-based soft-tissue segmentation process that can also be applied to reconstructed transmission images. In the Cs-137 experiment, the maximum underestimation was 3% without segmentation, which was reduced to less than 1% with segmentation at the center of the largest phantom. In the Ge-68/Ga-68 experiment, the difference in mean attenuation coefficients

  11. High-resolution electron microscopy of advanced materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mitchell, T.E.; Kung, H.H.; Sickafus, K.E.; Gray, G.T. III; Field, R.D.; Smith, J.F. [Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States). Materials Science and Technology Div.

    1997-11-01

    This final report chronicles a three-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The High-Resolution Electron Microscopy Facility has doubled in size and tripled in quality since the beginning of the three-year period. The facility now includes a field-emission scanning electron microscope, a 100 kV field-emission scanning transmission electron microscope (FE-STEM), a 300 kV field-emission high-resolution transmission electron microscope (FE-HRTEM), and a 300 kV analytical transmission electron microscope. A new orientation imaging microscope is being installed. X-ray energy dispersive spectrometers for chemical analysis are available on all four microscopes; parallel electron energy loss spectrometers are operational on the FE-STEM and FE-HRTEM. These systems enable evaluation of local atomic bonding, as well as chemical composition in nanometer-scale regions. The FE-HRTEM has a point-to-point resolution of 1.6 {angstrom}, but the resolution can be pushed to its information limit of 1 {angstrom} by computer reconstruction of a focal series of images. HRTEM has been used to image the atomic structure of defects such as dislocations, grain boundaries, and interfaces in a variety of materials from superconductors and ferroelectrics to structural ceramics and intermetallics.

  12. A new Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscope at the ALS for operation up to 2500eV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kilcoyne, David; Ade, Harald; Attwood, David; Hitchcock, Adam; McKean, Pat; Mitchell, Gary; Monteiro, Paulo; Tyliszczak, Tolek; Warwick, Tony

    2010-01-01

    We report on the design and construction of a higher energy Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscope on a new bend magnet beam line at the Advanced Light Source. Previously we have operated such an instrument on a bend magnet for C, N and O 1s NEXAFS spectroscopy. The new instrument will have similar performance at higher energies up to and including the S 1s edge at 2472eV. A new microscope configuration is planned. A more open geometry will allow a fluorescence detector to count emitted photons from the front surface of the sample. There will be a capability for zone plate scanning in addition to the more conventional sample scanning mode. This will add the capability for imaging a massive sample at high resolution over a limited field of view, so that heavy reaction cells may be used to study processes in-situ, exploiting the longer photon attenuation length and the longer zone plate working distances available at higher photon energy. The energy range will extend down to include the C1s edge at 300eV, to allow high energy NEXAFS microscopic studies to correlate with the imaging of organics in the same sample region of interest.

  13. High resolution wind turbine wake measurements with a scanning lidar

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Herges, T. G.; Maniaci, D. C.; Naughton, B. T.

    2017-01-01

    High-resolution lidar wake measurements are part of an ongoing field campaign being conducted at the Scaled Wind Farm Technology facility by Sandia National Laboratories and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory using a customized scanning lidar from the Technical University of Denmark. One...

  14. Depth profiling: RBS versus energy-dispersive X-ray imaging using scanning transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Markwitz, Andreas

    2000-01-01

    Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) is known to be one of the techniques ideal for analysis of thin films. Elemental concentrations of matrix components and impurities can be investigated as well as depth profiles of almost each element of the periodic table. Best of all, RBS has both a high sensitivity and a high depth resolution, and is a non-destructive analysis technique that does not require specific sample preparation. Solid-state samples are mounted without preparation inside a high-vacuum analysis chamber. However, depth-related interpretation of elemental depth profiles requires the material density of the specimen and stopping power values to be taken into consideration. In many cases, these parameters can be estimated with sufficient precision. However, the assumed density can be inaccurate for depth scales in the nanometer range. For example, in the case of Ge nanoclusters in 500 nm thick SiO 2 layers, uncertainty is related to the actual position of a very thin Ge nanocluster band. Energy-dispersive X-ray emission (EDX) spectroscopy, using a high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) can assist in removing this uncertainty. By preparing a thin section of the specimen, EDX can be used to identify the position of the Ge nanocluster band very precisely, by correlating the Ge profile with the depth profiles of silicon and oxygen. However, extraction of the concentration profiles from STEM-EDX spectra is in general not straightforward. Therefore, a combination of the two very different analysis techniques is often the best and only successful way to extract high-resolution concentration profiles

  15. Accelerator-based single-shot ultrafast transmission electron microscope with picosecond temporal resolution and nanometer spatial resolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiang, D.; Fu, F.; Zhang, J.; Huang, X.; Wang, L.; Wang, X.; Wan, W.

    2014-09-01

    We present feasibility study of an accelerator-based ultrafast transmission electron microscope (u-TEM) capable of producing a full field image in a single-shot with simultaneous picosecond temporal resolution and nanometer spatial resolution. We study key physics related to performance of u-TEMs and discuss major challenges as well as possible solutions for practical realization of u-TEMs. The feasibility of u-TEMs is confirmed through simulations using realistic electron beam parameters. We anticipate that u-TEMs with a product of temporal and spatial resolution beyond 10-19 ms will open up new opportunities in probing matter at ultrafast temporal and ultrasmall spatial scales.

  16. A computer program for scanning transmission ion microscopy simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, R.; Shen, H.; Mi, Y.; Sun, M.D.; Yang, M.J.

    2005-01-01

    With the installation of the Scanning Proton Microprobe system at Fudan University, we are in the process of developing a three-dimension reconstruction technique based on scanning transmission ion microscopy-computed tomography (STIM-CT). As the first step, a related computer program of STIM simulation has been established. This program is written in the Visual C++[reg], using the technique of OOP (Object Oriented Programming) and it is a standard multiple-document Windows[reg] program. It can be run with all MS Windows[reg] operating systems. The operating mode is the menu mode, using a multiple process technique. The stopping power theory is based on the Bethe-Bloch formula. In order to simplify the calculation, the improved cylindrical coordinate model was introduced in the program instead of a usual spherical or cylindrical coordinate model. The simulated results of a sample at several rotation angles are presented

  17. Structural defects in cubic semiconductors characterized by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arroyo Rojas Dasilva, Yadira; Kozak, Roksolana; Erni, Rolf; Rossell, Marta D., E-mail: marta.rossell@empa.ch

    2017-05-15

    The development of new electro-optical devices and the realization of novel types of transistors require a profound understanding of the structural characteristics of new semiconductor heterostructures. This article provides a concise review about structural defects which occur in semiconductor heterostructures on the basis of micro-patterned Si substrates. In particular, one- and two-dimensional crystal defects are being discussed which are due to the plastic relaxation of epitaxial strain caused by the misfit of crystal lattices. Besides a few selected examples from literature, we treat in particular crystal defects occurring in GaAs/Si, Ge/Si and β-SiC/Si structures which are studied by high-resolution annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy. The relevance of this article is twofold; firstly, it should provide a collection of data which are of help for the identification and characterization of defects in cubic semiconductors by means of atomic-resolution imaging, and secondly, the experimental data shall provide a basis for advancing the understanding of device characteristics with the aid of theoretical modelling by considering the defective nature of strained semiconductor heterostructures. - Highlights: • The heterogeneous integration of high-quality compound semiconductors remains a challenge. • Lattice defects cause severe degradation of the semiconductor device performances. • Aberration-corrected HAADF-STEM allows atomic-scale characterization of defects. • An overview of lattice defects found in cubic semiconductors is presented. • Theoretical modelling and calculations are needed to determine the defect properties.

  18. Enhancement of fluorescence confocal scanning microscopy lateral resolution by use of structured illumination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Taejoong; Gweon, DaeGab; Lee, Jun-Hee

    2009-01-01

    Confocal microscopy is an optical imaging technique used to reconstruct three-dimensional images without physical sectioning. As with other optical microscopes, the lateral resolution of the confocal microscope cannot surpass the diffraction limit. This paper presents a novel imaging system, structured illumination confocal scanning microscopy (SICSM), that uses structured illumination to improve the lateral resolution of the confocal microscope. The SICSM can easily be implemented by introducing a structured illumination generating optics to conventional line-scanning fluorescence confocal microscopy. In this paper, we report our analysis of the lateral and axial resolutions of the SICSM by use of mathematical imaging theory. Numerical simulation results show that the lateral resolution of the SICSM is 1.43-fold better than that of the confocal microscope. In the axial direction, however, the resolution of the SICSM is ∼15% poorer than that of the confocal microscope. This deterioration arises because of a decrease in the axial cut-off frequency caused by the process of generating structured illumination. We propose the use of imaging conditions under which a compromise between the axial and lateral resolutions is chosen. Finally, we show simulated images of diversely shaped test objects to demonstrate the lateral and axial resolution performance of the SICSM

  19. Three-dimensional optical transfer functions in the aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, L; Nellist, P D

    2014-05-01

    In the scanning transmission electron microscope, hardware aberration correctors can now correct for the positive spherical aberration of round electron lenses. These correctors make use of nonround optics such as hexapoles or octupoles, leading to the limiting aberrations often being of a nonround type. Here we explore the effect of a number of potential limiting aberrations on the imaging performance of the scanning transmission electron microscope through their resulting optical transfer functions. In particular, the response of the optical transfer function to changes in defocus are examined, given that this is the final aberration to be tuned just before image acquisition. The resulting three-dimensional optical transfer functions also allow an assessment of the performance of a system for focal-series experiments or optical sectioning applications. © 2014 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2014 Royal Microscopical Society.

  20. 3-d chemical imaging using angle-scan nanotomography in a soft X-ray scanning transmission X-ray microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hitchcock, A.P.; Johansson, G.A. [McMaster, BIMR, Hamilton (Canada); Mitchell, G.E. [Dow Chemical, Analytical Science, Midland, MI (United States); Keefe, M.H. [Dow Chemical, Dow Latex, Midland, MI (United States); Tyliszcak, T. [LBNL, Advanced Light Source, Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2008-08-15

    Three-dimensional chemical mapping using angle scan nanotomography in a soft X-ray scanning transmission X-ray microscope (STXM) has been used to investigate the spatial distributions of a low density polyacrylate polyelectrolyte ionomer inside submicron sized polystyrene microspheres. Acquisition of tomograms at multiple photon energies provides true, quantifiable 3-d chemical sensitivity. Both pre-O 1s and C 1s results are shown. The study reveals aspects of the 3-d distribution of the polyelectrolyte that were inferred indirectly or had not been known prior to this study. The potential and challenges for extension of the technique to studies of other polymeric and to biological systems is discussed. (orig.)

  1. Real-time underwater object detection based on an electrically scanned high-resolution sonar

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henriksen, Lars

    1994-01-01

    The paper describes an approach to real time detection and tracking of underwater objects, using image sequences from an electrically scanned high-resolution sonar. The use of a high resolution sonar provides a good estimate of the location of the objects, but strains the computers on board, beca...

  2. Neuroanatomy from Mesoscopic to Nanoscopic Scales: An Improved Method for the Observation of Semithin Sections by High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez, José-Rodrigo; Turégano-López, Marta; DeFelipe, Javier; Merchán-Pérez, Angel

    2018-01-01

    Semithin sections are commonly used to examine large areas of tissue with an optical microscope, in order to locate and trim the regions that will later be studied with the electron microscope. Ideally, the observation of semithin sections would be from mesoscopic to nanoscopic scales directly, instead of using light microscopy and then electron microscopy (EM). Here we propose a method that makes it possible to obtain high-resolution scanning EM images of large areas of the brain in the millimeter to nanometer range. Since our method is compatible with light microscopy, it is also feasible to generate hybrid light and electron microscopic maps. Additionally, the same tissue blocks that have been used to obtain semithin sections can later be used, if necessary, for transmission EM, or for focused ion beam milling and scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM).

  3. Scanning transmission x-ray microscope for materials science spectromicroscopy at the ALS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Warwick, T.; Seal, S.; Shin, H. [Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., CA (United States)] [and others

    1997-04-01

    The brightness of the Advanced Light Source will be exploited by several new instruments for materials science spectromicroscopy over the next year or so. The first of these to become operational is a scanning transmission x-ray microscope with which near edge x-ray absorption spectra (NEXAFS) can be measured on spatial features of sub-micron size. Here the authors describe the instrument as it is presently implemented, its capabilities, some studies made to date and the developments to come. The Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscope makes use of a zone plate lens to produce a small x-ray spot with which to perform absorption spectroscopy through thin samples. The x-ray beam from ALS undulator beamline 7.0 emerges into the microscope vessel through a silicon nitride vacuum window 160nm thick and 300{mu}m square. The vessel is filled with helium at atmospheric pressure. The zone plate lens is illuminated 1mm downstream from the vacuum window and forms an image in first order of a pinhole which is 3m upstream in the beamline. An order sorting aperture passes the first order converging light and blocks the unfocused zero order. The sample is at the focus a few mm downstream of the zone plate and mounted from a scanning piezo stage which rasters in x and y so that an image is formed, pixel by pixel, by an intensity detector behind the sample. Absorption spectra are measured point-by-point as the photon energy is scanned by rotating the diffraction grating in the monochromator and changing the undulator gap.

  4. Cathodoluminescence in the scanning transmission electron microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kociak, M., E-mail: mathieu.kociak@u-psud.fr [Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Université Paris-SudParis-Sud, CNRS-UMR 8502, Orsay 91405 (France); Zagonel, L.F. [“Gleb Wataghin” Institute of Physics University of Campinas - UNICAMP, 13083-859 Campinas, São Paulo (Brazil)

    2017-05-15

    Cathodoluminescence (CL) is a powerful tool for the investigation of optical properties of materials. In recent years, its combination with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) has demonstrated great success in unveiling new physics in the field of plasmonics and quantum emitters. Most of these results were not imaginable even twenty years ago, due to conceptual and technical limitations. The purpose of this review is to present the recent advances that broke these limitations, and the new possibilities offered by the modern STEM-CL technique. We first introduce the different STEM-CL operating modes and the technical specificities in STEM-CL instrumentation. Two main classes of optical excitations, namely the coherent one (typically plasmons) and the incoherent one (typically light emission from quantum emitters) are investigated with STEM-CL. For these two main classes, we describe both the physics of light production under electron beam irradiation and the physical basis for interpreting STEM-CL experiments. We then compare STEM-CL with its better known sister techniques: scanning electron microscope CL, photoluminescence, and electron energy-loss spectroscopy. We finish by comprehensively reviewing recent STEM-CL applications. - Highlights: • Reviews the field of STEM-CL. • Introduces the technical requirements and challenges for STEM-CL. • Introduces the different types of excitations probed by STEM-CL. • Gives comprehensive overview of the last fifteenth years in the field.

  5. Isotope analysis in the transmission electron microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Susi, Toma; Hofer, Christoph; Argentero, Giacomo; Leuthner, Gregor T; Pennycook, Timothy J; Mangler, Clemens; Meyer, Jannik C; Kotakoski, Jani

    2016-10-10

    The Ångström-sized probe of the scanning transmission electron microscope can visualize and collect spectra from single atoms. This can unambiguously resolve the chemical structure of materials, but not their isotopic composition. Here we differentiate between two isotopes of the same element by quantifying how likely the energetic imaging electrons are to eject atoms. First, we measure the displacement probability in graphene grown from either 12 C or 13 C and describe the process using a quantum mechanical model of lattice vibrations coupled with density functional theory simulations. We then test our spatial resolution in a mixed sample by ejecting individual atoms from nanoscale areas spanning an interface region that is far from atomically sharp, mapping the isotope concentration with a precision better than 20%. Although we use a scanning instrument, our method may be applicable to any atomic resolution transmission electron microscope and to other low-dimensional materials.

  6. The Development of a Scanning Soft X-Ray Microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rarback, Harvey Miles

    We have developed a scanning soft X-ray microscope, which can be used to image natural biological specimens at high resolution and with less damage than electron microscopy. The microscope focuses a monochromatic beam of synchrotron radiation to a nearly diffraction limited spot with the aid of a high resolution Fresnel zone plate, specially fabricated for us at the IBM Watson Research Center. The specimen at one atmosphere is mechanically scanned through the spot and the transmitted radiation is efficiently detected with a flow proportional counter. A computer forms a realtime transmission image of the specimen which is displayed on a color monitor. Our first generation optics have produced images of natural wet specimens at a resolution of 300 nm.

  7. Patient dose rate: An ultimate limit for spatial and density resolution of scanning systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kowalski, G.; Wagner, W.

    1979-01-01

    In X-ray scanning systems, picture quality of the reconstructed slices is limited to a maximum spatial as well as density resolution by the applied radiation dose. Density resolution can be improved in proportion to the root of the patient dose, whereas a doubled spatial resolving power requires an eight times higher patient dose, assuming a fixed slice thickness. Only a careful trade-off between the applied patient dose, density resolution and spatial resolution yields a maximal diagnostic value for the physician. Specifications of a scanning system have to take into account these ultimate restrictions, so that picture quality really is limited by the patient's dose rather than by technical constraints. In addition a method is given by which the applied dose can be reduced by focusing the main intensity onto the region of interest, in case that region is known a priori. (orig.) [de

  8. Visualization of magnetic dipolar interaction based on scanning transmission X-ray microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohtori, Hiroyuki; Iwano, Kaoru; Takeichi, Yasuo; Ono, Kanta; Mitsumata, Chiharu; Yano, Masao; Kato, Akira; Miyamoto, Noritaka; Shoji, Tetsuya; Manabe, Akira

    2014-01-01

    Using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM), in this report we visualized the magnetic dipolar interactions in nanocrystalline Nd-Fe-B magnets and imaged their magnetization distributions at various applied fields. We calculated the magnetic dipolar interaction by analyzing the interaction between the magnetization at each point and those at the other points on the STXM image.

  9. Advanced scanning transmission stereo electron microscopy of structural and functional engineering materials

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Agudo Jácome, L.; Eggeler, G.; Dlouhý, Antonín

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 122, NOV (2012), s. 48-59 ISSN 0304-3991 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA202/09/2073 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20410507 Keywords : stereoscopy * scanning transmission electron microscopy * single crystal Ni-base superalloys * Dislocation substructures * Foil thickness measurement Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.470, year: 2012

  10. Self-sensing cantilevers with integrated conductive coaxial tips for high-resolution electrical scanning probe metrology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haemmerli, Alexandre J.; Pruitt, Beth L.; Harjee, Nahid; Koenig, Markus; Garcia, Andrei G. F.; Goldhaber-Gordon, David

    2015-01-01

    The lateral resolution of many electrical scanning probe techniques is limited by the spatial extent of the electrostatic potential profiles produced by their probes. Conventional unshielded conductive atomic force microscopy probes produce broad potential profiles. Shielded probes could offer higher resolution and easier data interpretation in the study of nanostructures. Electrical scanning probe techniques require a method of locating structures of interest, often by mapping surface topography. As the samples studied with these techniques are often photosensitive, the typical laser measurement of cantilever deflection can excite the sample, causing undesirable changes electrical properties. In this work, we present the design, fabrication, and characterization of probes that integrate coaxial tips for spatially sharp potential profiles with piezoresistors for self-contained, electrical displacement sensing. With the apex 100 nm above the sample surface, the electrostatic potential profile produced by our coaxial tips is more than 2 times narrower than that of unshielded tips with no long tails. In a scan bandwidth of 1 Hz–10 kHz, our probes have a displacement resolution of 2.9 Å at 293 K and 79 Å at 2 K, where the low-temperature performance is limited by amplifier noise. We show scanning gate microscopy images of a quantum point contact obtained with our probes, highlighting the improvement to lateral resolution resulting from the coaxial tip

  11. High Resolution Trichromatic Road Surface Scanning with a Line Scan Camera and Light Emitting Diode Lighting for Road-Kill Detection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gil Lopes

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a road surface scanning system that operates with a trichromatic line scan camera with light emitting diode (LED lighting achieving road surface resolution under a millimeter. It was part of a project named Roadkills—Intelligent systems for surveying mortality of amphibians in Portuguese roads, sponsored by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation. A trailer was developed in order to accommodate the complete system with standalone power generation, computer image capture and recording, controlled lighting to operate day or night without disturbance, incremental encoder with 5000 pulses per revolution attached to one of the trailer wheels, under a meter Global Positioning System (GPS localization, easy to utilize with any vehicle with a trailer towing system and focused on a complete low cost solution. The paper describes the system architecture of the developed prototype, its calibration procedure, the performed experimentation and some obtained results, along with a discussion and comparison with existing systems. Sustained operating trailer speeds of up to 30 km/h are achievable without loss of quality at 4096 pixels’ image width (1 m width of road surface with 250 µm/pixel resolution. Higher scanning speeds can be achieved by lowering the image resolution (120 km/h with 1 mm/pixel. Computer vision algorithms are under development to operate on the captured images in order to automatically detect road-kills of amphibians.

  12. High Resolution Trichromatic Road Surface Scanning with a Line Scan Camera and Light Emitting Diode Lighting for Road-Kill Detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopes, Gil; Ribeiro, A Fernando; Sillero, Neftalí; Gonçalves-Seco, Luís; Silva, Cristiano; Franch, Marc; Trigueiros, Paulo

    2016-04-19

    This paper presents a road surface scanning system that operates with a trichromatic line scan camera with light emitting diode (LED) lighting achieving road surface resolution under a millimeter. It was part of a project named Roadkills-Intelligent systems for surveying mortality of amphibians in Portuguese roads, sponsored by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation. A trailer was developed in order to accommodate the complete system with standalone power generation, computer image capture and recording, controlled lighting to operate day or night without disturbance, incremental encoder with 5000 pulses per revolution attached to one of the trailer wheels, under a meter Global Positioning System (GPS) localization, easy to utilize with any vehicle with a trailer towing system and focused on a complete low cost solution. The paper describes the system architecture of the developed prototype, its calibration procedure, the performed experimentation and some obtained results, along with a discussion and comparison with existing systems. Sustained operating trailer speeds of up to 30 km/h are achievable without loss of quality at 4096 pixels' image width (1 m width of road surface) with 250 µm/pixel resolution. Higher scanning speeds can be achieved by lowering the image resolution (120 km/h with 1 mm/pixel). Computer vision algorithms are under development to operate on the captured images in order to automatically detect road-kills of amphibians.

  13. Quantitative annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy for nanoparticle atom-counting: What are the limits?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Backer, A; De Wael, A; Gonnissen, J; Martinez, G T; Béché, A; Van Aert, S; MacArthur, K E; Jones, L; Nellist, P D

    2015-01-01

    Quantitative atomic resolution annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (ADF STEM) has become a powerful technique for nanoparticle atom-counting. However, a lot of nanoparticles provide a severe characterisation challenge because of their limited size and beam sensitivity. Therefore, quantitative ADF STEM may greatly benefit from statistical detection theory in order to optimise the instrumental microscope settings such that the incoming electron dose can be kept as low as possible whilst still retaining single-atom precision. The principles of detection theory are used to quantify the probability of error for atom-counting. This enables us to decide between different image performance measures and to optimise the experimental detector settings for atom-counting in ADF STEM in an objective manner. To demonstrate this, ADF STEM imaging of an industrial catalyst has been conducted using the near-optimal detector settings. For this experiment, we discussed the limits for atomcounting diagnosed by combining a thorough statistical method and detailed image simulations. (paper)

  14. Cryo-Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM)-in-SEM for Bio- and Organo-Mineral Interface Characterization in the Environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wille, Guillaume; Hellal, Jennifer; Ollivier, Patrick; Richard, Annie; Burel, Agnes; Jolly, Louis; Crampon, Marc; Michel, Caroline

    2017-12-01

    Understanding biofilm interactions with surrounding substratum and pollutants/particles can benefit from the application of existing microscopy tools. Using the example of biofilm interactions with zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI), this study aims to apply various approaches in biofilm preparation and labeling for fluorescent or electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) microanalysis for accurate observations. According to the targeted microscopy method, biofilms were sampled as flocs or attached biofilm, submitted to labeling using 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindol, lectins PNA and ConA coupled to fluorescent dye or gold nanoparticles, and prepared for observation (fixation, cross-section, freezing, ultramicrotomy). Fluorescent microscopy revealed that nZVI were embedded in the biofilm structure as aggregates but the resolution was insufficient to observe individual nZVI. Cryo-scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations showed nZVI aggregates close to bacteria, but it was not possible to confirm direct interactions between nZVI and cell membranes. Scanning transmission electron microscopy in the SEM (STEM-in-SEM) showed that nZVI aggregates could enter the biofilm to a depth of 7-11 µm. Bacteria were surrounded by a ring of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) preventing direct nZVI/membrane interactions. STEM/EDS mapping revealed a co-localization of nZVI aggregates with lectins suggesting a potential role of EPS in nZVI embedding. Thus, the combination of divergent microscopy approaches is a good approach to better understand and characterize biofilm/metal interactions.

  15. Accurate virus quantitation using a Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) detector in a scanning electron microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blancett, Candace D; Fetterer, David P; Koistinen, Keith A; Morazzani, Elaine M; Monninger, Mitchell K; Piper, Ashley E; Kuehl, Kathleen A; Kearney, Brian J; Norris, Sarah L; Rossi, Cynthia A; Glass, Pamela J; Sun, Mei G

    2017-10-01

    A method for accurate quantitation of virus particles has long been sought, but a perfect method still eludes the scientific community. Electron Microscopy (EM) quantitation is a valuable technique because it provides direct morphology information and counts of all viral particles, whether or not they are infectious. In the past, EM negative stain quantitation methods have been cited as inaccurate, non-reproducible, and with detection limits that were too high to be useful. To improve accuracy and reproducibility, we have developed a method termed Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy - Virus Quantitation (STEM-VQ), which simplifies sample preparation and uses a high throughput STEM detector in a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) coupled with commercially available software. In this paper, we demonstrate STEM-VQ with an alphavirus stock preparation to present the method's accuracy and reproducibility, including a comparison of STEM-VQ to viral plaque assay and the ViroCyt Virus Counter. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Vibration compensated high-resolution scanning white-light Linnik-interferometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tereschenko, Stanislav; Lehmann, Peter; Gollor, Pascal; Kuehnhold, Peter

    2017-06-01

    We present a high-resolution Linnik scanning white-light interferometer (SWLI) with integrated distance measuring interferometer (DMI) for close-to-machine applications in the presence of environmental vibrations. The distance, measured by DMI during the depth-scan, is used for vibration compensation of SWLI signals. The reconstruction of the white-light interference signals takes place after measurement by reordering the captured images in accordance with their real positions obtained by the DMI and subsequent trigonometrical approximation. This system is the further development of our previously presented Michelson-interferometer. We are able to compensate for arbitrary vibrations with frequencies up to several kilohertz and amplitudes in the lower micrometer range. Completely distorted SWLI signals can be reconstructed and the surface topography can be obtained with high accuracy. We demonstrate the feasibility of the method by examples of practical measurements with and without vibrational disturbances.

  17. Final Report on Small Particle Speciation for Forensics Analysis by Soft X-ray Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pacold, J. I. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Altman, A. B. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Donald, S B [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Dai, Z. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Davisson, M. L. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Holliday, K S [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Knight, K. B. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Kristo, M. J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Minasian, S. G. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Nelson, A J [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Tyliszczak, T [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Booth, C. H. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Shuh, D. K. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2016-09-30

    Materials of interest for nuclear forensic science are often highly heterogeneous, containing complex mixtures of actinide compounds in a wide variety of matrices. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) is ideally suited to study such materials, as it can be used to chemically image specimens by acquiring X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) data with 25 nm spatial resolution. In particular, STXM in the soft X-ray synchrotron radiation regime (approximately 120 – 2000 eV) can collect spectroscopic information from the actinides and light elements in a single experiment. Thus, STXM combines the chemical sensitivity of X-ray absorption spectroscopy with high spatial resolution in a single non-destructive characterization method. This report describes the application of STXM to a broad range of nuclear materials. Where possible, the spectroscopic images obtained by STXM are compared with information derived from other analytical methods, and used to make inferences about the process history of each material. STXM measurements can yield information including the morphology of a sample, “elemental maps” showing the spatial distribution of major chemical constituents, and XANES spectra from localized regions of a sample, which may show spatial variations in chemical composition.

  18. Resolution Enhancement of Scanning Laser Acoustic Microscope Using Transverse Wave

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ko, D. S.; Park, J. S.; Kim, Y. H.

    1997-01-01

    We studied the resolution enhancement of a novel scanning laser acoustic microscope (SLAM) using transverse waves. Mode conversion of the ultrasonic wave takes place at the liquid-solid interface and some energy of the insonifying longitudinal waves in the water will convert to transverse wave energy within the solid specimen. The resolution of SLAM depends on the size of detecting laser spot and the wavelength of the insonifying ultrasonic waves. Science the wavelength of the transverse wave is shorter than that of the longitudinal wave, we are able to achieve the high resolution by using transverse waves. In order to operate SLAM in the transverse wave mode, we made wedge for changing the incident angle. Our experimental results with model 2140 SLAM and an aluminum specimen showed higher contrast of the SLAM image in the transverse wave mode than that in the longitudinal wave mode

  19. Can Low-Resolution Airborne Laser Scanning Data Be Used to Model Stream Rating Curves?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steve W. Lyon

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This pilot study explores the potential of using low-resolution (0.2 points/m2 airborne laser scanning (ALS-derived elevation data to model stream rating curves. Rating curves, which allow the functional translation of stream water depth into discharge, making them integral to water resource monitoring efforts, were modeled using a physics-based approach that captures basic geometric measurements to establish flow resistance due to implicit channel roughness. We tested synthetically thinned high-resolution (more than 2 points/m2 ALS data as a proxy for low-resolution data at a point density equivalent to that obtained within most national-scale ALS strategies. Our results show that the errors incurred due to the effect of low-resolution versus high-resolution ALS data were less than those due to flow measurement and empirical rating curve fitting uncertainties. As such, although there likely are scale and technical limitations to consider, it is theoretically possible to generate rating curves in a river network from ALS data of the resolution anticipated within national-scale ALS schemes (at least for rivers with relatively simple geometries. This is promising, since generating rating curves from ALS scans would greatly enhance our ability to monitor streamflow by simplifying the overall effort required.

  20. Can low-resolution airborne laser scanning data be used to model stream rating curves?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyon, Steve; Nathanson, Marcus; Lam, Norris; Dahlke, Helen; Rutzinger, Martin; Kean, Jason W.; Laudon, Hjalmar

    2015-01-01

    This pilot study explores the potential of using low-resolution (0.2 points/m2) airborne laser scanning (ALS)-derived elevation data to model stream rating curves. Rating curves, which allow the functional translation of stream water depth into discharge, making them integral to water resource monitoring efforts, were modeled using a physics-based approach that captures basic geometric measurements to establish flow resistance due to implicit channel roughness. We tested synthetically thinned high-resolution (more than 2 points/m2) ALS data as a proxy for low-resolution data at a point density equivalent to that obtained within most national-scale ALS strategies. Our results show that the errors incurred due to the effect of low-resolution versus high-resolution ALS data were less than those due to flow measurement and empirical rating curve fitting uncertainties. As such, although there likely are scale and technical limitations to consider, it is theoretically possible to generate rating curves in a river network from ALS data of the resolution anticipated within national-scale ALS schemes (at least for rivers with relatively simple geometries). This is promising, since generating rating curves from ALS scans would greatly enhance our ability to monitor streamflow by simplifying the overall effort required.

  1. An environmental sample chamber for reliable scanning transmission x-ray microscopy measurements under water vapor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kelly, Stephen T.; Nigge, Pascal; Prakash, Shruti; Gilles, Mary K. [Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States); Laskin, Alexander; Wang, Bingbing [William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352 (United States); Tyliszczak, Tolek [Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States); Leone, Stephen R. [Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States); Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)

    2013-07-15

    We have designed, fabricated, and tested a compact gas-phase reactor for performing in situ soft x-ray scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) measurements. The reactor mounts directly to the existing sample holder used in the majority of STXM instruments around the world and installs with minimal instrument reconfiguration. The reactor accommodates many gas atmospheres, but was designed specifically to address the needs of measurements under water vapor. An on-board sensor measures the relative humidity and temperature inside the reactor, minimizing uncertainties associated with measuring these quantities outside the instrument. The reactor reduces x-ray absorption from the process gas by over 85% compared to analogous experiments with the entire STXM instrument filled with process gas. Reduced absorption by the process gas allows data collection at full instrumental resolution, minimizes radiation dose to the sample, and results in much more stable imaging conditions. The reactor is in use at the STXM instruments at beamlines 11.0.2 and 5.3.2.2 at the Advanced Light Source.

  2. Technique for evaluation of spatial resolution and microcalcifications in digital and scanned images of a standard breast phantom

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santana, Priscila do C.; Gomes, Danielle S.; Oliveira, Marcio A.; Oliveira, Paulo Marcio C. de; Meira-Belo, Luiz C.; Nogueira-Tavares, Maria S.

    2011-01-01

    In this work, an automated methodology to evaluate digital and scanned images of a standard phantom (Phantom Mama) was studied. The Phantom Mama was used as an important tool to check the quality of mammographs. The scanned images were digitized using a ScanMaker 9800XL, with resolution of 900 dpi. The aim of this work is to test an automatic methodology for evaluation of spatial resolution and microcalcifications group of phantom mama images acquired with the same parameters in the same equipment. In order to analyze the images we have used the ImageJ software (in Java) which is public domain. We have used the Fast Fourier transform technique to evaluate the spatial resolution and used the ImageJ function Subtract Background and the Light Background plus Sliding Paraboloid on the evaluation of the five groups of microcalcifications on the breast phantom to assess the viability of using automated methods for both types of images. The methodology was adequate for evaluated the microcalcifications group and the spatial resolution in scanned and digital images, but the Phantom Mama doesn't provide sufficient parameters to evaluate the spatial resolution in this images. (author)

  3. Transmission computed tomography data acquisition with a SPECT system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greer, K.L.; Harris, C.C.; Jaszczak, R.J.; Coleman, R.E.; Hedlund, L.W.; Floyd, C.E.; Manglos, S.H.

    1987-01-01

    Phantom and animal transmission computed tomography (TCT) scans were performed with a camera-based single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system to determine system linearity as a function of object density, which is important in the accurate determination of attenuation coefficients for SPECT attenuation compensation. Results from phantoms showed promise in providing a linear relationship in measuring density while maintaining good image resolution. Animal images were essentially free of artifacts. Transmission computed tomography scans derived from a SPECT system appear to have the potential to provide data suitable for incorporation in an attenuation compensation algorithm at relatively low (calculated) radiation doses to the subjects

  4. Digital acquisition and processing of electron micrographs using a scanning transmission electron microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Engel, A.; Christen, F.; Michel, B.

    1981-01-01

    A digital acquisition system that collects multichannel information from a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and its application are described. The hardware comprises (i) single electron counting detectors, (ii) a digital scan generator, (iii) a digital multi-channel on-line processor, (iv) an interface to a minicomputer, and (v) a display system. Experimental results characterizing these components are presented, and their performance is discussed. The software includes assembler coded programs for dynamic file maintenance and fast acquisition of image data, a display driver, and FORTRAN coded application programs. The usefulness of digitized STEM is illustrated by a variety of biological applications. (orig.)

  5. Path-separated electron interferometry in a scanning transmission electron microscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yasin, Fehmi S.; Harvey, Tyler R.; Chess, Jordan J.; Pierce, Jordan S.; McMorran, Benjamin J.

    2018-05-01

    We report a path-separated electron interferometer within a scanning transmission electron microscope. In this setup, we use a nanofabricated grating as an amplitude-division beamsplitter to prepare multiple spatially separated, coherent electron probe beams. We achieve path separations of 30 nm. We pass the  +1 diffraction order probe through amorphous carbon while passing the 0th and  ‑1 orders through vacuum. The probes are then made to interfere via imaging optics, and we observe an interference pattern at the CCD detector with up to 39.7% fringe visibility. We show preliminary experimental results in which the interference pattern was recorded during a 1D scan of the diffracted probes across a test phase object. These results qualitatively agree with a modeled interference predicted by an independent measurement of the specimen thickness. This experimental design can potentially be applied to phase contrast imaging and fundamental physics experiments, such as an exploration of electron wave packet coherence length.

  6. Bragg reflection transmission filters for variable resolution monochromators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chapman, D.

    1989-01-01

    There are various methods for improving the angular and spectral resolution of monochromator and analyzer systems. The novel system described here, though limited to higher x-ray energies (>20keV), is based on a dynamical effect occurring on the transmitted beam with a thin perfect crystal plate set in the Bragg reflection case. In the case of Bragg reflection from a perfect crystal, the incident beam is rapidly attenuated as it penetrates the crystal in the range of reflection. This extinction length is of the order of microns. The attenuation length, which determines the amount of normal transmission through the plate is generally much longer. Thus, in the range of the Bragg reflection the attenuation of the transmitted beam can change by several orders of magnitude with a small change in energy or angle. This thin crystal plate cuts a notch in the transmitted beam with a width equal to its Darwin width, thus acting as a transmission filter. When used in a non-dispersive mode with other monochromator crystals, the filter when set at the Bragg angle will reflect the entire Darwin width of the incident beam and transmit the wings of the incident beam distribution. When the element is offset in angle by some fraction of the Darwin width, the filter becomes useful in adjusting the angular width of the transmitted beam and removing a wing. Used in pairs with a symmetric offset, the filters can be used to continuously adjust the intrinsic angular divergence of the beam with good wing reduction. Instances where such filters may be useful are in improving the angular resolution of a small angle scattering camera. These filters may be added to a Bonse-Hart camera with one pair on the incident beam to reduce the intrinsic beam divergence and a second pair on the analyzer arm to improve the analyzer resolution. 2 refs., 3 Figs

  7. High resolution transmission electron microscopy and microdiffraction for radiation damage analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sinclair, R.

    1982-01-01

    High resolution TEM techniques have developed to quite a sophisticated level over the past few years. In addition TEM instruments with a scanning capability have become available commercially which permit in particular the formation of a small electron probe at the specimen. Thus direct resolution and microdiffraction investigations of thin specimens are now possible, neither of which have been employed to any great extent in the analysis of radiation damage. Some recent advances which are thought to be relevant to this specific area of research are highlighted

  8. Scanning transmission ion microscopy of polycarbonate nanocapillaries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gal, G.A.B.; Rajta, I.; Szilasi, S.Z.; Juhasz, Z.; Biri, S.; Csik, A.; Sulik, B.; Cserhati, Cs.

    2011-01-01

    Complete text of publication follows. Nanochanneled materials are of a great interest due to their peculiar properties and high potential impact for the fabrication of nanostructures and nanodevices. Polycarbonate membranes are produced by heavy ion irradiation followed by chemical etching of the ion tracks. The irradiation parameters determine the porosity (areal density of the capillaries) and angular spread, while the channel diameters and shapes depend on the chemical process parameters. Such polycarbonate (and other materials) membranes are commercially available from a few manufacturers. The primary use of the filters involves packaging and filtering applications. Moreover, they are used for collecting atmospheric aerosols for environmental research. The nanocapillaries formed in membranes are particularly suitable for ion and electron guiding studies of a recently discovered, but not yet completely understood capillary guiding phenomenon. This interesting guiding effect is very promising for patterning by parallel writing with ions and/or electrons through masks. In order to get a better understanding of this phenomenon, we need a better characterization of the capillaries themselves. This study is addressing the angular distribution of the nanochannels in the polycarbonate filters by using a nuclear microprobe facility and the method of scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM). The STIM experiments in this work have been performed at ATOMKI. The proton energy was 2 MeV, the beam intensity was about 1000 protons s -1 , the beam spot size was about 1 x 1 μm, the scan size was 100 x 100 μm and the beam divergence was smaller than 0.07 deg. A scanning electron microscope (SEM, Hitachi S4300 CFE) was used to measure the capillary diameters and the membrane porosity. The sample thickness was determined by a profilometer (AMBIOS XP-I). We have investigated two different pieces of Millipore Isopore TM samples. A typical SEM image showed several overlapping

  9. High resolution STEM of quantum dots and quantum wires

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kadkhodazadeh, Shima

    2013-01-01

    This article reviews the application of high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) to semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) and quantum wires (QWRs). Different imaging and analytical techniques in STEM are introduced and key examples of their application to QDs and QWRs...

  10. Spatio-temporal imaging of voltage pulses with an ultrafast scanning tunneling microscope

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Jacob Riis; Keil, Ulrich Dieter Felix; Hvam, Jørn Märcher

    1997-01-01

    Measurements on an ultrafast scanning tunneling microscope with simultaneous spatial and temporal resolution are presented. We show images of picosecond pulses propagating on a coplanar waveguide and resolve their mode structures. The influence of transmission line discontinuities on the mode...

  11. Effects of scanning resolution and digital image magnification on photostimulable phosphor imaging system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, Takashi; Inagaki, Masafumi; Asai, Hideomi; Koyama, Atsushi; Kashima, Isamu

    2000-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of changes in scanning resolution and digital magnification on the image quality and diagnostic ability of the photostimulable phosphor imaging system. Using a photostimulable phosphor imaging system, images of a human adult dried mandible phantom embedded in a 25 mm-thick epoxy resin block were made. The latent images on the photostimulable phosphor imaging plate were scanned using four different pixel sizes as follows: 25 μm x 25 μm, 50 μm x 50 μm, 100 μm x 100 μm and 200 μm x 200 μm. A primary image was produced for each pixel size. These images were also digitally magnified at powers of 2, 4 and 8 times. The gradient range, brightness and contrast of each image were adjusted to optimum levels on a cathode ray tube display, and hard copies were produced with a writing pixel size of 60 μm x 60 μm. The granularity, sharpness and anatomical diagnostic ability of the images were assessed subjectively by eight dentists. Increasing the scanning resolution tended to generally improve image quality and diagnostic ability. Visual image quality was maintained up to a pixel size of 50 μm, and diagnostic ability was maintained up to a pixel size of 100 μm. Digital image magnification degraded image quality, and more than 2-times magnification degraded diagnostic ability. Under the present experimental conditions, increasing the scanning resolution did not always lead to an improvement in image quality or diagnostic ability, and digital image magnification degraded image quality and diagnostic ability. (author)

  12. Compact scanning transmission x-ray microscope at the photon factory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takeichi, Yasuo; Inami, Nobuhito; Ono, Kanta; Suga, Hiroki; Takahashi, Yoshio

    2016-01-01

    We report the design and performance of a compact scanning transmission X-ray microscope developed at the Photon Factory. Piezo-driven linear stages are used as coarse stages of the microscope to realize excellent compactness, mobility, and vibrational and thermal stability. An X-ray beam with an intensity of ∼10 7 photons/s was focused to a diameter of ∼40 nm at the sample. At the soft X-ray undulator beamline used with the microscope, a wide range of photon energies (250–1600 eV) is available. The microscope has been used to research energy materials and in environmental sciences

  13. A pulsated weak-resonant-cavity laser diode with transient wavelength scanning and tracking for injection-locked RZ transmission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Gong-Ru; Chi, Yu-Chieh; Liao, Yu-Sheng; Kuo, Hao-Chung; Liao, Zhi-Wang; Wang, Hai-Lin; Lin, Gong-Cheng

    2012-06-18

    By spectrally slicing a single longitudinal-mode from a master weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode with transient wavelength scanning and tracking functions, the broadened self-injection-locking of a slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode is demonstrated to achieve bi-directional transmission in a 200-GHz array-waveguide-grating channelized dense-wavelength-division-multiplexing passive optical network system. Both the down- and up-stream slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diodes are non-return-to-zero modulated below threshold and coherently injection-locked to deliver the pulsed carrier for 25-km bi-directional 2.5 Gbits/s return-to-zero transmission. The master weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode is gain-switched at near threshold condition and delivers an optical coherent pulse-train with its mode linewidth broadened from 0.2 to 0.8 nm by transient wavelength scanning, which facilitates the broadband injection-locking of the slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diodes with a threshold current reducing by 10 mA. Such a transient wavelength scanning induced spectral broadening greatly releases the limitation on wavelength injection-locking range required for the slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode. The theoretical modeling and numerical simulation on the wavelength scanning and tracking effects of the master and slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diodes are performed. The receiving power sensitivity for back-to-back transmission at bit-error-rate transmission is less than 2 dB for all 16 channels.

  14. High-resolution scanning near-field EBIC microscopy: Application to the characterisation of a shallow ion implanted p+-n silicon junction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smaali, K.; Faure, J.; El Hdiy, A.; Troyon, M.

    2008-01-01

    High-resolution electron beam induced current (EBIC) analyses were carried out on a shallow ion implanted p + -n silicon junction in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a scanning probe microscope (SPM) hybrid system. With this scanning near-field EBIC microscope, a sample can be conventionally imaged by SEM, its local topography investigated by SPM and high-resolution EBIC image simultaneously obtained. It is shown that the EBIC imaging capabilities of this combined instrument allows the study of p-n junctions with a resolution of about 20 nm

  15. New developments in transmission electron microscopy for nanotechnology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Z.L.

    2003-01-01

    High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) is one of the most powerful tools used for characterizing nanomaterials, and it is indispensable for nanotechnology. This paper reviews some of the most recent developments in electron microscopy techniques for characterizing nanomaterials. The review covers the following areas: in-situ microscopy for studying dynamic shape transformation of nanocrystals; in-situ nanoscale property measurements on the mechanical, electrical and field emission properties of nanotubes/nanowires; environmental microscopy for direct observation of surface reactions; aberration-free angstrom-resolution imaging of light elements (such as oxygen and lithium); high-angle annular-dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM); imaging of atom clusters with atomic resolution chemical information; electron holography of magnetic materials; and high-spatial resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) for nanoscale electronic and chemical analysis. It is demonstrated that the picometer-scale science provided by HRTEM is the foundation of nanometer-scale technology. (Abstract Copyright [2003], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  16. Atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy of electron beam–sensitive crystalline materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Daliang; Zhu, Yihan; Liu, Lingmei; Ying, Xiangrong; Hsiung, Chia-En; Sougrat, Rachid; Li, Kun; Han, Yu

    2018-02-01

    High-resolution imaging of electron beam–sensitive materials is one of the most difficult applications of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The challenges are manifold, including the acquisition of images with extremely low beam doses, the time-constrained search for crystal zone axes, the precise image alignment, and the accurate determination of the defocus value. We develop a suite of methods to fulfill these requirements and acquire atomic-resolution TEM images of several metal organic frameworks that are generally recognized as highly sensitive to electron beams. The high image resolution allows us to identify individual metal atomic columns, various types of surface termination, and benzene rings in the organic linkers. We also apply our methods to other electron beam–sensitive materials, including the organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite CH3NH3PbBr3.

  17. Atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy of electron beam–sensitive crystalline materials

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Daliang

    2018-01-18

    High-resolution imaging of electron beam-sensitive materials is one of the most difficult applications of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The challenges are manifold, including the acquisition of images with extremely low beam doses, the time-constrained search for crystal zone axes, the precise image alignment, and the accurate determination of the defocus value. We develop a suite of methods to fulfill these requirements and acquire atomic-resolution TEM images of several metal organic frameworks that are generally recognized as highly sensitive to electron beams. The high image resolution allows us to identify individual metal atomic columns, various types of surface termination, and benzene rings in the organic linkers. We also apply our methods to other electron beam–sensitive materials, including the organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite CH3NH3PbBr3.

  18. Nano-tomography of porous geological materials using focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liu, Yang; King, Helen E.; van Huis, Marijn A.; Drury, Martyn R.; Plümper, Oliver

    2016-01-01

    Tomographic analysis using focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) provides three-dimensional information about solid materials with a resolution of a few nanometres and thus bridges the gap between X-ray and transmission electron microscopic tomography techniques. This contribution

  19. Towards the low-dose characterization of beam sensitive nanostructures via implementation of sparse image acquisition in scanning transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Sunghwan; Han, Chang Wan; Ortalan, Volkan; Venkatakrishnan, Singanallur V; Bouman, Charles A

    2017-01-01

    Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) has been successfully utilized to investigate atomic structure and chemistry of materials with atomic resolution. However, STEM’s focused electron probe with a high current density causes the electron beam damages including radiolysis and knock-on damage when the focused probe is exposed onto the electron-beam sensitive materials. Therefore, it is highly desirable to decrease the electron dose used in STEM for the investigation of biological/organic molecules, soft materials and nanomaterials in general. With the recent emergence of novel sparse signal processing theories, such as compressive sensing and model-based iterative reconstruction, possibilities of operating STEM under a sparse acquisition scheme to reduce the electron dose have been opened up. In this paper, we report our recent approach to implement a sparse acquisition in STEM mode executed by a random sparse-scan and a signal processing algorithm called model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR). In this method, a small portion, such as 5% of randomly chosen unit sampling areas (i.e. electron probe positions), which corresponds to pixels of a STEM image, within the region of interest (ROI) of the specimen are scanned with an electron probe to obtain a sparse image. Sparse images are then reconstructed using the MBIR inpainting algorithm to produce an image of the specimen at the original resolution that is consistent with an image obtained using conventional scanning methods. Experimental results for down to 5% sampling show consistency with the full STEM image acquired by the conventional scanning method. Although, practical limitations of the conventional STEM instruments, such as internal delays of the STEM control electronics and the continuous electron gun emission, currently hinder to achieve the full potential of the sparse acquisition STEM in realizing the low dose imaging condition required for the investigation of beam-sensitive materials

  20. On the optimum resolution of transmission-electron backscattered diffraction (t-EBSD)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bremen, R. van; Ribas Gomes, D.; Jeer, L.T.H. de; Ocelík, V., E-mail: v.ocelik@rug.nl; De Hosson, J.Th.M.

    2016-01-15

    The work presented aims at determining the optimum physical resolution of the transmission-electron backscattered diffraction (t-EBSD) technique. The resolution depends critically on intrinsic factors such as the density, atomic number and thickness of the specimen but also on the extrinsic experimental set-up of the electron beam voltage, specimen tilt and detector position. In the present study, the so-called physical resolution of a typical t-EBSD set-up was determined with the use of Monte Carlo simulations and confronted to experimental findings. In the case of a thin Au film of 20 nm, the best resolution obtained was 9 nm whereas for a 100 nm Au film the best resolution was 66 nm. The precise dependence of resolution on thickness was found to vary differently depending on the specific elements involved. This means that the resolution of each specimen should be determined individually. Experimentally the median probe size of the t-EBSD for a 140 nm thick AuAg specimen was measured to be 87 nm. The first and third quartiles of the probe size measurements were found to be 60 nm and 118 nm. Simulation of this specimen resulted in a resolution of 94 nm which fits between these quartiles. - Highlights: • Intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting resolution of t-EBSD are determined and characterized. • Distinction between resolutions of transmitted and detected electrons is determined. • The simulated results are confirmed experimentally on 140 nm thick AuAg foil.

  1. First experimental proof for aberration correction in XPEEM: Resolution, transmission enhancement, and limitation by space charge effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmidt, Th.; Sala, A.; Marchetto, H.; Umbach, E.; Freund, H.-J.

    2013-01-01

    The positive effect of double aberration correction in x-ray induced Photoelectron Emission Microscopy (XPEEM) has been successfully demonstrated for both, the lateral resolution and the transmission, using the Au 4f XPS peak for element specific imaging at a kinetic energy of 113 eV. The lateral resolution is improved by a factor of four, compared to a non-corrected system, whereas the transmission is enhanced by a factor of 5 at a moderate resolution of 80 nm. With an optimized system setting, a lateral resolution of 18 nm could be achieved, which is up to now the best value reported for energy filtered XPEEM imaging. However, the absolute resolution does not yet reach the theoretical limit of 2 nm, which is due to space charge limitation. This occurs along the entire optical axis up to the contrast aperture. In XPEEM the pulsed time structure of the exciting soft x-ray light source causes a short and highly intense electron pulse, which results in an image blurring. In contrast, the imaging with elastically reflected electrons in the low energy electron microscopy (LEEM) mode yields a resolution clearly below 5 nm. Technical solutions to reduce the space charge effect in an aberration-corrected spectro-microscope are discussed. - Highlights: ► First successful double aberration correction in XPEEM. ► Improvement of resolution and transmission by aberration correction. ► Lateral resolution of 18 nm in energy filtered XPEEM is the best up to now reported value. ► First investigation of space charge effects in aberrations corrected PEEM

  2. High resolution helium ion scanning microscopy of the rat kidney.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William L Rice

    Full Text Available Helium ion scanning microscopy is a novel imaging technology with the potential to provide sub-nanometer resolution images of uncoated biological tissues. So far, however, it has been used mainly in materials science applications. Here, we took advantage of helium ion microscopy to explore the epithelium of the rat kidney with unsurpassed image quality and detail. In addition, we evaluated different tissue preparation methods for their ability to preserve tissue architecture. We found that high contrast, high resolution imaging of the renal tubule surface is possible with a relatively simple processing procedure that consists of transcardial perfusion with aldehyde fixatives, vibratome tissue sectioning, tissue dehydration with graded methanol solutions and careful critical point drying. Coupled with the helium ion system, fine details such as membrane texture and membranous nanoprojections on the glomerular podocytes were visualized, and pores within the filtration slit diaphragm could be seen in much greater detail than in previous scanning EM studies. In the collecting duct, the extensive and striking apical microplicae of the intercalated cells were imaged without the shrunken or distorted appearance that is typical with conventional sample processing and scanning electron microscopy. Membrane depressions visible on principal cells suggest possible endo- or exocytotic events, and central cilia on these cells were imaged with remarkable preservation and clarity. We also demonstrate the use of colloidal gold probes for highlighting specific cell-surface proteins and find that 15 nm gold labels are practical and easily distinguishable, indicating that external labels of various sizes can be used to detect multiple targets in the same tissue. We conclude that this technology represents a technical breakthrough in imaging the topographical ultrastructure of animal tissues. Its use in future studies should allow the study of fine cellular details

  3. Scanning magnetic tunnel junction microscope for high-resolution imaging of remanent magnetization fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lima, E. A.; Bruno, A. C.; Carvalho, H. R.; Weiss, B. P.

    2014-10-01

    Scanning magnetic microscopy is a new methodology for mapping magnetic fields with high spatial resolution and field sensitivity. An important goal has been to develop high-performance instruments that do not require cryogenic technology due to its high cost, complexity, and limitation on sensor-to-sample distance. Here we report the development of a low-cost scanning magnetic microscope based on commercial room-temperature magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) sensors that typically achieves spatial resolution better than 7 µm. By comparing different bias and detection schemes, optimal performance was obtained when biasing the MTJ sensor with a modulated current at 1.0 kHz in a Wheatstone bridge configuration while using a lock-in amplifier in conjunction with a low-noise custom-made preamplifier. A precision horizontal (x-y) scanning stage comprising two coupled nanopositioners controls the position of the sample and a linear actuator adjusts the sensor-to-sample distance. We obtained magnetic field sensitivities better than 150 nT/Hz1/2 between 0.1 and 10 Hz, which is a critical frequency range for scanning magnetic microscopy. This corresponds to a magnetic moment sensitivity of 10-14 A m2, a factor of 100 better than achievable with typical commercial superconducting moment magnetometers. It also represents an improvement in sensitivity by a factor between 10 and 30 compared to similar scanning MTJ microscopes based on conventional bias-detection schemes. To demonstrate the capabilities of the instrument, two polished thin sections of representative geological samples were scanned along with a synthetic sample containing magnetic microparticles. The instrument is usable for a diversity of applications that require mapping of samples at room temperature to preserve magnetic properties or viability, including paleomagnetism and rock magnetism, nondestructive evaluation of materials, and biological assays.

  4. Scanning magnetic tunnel junction microscope for high-resolution imaging of remanent magnetization fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lima, E A; Weiss, B P; Bruno, A C; Carvalho, H R

    2014-01-01

    Scanning magnetic microscopy is a new methodology for mapping magnetic fields with high spatial resolution and field sensitivity. An important goal has been to develop high-performance instruments that do not require cryogenic technology due to its high cost, complexity, and limitation on sensor-to-sample distance. Here we report the development of a low-cost scanning magnetic microscope based on commercial room-temperature magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) sensors that typically achieves spatial resolution better than 7 µm. By comparing different bias and detection schemes, optimal performance was obtained when biasing the MTJ sensor with a modulated current at 1.0 kHz in a Wheatstone bridge configuration while using a lock-in amplifier in conjunction with a low-noise custom-made preamplifier. A precision horizontal (x–y) scanning stage comprising two coupled nanopositioners controls the position of the sample and a linear actuator adjusts the sensor-to-sample distance. We obtained magnetic field sensitivities better than 150 nT/Hz 1/2 between 0.1 and 10 Hz, which is a critical frequency range for scanning magnetic microscopy. This corresponds to a magnetic moment sensitivity of 10 –14  A m 2 , a factor of 100 better than achievable with typical commercial superconducting moment magnetometers. It also represents an improvement in sensitivity by a factor between 10 and 30 compared to similar scanning MTJ microscopes based on conventional bias-detection schemes. To demonstrate the capabilities of the instrument, two polished thin sections of representative geological samples were scanned along with a synthetic sample containing magnetic microparticles. The instrument is usable for a diversity of applications that require mapping of samples at room temperature to preserve magnetic properties or viability, including paleomagnetism and rock magnetism, nondestructive evaluation of materials, and biological assays. (paper)

  5. Soft X-ray scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) of actinide particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nilsson, Hans J; Tyliszczak, Tolek; Wilson, Richard E; Werme, Lars; Shuh, David K

    2005-09-01

    A descriptive account is given of our most recent research on the actinide dioxides with the Advanced Light Source Molecular Environmental Science (ALS-MES) Beamline 11.0.2 soft X-ray scanning transmission X-ray microscope (STXM) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The ALS-MES STXM permits near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) and imaging with 30-nm spatial resolution. The first STXM spectromicroscopy NEXAFS spectra at the actinide 4d5/2 edges of the imaged transuranic particles, NpO2 and PuO2, have been obtained. Radiation damage induced by the STXM was observed in the investigation of a mixed oxidation state particle (Np(V,VI)) and was minimized during collection of the actual spectra at the 4d5/2 edge of the Np(V,VI) solid. A plutonium elemental map was obtained from an irregular PuO2 particle with the dimensions of 650 x 650 nm. The Pu 4d5/2 NEXAFS spectra were collected at several different locations from the PuO2 particle and were identical. A representative oxygen K-edge spectrum from UO2 was collected and resembles the oxygen K-edge from the bulk material. The unique and current performance of the ALS-MES STXM at extremely low energies (ca. 100 eV) that may permit the successful measurement of the actinide 5d edge is documented. Finally, the potential of STXM as a tool for actinide investigations is briefly discussed.

  6. Opto-mechano-electrical tripling in ZnO nanowires probed by photocurrent spectroscopy in a high-resolution transmission electron microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, C.; Golberg, D., E-mail: xuzhi@iphy.ac.cn, E-mail: golberg.dmitri@nims.go.jp [International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 3050044 (Japan); Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 3058577 (Japan); Xu, Z., E-mail: xuzhi@iphy.ac.cn, E-mail: golberg.dmitri@nims.go.jp [Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Kvashnin, D. G. [National University of Science and Technology, MISIS, Leninskiy Prospect 4, Moscow 119049 (Russian Federation); Tang, D.-M.; Xue, Y. M.; Bando, Y. [International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 3050044 (Japan); Sorokin, P. B. [National University of Science and Technology, MISIS, Leninskiy Prospect 4, Moscow 119049 (Russian Federation); Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Institutsky Lane 9, Dolgoprudny 141700 (Russian Federation)

    2015-08-31

    Photocurrent spectroscopy of individual free-standing ZnO nanowires inside a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (TEM) is reported. By using specially designed optical in situ TEM system capable of scanning tunneling microscopy probing paired with light illumination, opto-mechano-electrical tripling phenomenon in ZnO nanowires is demonstrated. Splitting of photocurrent spectra at around 3.3 eV under in situ TEM bending of ZnO nanowires directly corresponds to nanowire deformation and appearance of expanded and compressed nanowire sides. Theoretical simulation of a bent ZnO nanowire has an excellent agreement with the experimental data. The splitting effect could be explained by a change in the valence band structure of ZnO nanowires due to a lattice strain. The strain-induced splitting provides important clues for future flexible piezo-phototronics.

  7. a New Approach for Subway Tunnel Deformation Monitoring: High-Resolution Terrestrial Laser Scanning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, J.; Wan, Y.; Gao, X.

    2012-07-01

    With the improvement of the accuracy and efficiency of laser scanning technology, high-resolution terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) technology can obtain high precise points-cloud and density distribution and can be applied to high-precision deformation monitoring of subway tunnels and high-speed railway bridges and other fields. In this paper, a new approach using a points-cloud segmentation method based on vectors of neighbor points and surface fitting method based on moving least squares was proposed and applied to subway tunnel deformation monitoring in Tianjin combined with a new high-resolution terrestrial laser scanner (Riegl VZ-400). There were three main procedures. Firstly, a points-cloud consisted of several scanning was registered by linearized iterative least squares approach to improve the accuracy of registration, and several control points were acquired by total stations (TS) and then adjusted. Secondly, the registered points-cloud was resampled and segmented based on vectors of neighbor points to select suitable points. Thirdly, the selected points were used to fit the subway tunnel surface with moving least squares algorithm. Then a series of parallel sections obtained from temporal series of fitting tunnel surfaces were compared to analysis the deformation. Finally, the results of the approach in z direction were compared with the fiber optical displacement sensor approach and the results in x, y directions were compared with TS respectively, and comparison results showed the accuracy errors of x, y, z directions were respectively about 1.5 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm. Therefore the new approach using high-resolution TLS can meet the demand of subway tunnel deformation monitoring.

  8. The influence of C{sub s}/C{sub c} correction in analytical imaging and spectroscopy in scanning and transmission electron microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zaluzec, Nestor J., E-mail: zaluzec@microscopy.com

    2015-04-15

    Aberration correction in scanning/transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM) owes much to the efforts of a small dedicated group of innovators. Leading that frontier has been Prof. Harald Rose. To date his leadership and dynamic personality has spearheaded our ability to leave behind many of the limitations imposed by spherical aberration (C{sub s}) in high resolution phase contrast imaging. Following shortly behind, has been the development of chromatic aberration correction (C{sub c}) which augments those accomplishments. In this paper we will review and summarize how the combination of C{sub s}/C{sub c} technology enhances our ability to conduct hyperspectral imaging and spectroscopy in today's and future computationally mediated experiments in both thin as well as realistic specimens in vacuo and during in-situ/environmental experiments.

  9. Direct Visualization of Local Electromagnetic Field Structures by Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shibata, Naoya; Findlay, Scott D; Matsumoto, Takao; Kohno, Yuji; Seki, Takehito; Sánchez-Santolino, Gabriel; Ikuhara, Yuichi

    2017-07-18

    The functional properties of materials and devices are critically determined by the electromagnetic field structures formed inside them, especially at nanointerface and surface regions, because such structures are strongly associated with the dynamics of electrons, holes and ions. To understand the fundamental origin of many exotic properties in modern materials and devices, it is essential to directly characterize local electromagnetic field structures at such defect regions, even down to atomic dimensions. In recent years, rapid progress in the development of high-speed area detectors for aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) with sub-angstrom spatial resolution has opened new possibilities to directly image such electromagnetic field structures at very high-resolution. In this Account, we give an overview of our recent development of differential phase contrast (DPC) microscopy for aberration-corrected STEM and its application to many materials problems. In recent years, we have developed segmented-type STEM detectors which divide the detector plane into 16 segments and enable simultaneous imaging of 16 STEM images which are sensitive to the positions and angles of transmitted/scattered electrons on the detector plane. These detectors also have atomic-resolution imaging capability. Using these segmented-type STEM detectors, we show DPC STEM imaging to be a very powerful tool for directly imaging local electromagnetic field structures in materials and devices in real space. For example, DPC STEM can clearly visualize the local electric field variation due to the abrupt potential change across a p-n junction in a GaAs semiconductor, which cannot be observed by normal in-focus bright-field or annular type dark-field STEM imaging modes. DPC STEM is also very effective for imaging magnetic field structures in magnetic materials, such as magnetic domains and skyrmions. Moreover, real-time imaging of electromagnetic field structures can

  10. Addressing preservation of elastic contrast in energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brown, H.G.; D' Alfonso, A.J.; Forbes, B.D.; Allen, L.J., E-mail: lja@unimelb.edu.au

    2016-01-15

    Energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) images with resolutions of the order of an Ångström can be obtained using modern microscopes corrected for chromatic aberration. However, the delocalized nature of the transition potentials for atomic ionization often confounds direct interpretation of EFTEM images, leading to what is known as “preservation of elastic contrast”. In this paper we demonstrate how more interpretable images might be obtained by scanning with a focused coherent probe and incoherently averaging the energy-filtered images over probe position. We dub this new imaging technique energy-filtered imaging scanning transmission electron microscopy (EFISTEM). We develop a theoretical framework for EFISTEM and show that it is in fact equivalent to precession EFTEM, where the plane wave illumination is precessed through a range of tilts spanning the same range of angles as the probe forming aperture in EFISTEM. It is demonstrated that EFISTEM delivers similar results to scanning transmission electron microscopy with an electron energy-loss spectrometer but has the advantage that it is immune to coherent aberrations and spatial incoherence of the probe and is also more resilient to scan distortions. - Highlights: • Interpretation of EFTEM images is complicated by preservation of elastic contrast. • More direct images obtained by scanning with a focused coherent probe and averaging. • This is equivalent to precession EFTEM through the solid angle defined by the probe. • Also yields similar results to energy-loss scanning transmission electron microscopy. • Scanning approach immune to probe aberrations and resilient to scan distortions.

  11. Application of carbon nanotubes to topographical resolution enhancement of tapered fiber scanning near field optical microscopy probes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huntington, S. T.; Jarvis, S. P.

    2003-05-01

    Scanning near field optical microscopy (SNOM) probes are typically tapered optical fibers with metallic coatings. The tip diameters are generally in excess of 300 nm and thus provide poor topographical resolution. Here we report on the attachment multiwalled carbon nanotubes to the probes in order to substantially enhance the topographical resolution, without adversely affecting the optical resolution.

  12. Dynamics of annular bright field imaging in scanning transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Findlay, S.D.; Shibata, N.; Sawada, H.; Okunishi, E.; Kondo, Y.; Ikuhara, Y.

    2010-01-01

    We explore the dynamics of image formation in the so-called annular bright field mode in scanning transmission electron microscopy, whereby an annular detector is used with detector collection range lying within the cone of illumination, i.e. the bright field region. We show that this imaging mode allows us to reliably image both light and heavy columns over a range of thickness and defocus values, and we explain the contrast mechanisms involved. The role of probe and detector aperture sizes is considered, as is the sensitivity of the method to intercolumn spacing and local disorder.

  13. Nanometer-scale, quantitative composition mappings of InGaN layers from a combination of scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pantzas, K; Voss, P L; Ougazzaden, A; Patriarche, G; Largeau, L; Mauguin, O; Troadec, D; Gautier, S; Moudakir, T; Suresh, S

    2012-01-01

    Using elastic scattering theory we show that a small set of energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) measurements is sufficient to experimentally evaluate the scattering function of electrons in high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission microscopy (HAADF-STEM). We then demonstrate how to use this function to transform qualitative HAADF-STEM images of InGaN layers into precise, quantitative chemical maps of the indium composition. The maps obtained in this way combine the resolution of HAADF-STEM and the chemical precision of EDX. We illustrate the potential of such chemical maps by using them to investigate nanometer-scale fluctuations in the indium composition and their impact on the growth of epitaxial InGaN layers. (paper)

  14. On the optical stability of high-resolution transmission electron microscopes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barthel, J.; Thust, A.

    2013-01-01

    In the recent two decades the technique of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy experienced an unprecedented progress through the introduction of hardware aberration correctors and by the improvement of the achievable resolution to the sub-Ångström level. The important aspect that aberration correction at a given resolution requires also a well defined amount of optical stability has received little attention so far. Therefore we investigate the qualification of a variety of high-resolution electron microscopes to maintain an aberration corrected optical state in terms of an optical lifetime. We develop a comprehensive statistical framework for the estimation of the optical lifetime and find remarkably low values between tens of seconds and a couple of minutes. Probability curves are introduced, which inform the operator about the chance to work still in the fully aberration corrected state. - Highlights: • We investigate the temporal stability of optical aberrations in HRTEM. • We develop a statistical framework for the estimation of optical lifetimes. • We introduce plots showing the success probability for aberration-free work. • Optical lifetimes in sub-Ångström electron microscopy are surprisingly low. • The success of aberration correction depends strongly on the optical stability

  15. A NEW APPROACH FOR SUBWAY TUNNEL DEFORMATION MONITORING: HIGH-RESOLUTION TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANNING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Li

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available With the improvement of the accuracy and efficiency of laser scanning technology, high-resolution terrestrial laser scanning (TLS technology can obtain high precise points-cloud and density distribution and can be applied to high-precision deformation monitoring of subway tunnels and high-speed railway bridges and other fields. In this paper, a new approach using a points-cloud segmentation method based on vectors of neighbor points and surface fitting method based on moving least squares was proposed and applied to subway tunnel deformation monitoring in Tianjin combined with a new high-resolution terrestrial laser scanner (Riegl VZ-400. There were three main procedures. Firstly, a points-cloud consisted of several scanning was registered by linearized iterative least squares approach to improve the accuracy of registration, and several control points were acquired by total stations (TS and then adjusted. Secondly, the registered points-cloud was resampled and segmented based on vectors of neighbor points to select suitable points. Thirdly, the selected points were used to fit the subway tunnel surface with moving least squares algorithm. Then a series of parallel sections obtained from temporal series of fitting tunnel surfaces were compared to analysis the deformation. Finally, the results of the approach in z direction were compared with the fiber optical displacement sensor approach and the results in x, y directions were compared with TS respectively, and comparison results showed the accuracy errors of x, y, z directions were respectively about 1.5 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm. Therefore the new approach using high-resolution TLS can meet the demand of subway tunnel deformation monitoring.

  16. Gas-phase synthesis of magnesium nanoparticles : A high-resolution transmission electron microscopy study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kooi, B.J.; Palasantzas, G.; de Hosson, J.T.M.

    2006-01-01

    Magnesium nanoparticles with size above 10 nm, prepared by gas-phase syntheses, were investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The dominant particle shape is a hexagonal prism terminated by Mg(0002) and Mg{1010} facets. Oxidation of Mg yields a MgO shell (similar to 3 nm

  17. Practical considerations for high spatial and temporal resolution dynamic transmission electron microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Armstrong, Michael R. [Materials Science and Technology Division, Chemistry and Materials Science Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, L-356, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States)], E-mail: armstrong30@llnl.gov; Boyden, Ken [Materials Science and Technology Division, Chemistry and Materials Science Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, L-356, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States); Browning, Nigel D. [Materials Science and Technology Division, Chemistry and Materials Science Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, L-356, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States); Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California-Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 (United States); Campbell, Geoffrey H.; Colvin, Jeffrey D.; De Hope, William J.; Frank, Alan M. [Materials Science and Technology Division, Chemistry and Materials Science Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, L-356, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States); Gibson, David J.; Hartemann, Fred [N Division, Physics and Advanced Technologies Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, L-280, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States); Kim, Judy S. [Materials Science and Technology Division, Chemistry and Materials Science Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, L-356, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States); Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California-Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 (United States); King, Wayne E.; La Grange, Thomas B.; Pyke, Ben J.; Reed, Bryan W.; Shuttlesworth, Richard M.; Stuart, Brent C.; Torralva, Ben R. [Materials Science and Technology Division, Chemistry and Materials Science Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, L-356, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States)

    2007-04-15

    Although recent years have seen significant advances in the spatial resolution possible in the transmission electron microscope (TEM), the temporal resolution of most microscopes is limited to video rate at best. This lack of temporal resolution means that our understanding of dynamic processes in materials is extremely limited. High temporal resolution in the TEM can be achieved, however, by replacing the normal thermionic or field emission source with a photoemission source. In this case the temporal resolution is limited only by the ability to create a short pulse of photoexcited electrons in the source, and this can be as short as a few femtoseconds. The operation of the photo-emission source and the control of the subsequent pulse of electrons (containing as many as 5x10{sup 7} electrons) create significant challenges for a standard microscope column that is designed to operate with a single electron in the column at any one time. In this paper, the generation and control of electron pulses in the TEM to obtain a temporal resolution <10{sup -6} s will be described and the effect of the pulse duration and current density on the spatial resolution of the instrument will be examined. The potential of these levels of temporal and spatial resolution for the study of dynamic materials processes will also be discussed.

  18. Practical considerations for high spatial and temporal resolution dynamic transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Armstrong, Michael R.; Boyden, Ken; Browning, Nigel D.; Campbell, Geoffrey H.; Colvin, Jeffrey D.; De Hope, William J.; Frank, Alan M.; Gibson, David J.; Hartemann, Fred; Kim, Judy S.; King, Wayne E.; La Grange, Thomas B.; Pyke, Ben J.; Reed, Bryan W.; Shuttlesworth, Richard M.; Stuart, Brent C.; Torralva, Ben R.

    2007-01-01

    Although recent years have seen significant advances in the spatial resolution possible in the transmission electron microscope (TEM), the temporal resolution of most microscopes is limited to video rate at best. This lack of temporal resolution means that our understanding of dynamic processes in materials is extremely limited. High temporal resolution in the TEM can be achieved, however, by replacing the normal thermionic or field emission source with a photoemission source. In this case the temporal resolution is limited only by the ability to create a short pulse of photoexcited electrons in the source, and this can be as short as a few femtoseconds. The operation of the photo-emission source and the control of the subsequent pulse of electrons (containing as many as 5x10 7 electrons) create significant challenges for a standard microscope column that is designed to operate with a single electron in the column at any one time. In this paper, the generation and control of electron pulses in the TEM to obtain a temporal resolution -6 s will be described and the effect of the pulse duration and current density on the spatial resolution of the instrument will be examined. The potential of these levels of temporal and spatial resolution for the study of dynamic materials processes will also be discussed

  19. Large-scale high-resolution scanning Hall probe microscope used for MgB2 filament characterization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cambel, V; Fedor, J; Gregusova, D; Kovac, P; Husek, I

    2005-01-01

    The scanning Hall probe microscope (SHPM) is an important imaging tool used for detailed studies of superconductors in basic science as well as in the industrial sector. It can be used for the studies of losses, current distribution, and effects at grain boundaries. However, only a few SHPMs for magnetic field imaging at temperatures below 77 K have been proposed up to now, most of them designed for small-area (∼10x10 μm 2 ) scanning. We present a large-scale low-temperature SHPM developed for imaging the entire magnetic field in close proximity to magnetic and superconducting samples at 4.2-300 K. The microscope combines a large scanned area and high spatial and magnetic field resolution. The instrument is designed as an insert of standard helium flowing cryostats. The Hall sensor scans an area up to 7 x 25 mm 2 in the whole temperature interval with a spatial resolution better than 5 μm. The presented system is used for the study of ex situ prepared MgB 2 filament. We show that external magnetic field induces local supercurrents in the MgB 2 , from which the critical current can be estimated. Moreover, it indicates the microstructure and space homogeneity of the superconductor

  20. Analysis and Calibration of in situ scanning tunnelling microscopy Images with atomic Resolution Influenced by Surface Drift Phenomena

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Jens Enevold Thaulov; Møller, Per

    1994-01-01

    The influence of surface drift velocities on in situ scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) experiments with atomic resolution is analysed experimentally and mathematically. Constant drift velocities much smaller than the speed of scanning can in many in situ STM experiments with atomic resolution ...... as well as the vectors of the non-distorted surface lattice can be determined. The calibration of distances can thus be carried out also when the image is influenced by drift. Results with gold surfaces and graphite surfaces are analysed and discussed....

  1. Sub-nanometre resolution imaging of polymer-fullerene photovoltaic blends using energy-filtered scanning electron microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masters, Robert C; Pearson, Andrew J; Glen, Tom S; Sasam, Fabian-Cyril; Li, Letian; Dapor, Maurizio; Donald, Athene M; Lidzey, David G; Rodenburg, Cornelia

    2015-04-24

    The resolution capability of the scanning electron microscope has increased immensely in recent years, and is now within the sub-nanometre range, at least for inorganic materials. An equivalent advance has not yet been achieved for imaging the morphologies of nanostructured organic materials, such as organic photovoltaic blends. Here we show that energy-selective secondary electron detection can be used to obtain high-contrast, material-specific images of an organic photovoltaic blend. We also find that we can differentiate mixed phases from pure material phases in our data. The lateral resolution demonstrated is twice that previously reported from secondary electron imaging. Our results suggest that our energy-filtered scanning electron microscopy approach will be able to make major inroads into the understanding of complex, nano-structured organic materials.

  2. Sub-nanometre resolution imaging of polymer–fullerene photovoltaic blends using energy-filtered scanning electron microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masters, Robert C.; Pearson, Andrew J.; Glen, Tom S.; Sasam, Fabian-Cyril; Li, Letian; Dapor, Maurizio; Donald, Athene M.; Lidzey, David G.; Rodenburg, Cornelia

    2015-01-01

    The resolution capability of the scanning electron microscope has increased immensely in recent years, and is now within the sub-nanometre range, at least for inorganic materials. An equivalent advance has not yet been achieved for imaging the morphologies of nanostructured organic materials, such as organic photovoltaic blends. Here we show that energy-selective secondary electron detection can be used to obtain high-contrast, material-specific images of an organic photovoltaic blend. We also find that we can differentiate mixed phases from pure material phases in our data. The lateral resolution demonstrated is twice that previously reported from secondary electron imaging. Our results suggest that our energy-filtered scanning electron microscopy approach will be able to make major inroads into the understanding of complex, nano-structured organic materials. PMID:25906738

  3. Simultaneous Confocal Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy Combined with High-Resolution Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Verônica Castro Lima

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available We aimed to evaluate technical aspects and the clinical relevance of a simultaneous confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope and a high-speed, high-resolution, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT device for retinal imaging. The principle of confocal scanning laser imaging provides a high resolution of retinal and choroidal vasculature with low light exposure. Enhanced contrast, details, and image sharpness are generated using confocality. The real-time SDOCT provides a new level of accuracy for assessment of the angiographic and morphological correlation. The combined system allows for simultaneous recordings of topographic and tomographic images with accurate correlation between them. Also it can provide simultaneous multimodal imaging of retinal pathologies, such as fluorescein and indocyanine green angiographies, infrared and blue reflectance (red-free images, fundus autofluorescence images, and OCT scans (Spectralis HRA + OCT; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany. The combination of various macular diagnostic tools can lead to a better understanding and improved knowledge of macular diseases.

  4. Investigating the use of in situ liquid cell scanning transmission electron microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nguy, Amanda [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    2016-02-19

    Engineering nanoparticles with desired shape-dependent properties is the key to many applications in nanotechnology. Although many synthetic procedures exist to produce anisotropic gold nanoparticles, the dynamics of growth are typically unknown or hypothetical. In the case of seed-mediated growth in the presence of DNA into anisotropic nanoparticles, it is not known exactly how DNA directs growth into specific morphologies. A series of preliminary experiments were carried out to contribute to the investigation of the possible mechanism of DNA-mediated growth of gold nanoprisms into gold nanostars using liquid cell scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Imaging in the liquid phase was achieved through the use of a liquid cell platform and liquid cell holder that allow the sample to be contained within a “chip sandwich” between two electron transparent windows. Ex situ growth experiments were performed using Au-T30 NPrisms (30-base thymine oligonucleotide-coated gold nanoprisms) that are expected to grow into gold nanostars. Growth to form these nanostars were imaged using TEM (transmission electron microscopy) and liquid cell STEM (scanning transmission electron microscopy). An attempt to perform in situ growth experiments with the same Au-T30 nanoprisms revealed challenges in obtaining desired morphology results due to the environmental differences within the liquid cell compared to the ex situ environment. Different parameters in the experimental method were explored including fluid line set up, simultaneous and alternating reagent addition, and the effect of different liquid cell volumes to ensure adequate flow of reagents into the liquid cell. Lastly, the binding affinities were compared for T30 and A30 DNA incubated with gold nanoparticles using zeta potential measurements, absorption spectroscopy, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). It was previously reported thymine bases have a lower binding affinity to gold surfaces than adenine

  5. Characterization of gaseous species in scanning atmospheric rf plasma with transmission infrared spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Seong H.; Kim, Jeong Hoon; Kang, Bang-Kwon

    2008-01-01

    A scanning atmospheric radio-frequency (rf) plasma was analyzed with transmission infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The IR analyses were made for the plasmas used for hydrophobic coating deposition and superhydrophobic coating deposition processes. Since the rf plasma was generated in a small open space with a high gas flow rate in ambient air, the density of gas-phase molecules was very high and the plasma-generated reactive species seemed to undergo various reactions in the gas phase. So, the transmission IR spectra of the scanning atmospheric rf plasma were dominated by gas-phase reaction products, rather than plasma-generated intermediate species. In the CH 4 /He plasma used for hydrophobic coating deposition, C 2 H 6 , C 2 H 2 , and a small amount of C 2 H 4 as well as CO were detected in transmission IR. The intensities of these peaks increased as the rf power increased. The CO formation is due to the activation of oxygen and water in the air. In the CF 4 /H 2 /He plasma used for deposition of superhydrophobic coatings, C 2 F 6 , CF 3 H, COF 2 , and HF were mainly detected. When the H 2 /CF 4 ratio was ∼0.5, the consumption of CF 4 was the highest. As the H 2 /CF 4 ratio increased higher, the C 2 F 6 production was suppressed while the CF 3 H peak grew and the formation of CH 4 were detected. In both CH 4 /He and CF 4 /H 2 /He plasma systems, the undissociated feed gas molecules seem to be highly excited vibrationally and rotationally. The information on plasma-generated reactive species and their reactions was deduced from the distribution of these gas-phase reaction products

  6. Beacon-S TM: Non-uniform attenuation correction for SPECT imaging. The new medium-energy transmission device for AXIS and IRIX

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daniel Gagnon, D.

    1999-01-01

    The paper presents new medium-energy transmission device for SPECT imaging. Beacon-S includes a 356-keV medium energy 133 Ba source with a 10.54-year half-life. Beacon-S provide high-resolution and high-contrast transmission scans. The higher energy of the gamma substantially improves the transmission contrast for larger patients by virtue of better penetration through the body

  7. A transmission positron microscope and a scanning positron microscope being built at KEK, Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doyama, M.; Inoue, M.; Kogure, Y.; Kurihara, T.; Yagishita, A.; Shidara, T.; Nakahara, K.; Hayashi, Y.; Yoshiie, T.

    2001-01-01

    This paper reports the plans of positron microscopes being built at KEK (High Energy Accelerator Research Organization), Tsukuba, Japan improving used electron microscopes. The kinetic energies of positron produced by accelerators or by nuclear decays have not a unique value but show a spread over in a wide range. Positron beam will be guided near electron microscopes, a transmission electron microscope (JEM100S) and a scanning electron microscope (JSM25S). Positrons are slowed down by a tungsten foil, accelerated and focused on a nickel sheet. The monochromatic focused beam will be injected into an electron microscope. The focusing of positrons and electrons is achieved by magnetic system of the electron microscopes. Imaging plates are used to record positron images for the transmission electron microscope. (orig.)

  8. Acquisition parameters optimization of a transmission electron forward scatter diffraction system in a cold-field emission scanning electron microscope for nanomaterials characterization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brodusch, Nicolas; Demers, Hendrix; Trudeau, Michel; Gauvin, Raynald

    2013-01-01

    Transmission electron forward scatter diffraction (t-EFSD) is a new technique providing crystallographic information with high resolution on thin specimens by using a conventional electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) system in a scanning electron microscope. In this study, the impact of tilt angle, working distance, and detector distance on the Kikuchi pattern quality were investigated in a cold-field emission scanning electron microscope (CFE-SEM). We demonstrated that t-EFSD is applicable for tilt angles ranging from -20° to -40°. Working distance (WD) should be optimized for each material by choosing the WD for which the EBSD camera screen illumination is the highest, as the number of detected electrons on the screen is directly dependent on the scattering angle. To take advantage of the best performances of the CFE-SEM, the EBSD camera should be close to the sample and oriented towards the bottom to increase forward scattered electron collection efficiency. However, specimen chamber cluttering and beam/mechanical drift are important limitations in the CFE-SEM used in this work. Finally, the importance of t-EFSD in materials science characterization was illustrated through three examples of phase identification and orientation mapping. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Annular dark field electron microscope images with better than 2 A resolution at 100 kV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, D.H.; Kirkland, E.J.; Silcox, J.

    1989-01-01

    High-resolution scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) images in the annular dark field (ADF) imaging mode approaching the theoretical point-to-point resolution limit are presented. The ADF images were obtained from a high T c superconducting YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x thin-film specimen at 100 kV. The 1.9 A resolution lattice image, which is the smallest lattice spacing in the specimen, corresponds to the minimum resolvable spatial frequency with 5% contrast in the contrast transfer function for annular dark field, and is smaller than the resolution limit given by the Rayleigh criterion. This demonstrates that STEM ADF imaging can have a resolution approximately 40% better than that of the bright field conventional transmission electron microscope (CTEM) imaging at Scherzer condition

  10. Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy: Applications in Atmospheric Aerosol Research

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moffet, Ryan C.; Tivanski, Alexei V.; Gilles, Mary K.

    2011-01-20

    Scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) combines x-ray microscopy and near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS). This combination provides spatially resolved bonding and oxidation state information. While there are reviews relevant to STXM/NEXAFS applications in other environmental fields (and magnetic materials) this chapter focuses on atmospheric aerosols. It provides an introduction to this technique in a manner approachable to non-experts. It begins with relevant background information on synchrotron radiation sources and a description of NEXAFS spectroscopy. The bulk of the chapter provides a survey of STXM/NEXAFS aerosol studies and is organized according to the type of aerosol investigated. The purpose is to illustrate the current range and recent growth of scientific investigations employing STXM-NEXAFS to probe atmospheric aerosol morphology, surface coatings, mixing states, and atmospheric processing.

  11. Transmission-Line Readout with Good Time and Space Resolutions for Planacon MCP-PMTs

    CERN Document Server

    Tang, F; Byrum, K; Drake, G; Ertley, C; Frisch, H; Genat, J-F; May, E

    2008-01-01

    With commercially-available multi-anode microchannel plate photomultiplier tubes (MCP-PMT) and electronics, resolutions significantly better than 10 psec have been achieved in small systems with a few readout channels[1,2]. For large-scale time-of-flight systems used in particle physics, which may cover tens of square meters, a solution must be found with a manageable number of electronics channels and low total power consumption on the readout electronics without degrading the system timing resolution. We present here the design of a transmission-line readout for a Photonis Planacon MCP-PMT that has these characteristics. The tube, which is 5 cm square, is characterized by signal pulse rise times in the order of 200 psec and transit time spreads (TTS) in the order of 25 psec[1, 2]. The model 85011-011 MCP has 1024 anode pads laid out in an array of 32 by 32 on the back of the tube. The proposed readout is implemented on a Rogers 4350B printed circuit board with 32 parallel 50-ohm transmission lines on 1.6 mm...

  12. Image quality of high-resolution CT with 16-channel multidetector-row CT. Comparison between helical scan and conventional step-shoot scan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sumikawa, Hiromitsu; Johkoh, Takeshi; Koyama, Mitsuhiro

    2005-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the image quality of high-resolution CT (HRCT) reconstructed from volumetric data with 16-channel multidetector-row CT (MDCT). Eleven autopsy lungs that were diagnosed histopathologically were scanned by 16-channel MDCT with the step-and-shoot scan mode and three helical scan modes. Each helical mode had each size of focal spot, pitch, and time of gantry rotation. HRCT images were reconstructed from the volumetric data with each helical mode and axial sequence data. Two observers evaluated the image quality and noted the most appropriate diagnosis for each imaging. Visualization of abnormal structures with one helical mode was equal to those with axial mode, whereas those with the other two helical modes were inferior to those with axial mode (Wilcoxon signed rank test; p<0.0001). There was no significant difference in diagnostic efficacy between modes. The image quality of HRCT with appropriate helical mode is equal to that with axial mode and diagnostic efficacy is equal among all modes. These results may indicate that sufficient HRCT images can be obtained by only one helical scan without the addition of conventional axial scans. (author)

  13. High-Resolution Light Transmission Spectroscopy of Nanoparticles in Real Time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanner, Carol; Sun, Nan; Deatsch, Alison; Li, Frank; Ruggiero, Steven

    2017-04-01

    As implemented here, Light Transmission Spectroscopy (LTS) is a high-resolution real-time technique for eliminating spectral noise and systematic effects in wide band spectroscopic measurements of nanoparticles. In this work, we combine LTS with spectral inversion for the purpose of characterizing the size, shape, and number of nanoparticles in solution. The apparatus employs a wide-band multi-wavelength light source and grating spectrometers coupled to CCD detectors. The light source ranges from 210 to 2000 nm, and the wavelength dependent light detection system ranges from 200 to 1100 nm with model the total extinction cross-section, and spectral inversion is employed to obtain quantitative particle size distributions. Discussed are the precision, accuracy, resolution, and sensitivity of our results. The technique is quite versatile and can be applied to spectroscopic investigations where wideband, accurate, low-noise, real-time spectra are desired. University of Notre Dame Office of Research, College of Science, Department of Physics, and USDA.

  14. Advances in imaging and electron physics the scanning transmission electron microscope

    CERN Document Server

    Hawkes, Peter W

    2009-01-01

    Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics merges two long-running serials--Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics and Advances in Optical and Electron Microscopy. This series features extended articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science and digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy, and the computing methods used in all these domains.  This particular volume presents several timely articles on the scanning transmission electron microscope. Updated with contributions from leading international scholars and industry experts Discusses hot topic areas and presents current and future research trends Provides an invaluable reference and guide for physicists, engineers and mathematicians.

  15. A simple way to obtain backscattered electron images in a scanning transmission electron microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuruta, Hiroki; Tanaka, Shigeyasu; Tanji, Takayoshi; Morita, Chiaki

    2014-08-01

    We have fabricated a simple detector for backscattered electrons (BSEs) and incorporated the detector into a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) sample holder. Our detector was made from a 4-mm(2) Si chip. The fabrication procedure was easy, and similar to a standard transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample thinning process based on ion milling. A TEM grid containing particle objects was fixed to the detector with a silver paste. Observations were carried out using samples of Au and latex particles at 75 and 200 kV. Such a detector provides an easy way to obtain BSE images in an STEM. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japanese Society of Microscopy. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  16. Single-view volumetric PIV via high-resolution scanning, isotropic voxel restructuring and 3D least-squares matching (3D-LSM)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brücker, C; Hess, D; Kitzhofer, J

    2013-01-01

    Scanning PIV as introduced by Brücker (1995 Exp. Fluids 19 255–63, 1996a Appl. Sci. Res. 56 157–79) has been successfully applied in the last 20 years to different flow problems where the frame rate was sufficient to ensure a ‘frozen’ field condition. The limited number of parallel planes however leads typically to an under-sampling in the scan direction in depth; therefore, the spatial resolution in depth is typically considerably lower than the spatial resolution in the plane of the laser sheet (depth resolution = scan shift Δz ≫ pixel unit in object space). In addition, a partial volume averaging effect due to the thickness of the light sheet must be taken into account. Herein, the method is further developed using a high-resolution scanning in combination with a Gaussian regression technique to achieve an isotropic representation of the tracer particles in a voxel-based volume reconstruction with cuboidal voxels. This eliminates the partial volume averaging effect due to light sheet thickness and leads to comparable spatial resolution of the particle field reconstructions in x-, y- and z-axes. In addition, advantage of voxel-based processing with estimations of translation, rotation and shear/strain is taken by using a 3D least-squares matching method, well suited for reconstruction of grey-level pattern fields. The method is discussed in this paper and used to investigate the ring vortex instability at Re = 2500 within a measurement volume of roughly 75 × 75 × 50 mm 3 with a spatial resolution of 100 µm/voxel (750 × 750 × 500 voxel elements). The volume has been scanned with a number of 100 light sheets and scan rates of 10 kHz. The results show the growth of the Tsai–Widnall azimuthal instabilities accompanied with a precession of the axis of the vortex ring. Prior to breakdown, secondary instabilities evolve along the core with streamwise oriented striations. The front stagnation point's streamwise distance to the core starts to decrease

  17. A Simple Metric for Determining Resolution in Optical, Ion, and Electron Microscope Images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curtin, Alexandra E; Skinner, Ryan; Sanders, Aric W

    2015-06-01

    A resolution metric intended for resolution analysis of arbitrary spatially calibrated images is presented. By fitting a simple sigmoidal function to pixel intensities across slices of an image taken perpendicular to light-dark edges, the mean distance over which the light-dark transition occurs can be determined. A fixed multiple of this characteristic distance is then reported as the image resolution. The prefactor is determined by analysis of scanning transmission electron microscope high-angle annular dark field images of Si. This metric has been applied to optical, scanning electron microscope, and helium ion microscope images. This method provides quantitative feedback about image resolution, independent of the tool on which the data were collected. In addition, our analysis provides a nonarbitrary and self-consistent framework that any end user can utilize to evaluate the resolution of multiple microscopes from any vendor using the same metric.

  18. Line-scanning confocal microscopy for high-resolution imaging of upconverting rare-earth-based contrast agents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higgins, Laura M.; Zevon, Margot; Ganapathy, Vidya; Sheng, Yang; Tan, Mei Chee; Riman, Richard E.; Roth, Charles M.; Moghe, Prabhas V.; Pierce, Mark C.

    2015-01-01

    Abstract. Rare-earth (RE) doped nanocomposites emit visible luminescence when illuminated with continuous wave near-infrared light, making them appealing candidates for use as contrast agents in biomedical imaging. However, the emission lifetime of these materials is much longer than the pixel dwell times used in scanning intravital microscopy. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a line-scanning confocal microscope for high-resolution, optically sectioned imaging of samples labeled with RE-based nanomaterials. Instrument performance is quantified using calibrated test objects. NaYF4:Er,Yb nanocomposites are imaged in vitro, and in ex vivo tissue specimens, with direct comparison to point-scanning confocal microscopy. We demonstrate that the extended pixel dwell time of line-scanning confocal microscopy enables subcellular-level imaging of these nanomaterials while maintaining optical sectioning. The line-scanning approach thus enables microscopic imaging of this emerging class of contrast agents for preclinical studies, with the potential to be adapted for real-time in vivo imaging in the clinic. PMID:26603495

  19. Orientation mapping by transmission-SEM with an on-axis detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fundenberger, J.J.; Bouzy, E.; Goran, D.; Guyon, J.; Yuan, H.; Morawiec, A.

    2016-01-01

    Conventional orientation mapping in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a valuable technique for characterizing crystalline materials, but its application to ultrafine or nano-grain materials is limited by its spatial resolution. The resolution can be increased by collecting transmission diffraction patterns in SEM. In previous works, such patterns were collected using off-axis detectors in nearly vertical position. To avoid some drawbacks of such arrangement, a new configuration was devised in which the scintillator is located underneath the thin foil on the optical axis of the microscope, and the light is reflected towards the camera by a mirror. This simple configuration gives intense patterns even at very low probe currents, and can be potentially used for collecting maps of relatively high spatial resolution. Example maps reveal details with dimensions of about 5 nm. Because of its resolution and geometric simplicity, the proposed configuration will open new opportunities in SEM-based characterization of nanocrystalline materials. - Highlights: • New experimental configuration for SEM-based orientation mapping is presented. • The geometry of recording transmission Kikuchi patterns in SEM is simplified. • The new configuration allows for reaching relatively high spatial resolution.

  20. Bright-field scanning confocal electron microscopy using a double aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Peng; Behan, Gavin; Kirkland, Angus I. [Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PH (United Kingdom); Nellist, Peter D., E-mail: peter.nellist@materials.ox.ac.uk [Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PH (United Kingdom); Cosgriff, Eireann C.; D' Alfonso, Adrian J.; Morgan, Andrew J.; Allen, Leslie J. [School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010 (Australia); Hashimoto, Ayako [Advanced Nano-characterization Center, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 3-13 Sakura, Tsukuba 305-0003 (Japan); Takeguchi, Masaki [Advanced Nano-characterization Center, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 3-13 Sakura, Tsukuba 305-0003 (Japan); High Voltage Electron Microscopy Station, NIMS, 3-13 Sakura, Tsukuba 305-0003 (Japan); Mitsuishi, Kazutaka [Advanced Nano-characterization Center, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 3-13 Sakura, Tsukuba 305-0003 (Japan); Quantum Dot Research Center, NIMS, 3-13 Sakura, Tsukuba 305-0003 (Japan); Shimojo, Masayuki [High Voltage Electron Microscopy Station, NIMS, 3-13 Sakura, Tsukuba 305-0003 (Japan); Advanced Science Research Laboratory, Saitama Institute of Technology, 1690 Fusaiji, Fukaya 369-0293 (Japan)

    2011-06-15

    Scanning confocal electron microscopy (SCEM) offers a mechanism for three-dimensional imaging of materials, which makes use of the reduced depth of field in an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope. The simplest configuration of SCEM is the bright-field mode. In this paper we present experimental data and simulations showing the form of bright-field SCEM images. We show that the depth dependence of the three-dimensional image can be explained in terms of two-dimensional images formed in the detector plane. For a crystalline sample, this so-called probe image is shown to be similar to a conventional diffraction pattern. Experimental results and simulations show how the diffracted probes in this image are elongated in thicker crystals and the use of this elongation to estimate sample thickness is explored. -- Research Highlights: {yields} The confocal probe image in a scanning confocal electron microscopy image reveals information about the thickness and height of the crystalline layer. {yields} The form of the contrast in a three-dimensional bright-field scanning confocal electron microscopy image can be explained in terms of the confocal probe image. {yields} Despite the complicated form of the contrast in bright-field scanning confocal electron microscopy, we see that depth information is transferred on a 10 nm scale.

  1. Wavelength dependence of the magnetic resolution of the magneto-optical near-field scanning tunneling microscope

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schad, R.; Jordan, S.M.; Stoelinga, M.J.P.; Prins, M.W.J.; Groeneveld, R.H.M.; Kempen, van H.; Kesteren, van H.W.

    1998-01-01

    A magneto-optical near-field scanning tunneling microscope is used to image the prewritten magnetic domain structure of a Pt/Co multilayer. A semiconducting tip acts as a local photodetector to measure the magnetic circular dichroism signal coming from the magnetic sample. The resolution of the

  2. Measurement needs guided by synthetic radar scans in high-resolution model output

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varble, A.; Nesbitt, S. W.; Borque, P.

    2017-12-01

    Microphysical and dynamical process interactions within deep convective clouds are not well understood, partly because measurement strategies often focus on statistics of cloud state rather than cloud processes. While processes cannot be directly measured, they can be inferred with sufficiently frequent and detailed scanning radar measurements focused on the life cycleof individual cloud regions. This is a primary goal of the 2018-19 DOE ARM Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) and NSF Remote sensing of Electrification, Lightning, And Mesoscale/microscale Processes with Adaptive Ground Observations (RELAMPAGO) field campaigns in central Argentina, where orographic deep convective initiation is frequent with some high-impact systems growing into the tallest and largest in the world. An array of fixed and mobile scanning multi-wavelength dual-polarization radars will be coupled with surface observations, sounding systems, multi-wavelength vertical profilers, and aircraft in situ measurements to characterize convective cloud life cycles and their relationship with environmental conditions. While detailed cloud processes are an observational target, the radar scan patterns that are most ideal for observing them are unclear. They depend on the locations and scales of key microphysical and dynamical processes operating within the cloud. High-resolution simulations of clouds, while imperfect, can provide information on these locations and scales that guide radar measurement needs. Radar locations are set in the model domain based on planned experiment locations, and simulatedorographic deep convective initiation and upscale growth are sampled using a number of different scans involving RHIs or PPIs with predefined elevation and azimuthal angles that approximately conform with radar range and beam width specifications. Each full scan pattern is applied to output atsingle model time steps with time step intervals that depend on the length of time

  3. Sub-pixel analysis to support graphic security after scanning at low resolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haas, Bertrand; Cordery, Robert; Gou, Hongmei; Decker, Steve

    2006-02-01

    Whether in the domain of audio, video or finance, our world tends to become increasingly digital. However, for diverse reasons, the transition from analog to digital is often much extended in time, and proceeds by long steps (and sometimes never completes). One such step is the conversion of information on analog media to digital information. We focus in this paper on the conversion (scanning) of printed documents to digital images. Analog media have the advantage over digital channels that they can harbor much imperceptible information that can be used for fraud detection and forensic purposes. But this secondary information usually fails to be retrieved during the conversion step. This is particularly relevant since the Check-21 act (Check Clearing for the 21st Century act) became effective in 2004 and allows images of checks to be handled by banks as usual paper checks. We use here this situation of check scanning as our primary benchmark for graphic security features after scanning. We will first present a quick review of the most common graphic security features currently found on checks, with their specific purpose, qualities and disadvantages, and we demonstrate their poor survivability after scanning in the average scanning conditions expected from the Check-21 Act. We will then present a novel method of measurement of distances between and rotations of line elements in a scanned image: Based on an appropriate print model, we refine direct measurements to an accuracy beyond the size of a scanning pixel, so we can then determine expected distances, periodicity, sharpness and print quality of known characters, symbols and other graphic elements in a document image. Finally we will apply our method to fraud detection of documents after gray-scale scanning at 300dpi resolution. We show in particular that alterations on legitimate checks or copies of checks can be successfully detected by measuring with sub-pixel accuracy the irregularities inherently introduced

  4. Reference nano-dimensional metrology by scanning transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai, Gaoliang; Fluegge, Jens; Bosse, Harald; Heidelmann, Markus; Kübel, Christian; Prang, Robby

    2013-01-01

    Traceable and accurate reference dimensional metrology of nano-structures by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is introduced in the paper. Two methods, one based on the crystal lattice constant and the other based on the pitch of a feature pair, were applied to calibrate the TEM magnification. The threshold value, which was defined as the half-intensity of boundary materials, is suggested to extract the boundary position of features from the TEM image. Experimental investigations have demonstrated the high potential of the proposed methods. For instance, the standard deviation from ten repeated measurements of a line structure with a nominal 100 nm critical dimension (CD) reaches 1σ = 0.023 nm, about 0.02%. By intentionally introduced defocus and larger sample alignment errors, the investigation shows that these influences may reach 0.20 and 1.3 nm, respectively, indicating the importance of high-quality TEM measurements. Finally, a strategy for disseminating the destructive TEM results is introduced. Using this strategy, the CD of a reference material has been accurately determined. Its agreement over five independent TEM measurements is below 1.2 nm. (paper)

  5. Binary pseudo-random patterned structures for modulation transfer function calibration and resolution characterization of a full-field transmission soft x-ray microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yashchuk, V. V., E-mail: VVYashchuk@lbl.gov; Chan, E. R.; Lacey, I. [Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States); Fischer, P. J. [Center for X-Ray Optics, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States); Physics Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 94056 (United States); Conley, R. [Advance Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973 (United States); McKinney, W. R. [Diablo Valley College, 321 Golf Club Road, Pleasant Hill, California 94523 (United States); Artemiev, N. A. [KLA-Tencor Corp., 1 Technology Drive, Milpitas, California 95035 (United States); Bouet, N. [National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973 (United States); Cabrini, S. [Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States); Calafiore, G.; Peroz, C.; Babin, S. [aBeam Technologies, Inc., Hayward, California 94541 (United States)

    2015-12-15

    We present a modulation transfer function (MTF) calibration method based on binary pseudo-random (BPR) one-dimensional sequences and two-dimensional arrays as an effective method for spectral characterization in the spatial frequency domain of a broad variety of metrology instrumentation, including interferometric microscopes, scatterometers, phase shifting Fizeau interferometers, scanning and transmission electron microscopes, and at this time, x-ray microscopes. The inherent power spectral density of BPR gratings and arrays, which has a deterministic white-noise-like character, allows a direct determination of the MTF with a uniform sensitivity over the entire spatial frequency range and field of view of an instrument. We demonstrate the MTF calibration and resolution characterization over the full field of a transmission soft x-ray microscope using a BPR multilayer (ML) test sample with 2.8 nm fundamental layer thickness. We show that beyond providing a direct measurement of the microscope’s MTF, tests with the BPRML sample can be used to fine tune the instrument’s focal distance. Our results confirm the universality of the method that makes it applicable to a large variety of metrology instrumentation with spatial wavelength bandwidths from a few nanometers to hundreds of millimeters.

  6. Binary pseudo-random patterned structures for modulation transfer function calibration and resolution characterization of a full-field transmission soft x-ray microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yashchuk, V. V.; Chan, E. R.; Lacey, I.; Fischer, P. J.; Conley, R.; McKinney, W. R.; Artemiev, N. A.; Bouet, N.; Cabrini, S.; Calafiore, G.; Peroz, C.; Babin, S.

    2015-01-01

    We present a modulation transfer function (MTF) calibration method based on binary pseudo-random (BPR) one-dimensional sequences and two-dimensional arrays as an effective method for spectral characterization in the spatial frequency domain of a broad variety of metrology instrumentation, including interferometric microscopes, scatterometers, phase shifting Fizeau interferometers, scanning and transmission electron microscopes, and at this time, x-ray microscopes. The inherent power spectral density of BPR gratings and arrays, which has a deterministic white-noise-like character, allows a direct determination of the MTF with a uniform sensitivity over the entire spatial frequency range and field of view of an instrument. We demonstrate the MTF calibration and resolution characterization over the full field of a transmission soft x-ray microscope using a BPR multilayer (ML) test sample with 2.8 nm fundamental layer thickness. We show that beyond providing a direct measurement of the microscope’s MTF, tests with the BPRML sample can be used to fine tune the instrument’s focal distance. Our results confirm the universality of the method that makes it applicable to a large variety of metrology instrumentation with spatial wavelength bandwidths from a few nanometers to hundreds of millimeters

  7. Improvement of the repeatability of parallel transmission at 7T using interleaved acquisition in the calibration scan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kameda, Hiroyuki; Kudo, Kohsuke; Matsuda, Tsuyoshi; Harada, Taisuke; Iwadate, Yuji; Uwano, Ikuko; Yamashita, Fumio; Yoshioka, Kunihiro; Sasaki, Makoto; Shirato, Hiroki

    2017-12-04

    Respiration-induced phase shift affects B 0 /B 1 + mapping repeatability in parallel transmission (pTx) calibration for 7T brain MRI, but is improved by breath-holding (BH). However, BH cannot be applied during long scans. To examine whether interleaved acquisition during calibration scanning could improve pTx repeatability and image homogeneity. Prospective. Nine healthy subjects. 7T MRI with a two-channel RF transmission system was used. Calibration scanning for B 0 /B 1 + mapping was performed under sequential acquisition/free-breathing (Seq-FB), Seq-BH, and interleaved acquisition/FB (Int-FB) conditions. The B 0 map was calculated with two echo times, and the B 1 + map was obtained using the Bloch-Siegert method. Actual flip-angle imaging (AFI) and gradient echo (GRE) imaging were performed using pTx and quadrature-Tx (qTx). All scans were acquired in five sessions. Repeatability was evaluated using intersession standard deviation (SD) or coefficient of variance (CV), and in-plane homogeneity was evaluated using in-plane CV. A paired t-test with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons was used. The intersession CV/SDs for the B 0 /B 1 + maps were significantly smaller in Int-FB than in Seq-FB (Bonferroni-corrected P FB, Seq-BH, and qTx than in Seq-FB (Bonferroni-corrected P FB, Int-FB, and Seq-BH were significantly smaller than in qTx (Bonferroni-corrected P < 0.01 for all). Using interleaved acquisition during calibration scans of pTx for 7T brain MRI improved the repeatability of B 0 /B 1 + mapping, AFI, and GRE images, without BH. 1 Technical Efficacy Stage 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  8. HIGH RESOLUTION AIRBORNE LASER SCANNING AND HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGING WITH A SMALL UAV PLATFORM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Gallay

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The capabilities of unmanned airborne systems (UAS have become diverse with the recent development of lightweight remote sensing instruments. In this paper, we demonstrate our custom integration of the state-of-the-art technologies within an unmanned aerial platform capable of high-resolution and high-accuracy laser scanning, hyperspectral imaging, and photographic imaging. The technological solution comprises the latest development of a completely autonomous, unmanned helicopter by Aeroscout, the Scout B1-100 UAV helicopter. The helicopter is powered by a gasoline two-stroke engine and it allows for integrating 18 kg of a customized payload unit. The whole system is modular providing flexibility of payload options, which comprises the main advantage of the UAS. The UAS integrates two kinds of payloads which can be altered. Both payloads integrate a GPS/IMU with a dual GPS antenna configuration provided by OXTS for accurate navigation and position measurements during the data acquisition. The first payload comprises a VUX-1 laser scanner by RIEGL and a Sony A6000 E-Mount photo camera. The second payload for hyperspectral scanning integrates a push-broom imager AISA KESTREL 10 by SPECIM. The UAS was designed for research of various aspects of landscape dynamics (landslides, erosion, flooding, or phenology in high spectral and spatial resolution.

  9. Instrument development for atmospheric radiation measurement (ARM): Status of the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer - extended Resolution (AERI-X), the Solar Radiance Transmission Interferometer (SORTI), and the Absolute Solar Transmission Inferometer (ASTI)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Murcray, F.; Stephen, T.; Kosters, J. [Univ. of Denver, CO (United States)

    1996-04-01

    This paper describes three instruments currently under developemnt for the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program at the University of Denver: the AERI-X (Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer-Extended Resolution) and the SORTI (Solar R adiance Transmission Interferometer), and ASTI (Absolute Solar transmission Interferometer).

  10. Neutron resonance transmission spectroscopy with high spatial and energy resolution at the J-PARC pulsed neutron source

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tremsin, A.S., E-mail: ast@ssl.berkeley.edu [University of California at Berkeley, 7 Gauss Way, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Shinohara, T.; Kai, T.; Ooi, M. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2–4 Shirakata-shirane, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Kamiyama, T.; Kiyanagi, Y.; Shiota, Y. [Hokkaido University, Kita 13 Nishi 8 Kita-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido 060-8628 (Japan); McPhate, J.B.; Vallerga, J.V.; Siegmund, O.H.W. [University of California at Berkeley, 7 Gauss Way, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Feller, W.B. [NOVA Scientific, Inc., 10 Picker Rd., Sturbridge, MA 01566 (United States)

    2014-05-11

    The sharp variation of neutron attenuation at certain energies specific to particular nuclides (the lower range being from ∼1 eV up to ∼1 keV), can be exploited for the remote mapping of element and/or isotope distributions, as well as temperature probing, within relatively thick samples. Intense pulsed neutron beam-lines at spallation sources combined with a high spatial, high-timing resolution neutron counting detector, provide a unique opportunity to measure neutron transmission spectra through the time-of-flight technique. We present the results of experiments where spatially resolved neutron resonances were measured, at energies up to 50 keV. These experiments were performed with the intense flux low background NOBORU neutron beamline at the J-PARC neutron source and the high timing resolution (∼20 ns at epithermal neutron energies) and spatial resolution (∼55 µm) neutron counting detector using microchannel plates coupled to a Timepix electronic readout. Simultaneous element-specific imaging was carried out for several materials, at a spatial resolution of ∼150 µm. The high timing resolution of our detector combined with the low background beamline, also enabled characterization of the neutron pulse itself – specifically its pulse width, which varies with neutron energy. The results of our measurements are in good agreement with the predicted results for the double pulse structure of the J-PARC facility, which provides two 100 ns-wide proton pulses separated by 600 ns, broadened by the neutron energy moderation process. Thermal neutron radiography can be conducted simultaneously with resonance transmission spectroscopy, and can reveal the internal structure of the samples. The transmission spectra measured in our experiments demonstrate the feasibility of mapping elemental distributions using this non-destructive technique, for those elements (and in certain cases, specific isotopes), which have resonance energies below a few keV, and with lower

  11. The Fresnel mode of Lorentz microscopy using a scanning transmission electron microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chapman, J.N.; Waddell, E.M.; Batson, P.E.; Ferrier, R.P.

    1979-01-01

    The most widely used method of investigating ferromagnetic films in the transmission electron microscope is the Fresnel or defocus mode of Lorentz microscopy. This may be implemented either in a fixed beam or a scanning instrument. Despite a rather inefficient utilization of electrons, several advantages accrue if the latter is used, and provided it is equipped with a field emission gun, low noise images may be obtained in acceptable recording times. To extract quantitative estimates of domain wall widths from such images it is necessary to measure accurately both instrumental and specimen parameters. Methods for this are discussed and an example of an analysis using a polycrystalline permalloy film is given. (Auth.)

  12. Correlative scanning-transmission electron microscopy reveals that a chimeric flavivirus is released as individual particles in secretory vesicles.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julien Burlaud-Gaillard

    Full Text Available The intracellular morphogenesis of flaviviruses has been well described, but flavivirus release from the host cell remains poorly documented. We took advantage of the optimized production of an attenuated chimeric yellow fever/dengue virus for vaccine purposes to study this phenomenon by microscopic approaches. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM showed the release of numerous viral particles at the cell surface through a short-lived process. For transmission electron microscopy (TEM studies of the intracellular ultrastructure of the small number of cells releasing viral particles at a given time, we developed a new correlative microscopy method: CSEMTEM (for correlative scanning electron microscopy - transmission electron microscopy. CSEMTEM analysis suggested that chimeric flavivirus particles were released as individual particles, in small exocytosis vesicles, via a regulated secretory pathway. Our morphological findings provide new insight into interactions between flaviviruses and cells and demonstrate that CSEMTEM is a useful new method, complementary to SEM observations of biological events by intracellular TEM investigations.

  13. Diagnosis of hearing impairment by high resolution CT scanning of inner ear anomalies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murata, Kiyotaka; Isono, Michio; Ohta, Fumihiko

    1988-01-01

    High resolution CT scanning of the temporal bone in our clinic has provided a more detailed radiological classification of inner ear anomalies than before. The statistical analysis of inner ear malformations based on the theory of quantification II has produced discriminant equations for the measurable diagnosis of hearing impairment and development of the inner ear. This analysis may make it possible to diagnose total and partial deafness on ipsi- and contralateral sides. (author)

  14. Direct observation and analysis of yolk-shell materials using low-voltage high-resolution scanning electron microscopy: Nanometal-particles encapsulated in metal-oxide, carbon, and polymer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Asahina, Shunsuke; Suga, Mitsuo; Takahashi, Hideyuki [JEOL Ltd., SM Business Unit, Tokyo (Japan); Young Jeong, Hu [Graduate School of EEWS, WCU/BK21+, KAIST, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Galeano, Carolina; Schüth, Ferdi [Department of Heterogeneous Catalysis, Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Mülheim (Germany); Terasaki, Osamu, E-mail: terasaki@mmk.su.se, E-mail: terasaki@kaist.ac.kr [Graduate School of EEWS, WCU/BK21+, KAIST, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Berzelii Centre EXSELENT on Porous Materials, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm (Sweden)

    2014-11-01

    Nanometal particles show characteristic features in chemical and physical properties depending on their sizes and shapes. For keeping and further enhancing their features, the particles should be protected from coalescence or degradation. One approach is to encapsulate the nanometal particles inside pores with chemically inert or functional materials, such as carbon, polymer, and metal oxides, which contain mesopores to allow permeation of only chemicals not the nanometal particles. Recently developed low-voltage high-resolution scanning electron microscopy was applied to the study of structural, chemical, and electron state of both nanometal particles and encapsulating materials in yolk-shell materials of Au@C, Ru/Pt@C, Au@TiO{sub 2}, and Pt@Polymer. Progresses in the following categories were shown for the yolk-shell materials: (i) resolution of topographic image contrast by secondary electrons, of atomic-number contrast by back-scattered electrons, and of elemental mapping by X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy; (ii) sample preparation for observing internal structures; and (iii) X-ray spectroscopy such as soft X-ray emission spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy was also used for characterization of Au@C.

  15. Phantom evaluation of a cardiac SPECT/VCT system that uses a common set of solid-state detectors for both emission and transmission scans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Chuanyong; Conwell, Richard; Kindem, Joel; Babla, Hetal; Gurley, Mike; De Los Santos, Romer; Old, Rex; Weatherhead, Randy; Arram, Samia; Maddahi, Jamshid

    2010-06-01

    We developed a cardiac SPECT system (X-ACT) with low dose volume CT transmission-based attenuation correction (AC). Three solid-state detectors are configured to form a triple-head system for emission scans and reconfigured to form a 69-cm field-of-view detector arc for transmission scans. A near mono-energetic transmission line source is produced from the collimated fluorescence x-ray emitted from a lead target when the target is illuminated by a narrow polychromatic x-ray beam from an x-ray tube. Transmission scans can be completed in 1 min with insignificant patient dose (deep dose equivalent used phantom studies to evaluate (1) the accuracy of the reconstructed attenuation maps, (2) the effect of AC on image uniformity, and (3) the effect of AC on defect contrast (DC). The phantoms we used included an ACR phantom, an anthropomorphic phantom with a uniform cardiac insert, and an anthropomorphic phantom with two defects in the cardiac insert. The reconstructed attenuation coefficient of water at 140 keV was .150 +/- .003/cm in the uniform region of the ACR phantom, .151 +/- .003/cm and .151 +/- .002/cm in the liver and cardiac regions of the anthropomorphic phantom. The ACR phantom images with AC showed correction of the bowing effect due to attenuation in the images without AC (NC). The 17-segment scores of the images of the uniform cardiac insert were 78.3 +/- 6.5 before and 87.9 +/- 3.3 after AC (average +/- standard deviation). The inferior-to-anterior wall ratio and the septal-to-lateral wall ratio were .99 and 1.16 before and 1.02 and 1.00 after AC. The DC of the two defects was .528 and .156 before and .628 and .173 after AC. The X-ACT system generated accurate attenuation maps with 1-minute transmission scans. AC improved image quality and uniformity over NC.

  16. Atomic resolution scanning tunneling microscopy in a cryogen free dilution refrigerator at 15 mK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haan, A. M. J. den; Wijts, G. H. C. J.; Galli, F.; Oosterkamp, T. H.; Usenko, O.; Baarle, G. J. C. van; Zalm, D. J. van der

    2014-01-01

    Pulse tube refrigerators are becoming more common, because they are cost efficient and demand less handling than conventional (wet) refrigerators. However, a downside of a pulse tube system is the vibration level at the cold-head, which is in most designs several micrometers. We implemented vibration isolation techniques which significantly reduced vibration levels at the experiment. These optimizations were necessary for the vibration sensitive magnetic resonance force microscopy experiments at milli-kelvin temperatures for which the cryostat is intended. With these modifications we show atomic resolution scanning tunneling microscopy on graphite. This is promising for scanning probe microscopy applications at very low temperatures

  17. In situ transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy studies of sintering of Ag and Pt nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asoro, M.A.; Ferreira, P.J.; Kovar, D.

    2014-01-01

    Transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy studies were conducted in situ on 2–5 nm Pt and 10–40 nm Ag nanoparticles to study mechanisms for sintering and to measure relevant sintering kinetics in nanoscale particles. Sintering between two separated particles was observed to initiate by either (1) diffusion of the particles on the sample support or (2) diffusion of atoms or small clusters of atoms to the neck region between the two particles. After particle contact, the rate of sintering was controlled by atomic surface diffusivity. The surface diffusivity was determined as a function of particle size and temperature from experimental measurements of the rate of neck growth of the particles. The surface diffusivities did not show a strong size effect for the range of particle sizes that were studied. The surface diffusivity for Pt nanoparticles exhibited the expected Arrhenius temperature dependence and did not appear to be sensitive to the presence of surface contaminants. In contrast, the surface diffusivity for Ag nanoparticles was affected by the presence of impurities such as carbon. The diffusivities for Ag nanoparticles were consistent with previous measurements of bulk surface diffusivities for Ag in the presence of C, but were significantly slower than those obtained from pristine Ag

  18. Interior tomography in microscopic CT with image reconstruction constrained by full field of view scan at low spatial resolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Shouhua; Shen, Tao; Sun, Yi; Li, Jing; Li, Guang; Tang, Xiangyang

    2018-04-01

    In high resolution (microscopic) CT applications, the scan field of view should cover the entire specimen or sample to allow complete data acquisition and image reconstruction. However, truncation may occur in projection data and results in artifacts in reconstructed images. In this study, we propose a low resolution image constrained reconstruction algorithm (LRICR) for interior tomography in microscopic CT at high resolution. In general, the multi-resolution acquisition based methods can be employed to solve the data truncation problem if the project data acquired at low resolution are utilized to fill up the truncated projection data acquired at high resolution. However, most existing methods place quite strict restrictions on the data acquisition geometry, which greatly limits their utility in practice. In the proposed LRICR algorithm, full and partial data acquisition (scan) at low and high resolutions, respectively, are carried out. Using the image reconstructed from sparse projection data acquired at low resolution as the prior, a microscopic image at high resolution is reconstructed from the truncated projection data acquired at high resolution. Two synthesized digital phantoms, a raw bamboo culm and a specimen of mouse femur, were utilized to evaluate and verify performance of the proposed LRICR algorithm. Compared with the conventional TV minimization based algorithm and the multi-resolution scout-reconstruction algorithm, the proposed LRICR algorithm shows significant improvement in reduction of the artifacts caused by data truncation, providing a practical solution for high quality and reliable interior tomography in microscopic CT applications. The proposed LRICR algorithm outperforms the multi-resolution scout-reconstruction method and the TV minimization based reconstruction for interior tomography in microscopic CT.

  19. A graphene oxide-carbon nanotube grid for high-resolution transmission electron microscopy of nanomaterials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Lina; Zhang Haoxu; Zhou Ruifeng; Chen Zhuo; Li Qunqing; Fan Shoushan; Jiang Kaili; Ge Guanglu; Liu Renxiao

    2011-01-01

    A novel grid for use in transmission electron microscopy is developed. The supporting film of the grid is composed of thin graphene oxide films overlying a super-aligned carbon nanotube network. The composite film combines the advantages of graphene oxide and carbon nanotube networks and has the following properties: it is ultra-thin, it has a large flat and smooth effective supporting area with a homogeneous amorphous appearance, high stability, and good conductivity. The graphene oxide-carbon nanotube grid has a distinct advantage when characterizing the fine structure of a mass of nanomaterials over conventional amorphous carbon grids. Clear high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images of various nanomaterials are obtained easily using the new grids.

  20. Synthesis and electroplating of high resolution insulated carbon nanotube scanning probes for imaging in liquid solutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, N A; Noh, J H; Lassiter, M G; Guo, S; Kalinin, S V; Rack, P D

    2012-04-13

    High resolution and isolated scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is in demand for continued development of energy storage and conversion systems involving chemical reactions at the nanoscale as well as an improved understanding of biological systems. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have large aspect ratios and, if leveraged properly, can be used to develop high resolution SPM probes. Isolation of SPM probes can be achieved by depositing a dielectric film and selectively etching at the apex of the probe. In this paper the fabrication of a high resolution and isolated SPM tip is demonstrated using electron beam induced etching of a dielectric film deposited onto an SPM tip with an attached CNT at the apex.

  1. Diagnostic accuracy of cone-beam computed tomography scans with high- and low-resolution modes for the detection of root perforations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shokri, Abbas; Eskandarloo, Amir; Norouzi, Marouf; Poorolajal, Jalal; Majidi, Gelareh; Aliyaly, Alireza

    2018-03-01

    This study compared the diagnostic accuracy of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans obtained with 2 CBCT systems with high- and low-resolution modes for the detection of root perforations in endodontically treated mandibular molars. The root canals of 72 mandibular molars were cleaned and shaped. Perforations measuring 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 mm in diameter were created at the furcation area of 48 roots, simulating strip perforations, or on the external surfaces of 48 roots, simulating root perforations. Forty-eight roots remained intact (control group). The roots were filled using gutta-percha (Gapadent, Tianjin, China) and AH26 sealer (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland). The CBCT scans were obtained using the NewTom 3G (QR srl, Verona, Italy) and Cranex 3D (Soredex, Helsinki, Finland) CBCT systems in high- and low-resolution modes, and were evaluated by 2 observers. The chi-square test was used to assess the nominal variables. In strip perforations, the accuracies of low- and high-resolution modes were 75% and 83% for NewTom 3G and 67% and 69% for Cranex 3D. In root perforations, the accuracies of low- and high-resolution modes were 79% and 83% for NewTom 3G and was 56% and 73% for Cranex 3D. The accuracy of the 2 CBCT systems was different for the detection of strip and root perforations. The Cranex 3D had non-significantly higher accuracy than the NewTom 3G. In both scanners, the high-resolution mode yielded significantly higher accuracy than the low-resolution mode. The diagnostic accuracy of CBCT scans was not affected by the perforation diameter.

  2. High Resolution Separations and Improved Ion Production and Transmission in Metabolomics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Metz, Thomas O.; Page, Jason S.; Baker, Erin Shammel; Tang, Keqi; Ding, Jie; Shen, Yufeng; Smith, Richard D.

    2008-03-31

    The goal of metabolomics experiments is the detection and quantitation of as many sample components as reasonably possible in order to identify “features” that can be used to characterize the samples under study. When utilizing electrospray ionization to produce ions for analysis by mass spectrometry (MS), it is imperative that metabolome sample constituents be efficiently separated prior to ion production, in order to minimize the phenomenon of ionization suppression. Similarly, optimization of the MS inlet can lead to increased measurement sensitivity. This review will focus on the role of high resolution liquid chromatography (LC) separations in conjunction with improved ion production and transmission for LC-MS-based metabolomics.

  3. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and energetics of flattened carbon nonoshells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourgeois, L.N.; Bursill, L.A.

    1998-01-01

    When examined under a high-resolution transmission electron microscope, carbon soot produced alongside buckytubes in an arc-discharge is found to contain a small percentage of flattened carbon shells. These objects are shown to be small graphite flakes which eliminated their dangling bonds by terminating their edges with highly curved junctions. Ideal models for these structures are presented, and their energy estimated. The calculations show that the establishment of highly curved junctions is energetically favourable for a graphite flake in an inert atmosphere. Flattened shells also appear more stable than their 'inflated' counterparts (fullerene 'onions' and buckytubes) when the shell dimensions obey specific criteria.(authors)

  4. High resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy characterization of a milled oxide dispersion strengthened steel powder

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Loyer-Prost, M., E-mail: marie.loyer-prost@cea.fr [DEN-Service de Recherches de Métallurgie Physique, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91191, Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Merot, J.-S. [Laboratoire d’Etudes des Microstructures – UMR 104, CNRS/ONERA, BP72-29, Avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92 322, Châtillon (France); Ribis, J. [DEN-Service de Recherches de Métallurgie Appliquée, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91191, Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Le Bouar, Y. [Laboratoire d’Etudes des Microstructures – UMR 104, CNRS/ONERA, BP72-29, Avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92 322, Châtillon (France); Chaffron, L. [DEN-Service de Recherches de Métallurgie Appliquée, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91191, Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Legendre, F. [DEN-Service de la Corrosion et du Comportement des Matériaux dans leur Environnement, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91191, Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

    2016-10-15

    Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) steels are promising materials for generation IV fuel claddings as their dense nano-oxide dispersion provides good creep and irradiation resistance. Even if they have been studied for years, the formation mechanism of these nano-oxides is still unclear. Here we report for the first time a High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy and Energy Filtered Transmission Electron Microscopy characterization of an ODS milled powder. It provides clear evidence of the presence of small crystalline nanoclusters (NCs) enriched in titanium directly after milling. Small NCs (<5 nm) have a crystalline structure and seem partly coherent with the matrix. They have an interplanar spacing close to the (011) {sub bcc} iron structure. They coexist with larger crystalline spherical precipitates of 15–20 nm in size. Their crystalline structure may be metastable as they are not consistent with any Y-Ti-O or Ti-O structure. Such detailed observations in the as-milled grain powder confirm a mechanism of Y, Ti, O dissolution in the ferritic matrix followed by a NC precipitation during the mechanical alloying process of ODS materials. - Highlights: • We observed an ODS ball-milled powder by high resolution transmission microscopy. • The ODS ball-milled powder exhibits a lamellar microstructure. • Small crystalline nanoclusters were detected in the milled ODS powder. • The nanoclusters in the ODS milled powder are enriched in titanium. • Larger NCs of 15–20 nm in size are, at least, partly coherent with the matrix.

  5. The structure of dodecagonal (Ta,V){sub 1.6}Te imaged by phase-contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krumeich, F., E-mail: krumeich@inorg.chem.ethz.ch [Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, 8093 Zurich (Switzerland); Mueller, E.; Wepf, R.A. [Electron Microscopy ETH Zurich (EMEZ), Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 16, 8093 Zurich (Switzerland); Conrad, M.; Reich, C.; Harbrecht, B. [Department of Chemistry and Centre of Materials Science, Philipps-Universitaet, Hans-Meerwein-Strasse, 35032 Marburg (Germany); Nesper, R. [Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, 8093 Zurich (Switzerland)

    2012-10-15

    While HRTEM is the well-established method to characterize the structure of dodecagonal tantalum (vanadium) telluride quasicrystals and their periodic approximants, phase-contrast imaging performed on an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) represents a favorable alternative. The (Ta,V){sub 151}Te{sub 74} clusters, the basic structural unit in all these phases, can be visualized with high resolution. A dependence of the image contrast on defocus and specimen thickness has been observed. In thin areas, the projected crystal potential is basically imaged with either dark or bright contrast at two defocus values close to Scherzer defocus as confirmed by image simulations utilizing the principle of reciprocity. Models for square-triangle tilings describing the arrangement of the basic clusters can be derived from such images. - Graphical abstract: PC-STEM image of a (Ta,V){sub 151}Te{sub 74} cluster. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer C{sub s}-corrected STEM is applied for the characterization of dodecagonal quasicrystals. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The projected potential of the structure is mirrored in the images. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Phase-contrast STEM imaging depends on defocus and thickness. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer For simulations of phase-contrast STEM images, the reciprocity theorem is applicable.

  6. Detecting and locating light atoms from high-resolution STEM images : The quest for a single optimal design

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gonnissen, J; De Backer, A; den Dekker, A.J.; Sijbers, J.; Van Aert, S.

    2016-01-01

    In the present paper, the optimal detector design is investigated for both detecting and locating light atoms from high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (HR STEM) images. The principles of detection theory are used to quantify the probability of error for the detection of

  7. A MEMS-based heating holder for the direct imaging of simultaneous in-situ heating and biasing experiments in scanning/transmission electron microscopes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mele, Luigi; Konings, Stan; Dona, Pleun; Evertz, Francis; Mitterbauer, Christoph; Faber, Pybe; Schampers, Ruud; Jinschek, Joerg R

    2016-04-01

    The introduction of scanning/transmission electron microscopes (S/TEM) with sub-Angstrom resolution as well as fast and sensitive detection solutions support direct observation of dynamic phenomena in-situ at the atomic scale. Thereby, in-situ specimen holders play a crucial role: accurate control of the applied in-situ stimulus on the nanostructure combined with the overall system stability to assure atomic resolution are paramount for a successful in-situ S/TEM experiment. For those reasons, MEMS-based TEM sample holders are becoming one of the preferred choices, also enabling a high precision in measurements of the in-situ parameter for more reproducible data. A newly developed MEMS-based microheater is presented in combination with the new NanoEx™-i/v TEM sample holder. The concept is built on a four-point probe temperature measurement approach allowing active, accurate local temperature control as well as calorimetry. In this paper, it is shown that it provides high temperature stability up to 1,300°C with a peak temperature of 1,500°C (also working accurately in gaseous environments), high temperature measurement accuracy (in-situ S/TEM imaging experiments, but also elemental mapping at elevated temperatures using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Moreover, it has the unique capability to enable simultaneous heating and biasing experiments. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. In-situ reduction of promoted cobalt oxide supported on alumina by environmental transmission electron microscopy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dehghan, Roya; Hansen, Thomas Willum; Wagner, Jakob Birkedal

    2011-01-01

    the reactivity of the nanoparticles and the importance of controlling the gas composition and specimen temperature during this type of experiment. Similar behaviour was observed for a non-promoted catalyst. Imaging and analysis of the promoted sample before and after reduction indicated a uniform distribution...... resolution transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging. The cobalt particles were mainly face centred cubic while some hexagonal close packed particles were also found. Reoxidation of the sample upon cooling to room temperature, still under flowing H2, underlines...

  9. Instrumentation for in situ flow electrochemical Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy (STXM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prabu, Vinod; Obst, Martin; Hosseinkhannazer, Hooman; Reynolds, Matthew; Rosendahl, Scott; Wang, Jian; Hitchcock, Adam P.

    2018-06-01

    We report the design and performance of a 3-electrode device for real time in situ scanning transmission X-ray microscopy studies of electrochemical processes under both static (sealed, non-flow) conditions and with a continuous flow of electrolytes. The device was made using a combination of silicon microfabrication and 3D printing technologies. The performance is illustrated by results of a study of copper deposition and stripping at a gold working electrode. X-ray absorption spectromicroscopy at the Cu 2p edge was used to follow the evolution as a function of potential and time of the spatial distributions of Cu(0) and Cu(i) species electro-deposited from an aqueous solution of copper sulphate. The results are interpreted in terms of competing mechanisms for the reduction of Cu(ii).

  10. Reversible bronchial dilatation in children: comparison of serial high-resolution computer tomography scans of the lungs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gaillard, E.A. E-mail: erol.gaillard@lwh-tr.nwest.nhs.uk; Carty, H.; Heaf, D.; Smyth, R.L

    2003-09-01

    Introduction: bronchiectasis is generally considered irreversible in the adult population, largely based on studies employing bronchography in cases with a significant clinical history. It is assumed, that the same is true for children. Few studies have examined the natural history of bronchiectasis in children and diagnostic criteria on high-resolution computer tomography of the lungs are derived from studies on adults. Frequently, bronchiectasis is reported in children in cases where localised bronchial dilatation is present, incorrectly labelling these children with an irreversible life-long condition. Objective: to evaluate changes in appearance of bronchial dilatation, unrelated to cystic fibrosis in children, as assessed by sequential high-resolution computer tomography (HRCT) of the lungs. Methods: the scans of 22 children with a radiological diagnosis of bronchiectasis, seen at Alder Hey Children's Hospital between 1994 and 2000, who had at least two CT scans of the lungs were reviewed by a single radiologist, who was blinded to the original report. Results: following a median scan interval of 21 months (range 2-43), bronchial dilatation resolved completely in six children and there was improvement in appearances in a further eight, with medical treatment alone. Discussion: a radiological diagnosis of bronchiectasis should be considered with caution in children as diagnostic criteria derived from studies in adults have not been validated in children and the condition is generally considered irreversible.

  11. A Mobile Automated Tomographic Gamma Scanning System - 13231

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kirkpatrick, J.M.; LeBlanc, P.J.; Nakazawa, D.; Petroka, D.L.; Kane Smith, S.; Venkataraman, R.; Villani, M. [Canberra Industries, Inc. 800 Research Parkway, Meriden CT 06450 (United States)

    2013-07-01

    Canberra Industries have recently designed and built a new automated Tomographic Gamma Scanning (TGS) system for mobile deployment. The TGS technique combines high-resolution gamma spectroscopy with low spatial resolution 3-dimensional image reconstruction to provide increased accuracy over traditional approaches for the assay of non-uniform source distributions in low-to medium-density, non-heterogeneous matrices. Originally pioneered by R. Estep at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), the TGS method has been further developed and commercialized by Canberra Industries in recent years. The present system advances the state of the art on several fronts: it is designed to be housed in a standard cargo transport container for ease of transport, allowing waste characterization at multiple facilities under the purview of a single operator. Conveyor feed, drum rotator, and detector and collimator positioning mechanisms operated by programmable logic control (PLC) allow automated batch mode operation. The variable geometry settings can accommodate a wide range of waste packaging, including but not limited to standard 220 liter drums, 380 liter overpack drums, and smaller 20 liter cans. A 20 mCi Eu-152 transmission source provides attenuation corrections for drum matrices up to 1 g/cm{sup 3} in TGS mode; the system can be operated in Segmented Gamma Scanning (SGS) mode to measure higher density drums. To support TGS assays at higher densities, the source shield is sufficient to house an alternate Co-60 transmission source of higher activity, up to 250 mCi. An automated shutter and attenuator assembly is provided for operating the system with a dual intensity transmission source. The system's 1500 kg capacity rotator turntable can handle heavy containers such as concrete lined 380 liter overpack drums. Finally, data acquisition utilizes Canberra's Broad Energy Germanium (BEGE) detector and Lynx MCA, with 32 k channels, providing better than 0.1 ke

  12. Analysis of self-organized In(Ga)As quantum structures with the scanning transmission electron microscope; Analyse selbstorganisierter In(Ga)As-Quantenstrukturen mit dem Raster-Transmissionselektronenmikroskop

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sauerwald, Andres

    2008-05-27

    Aim of this thesis was to apply the analytical methods of the scanning transmission electron microscopy to the study of self-organized In(Ga)As quantum structures. With the imaging methods Z contrast and bright field (position resolutions in the subnanometer range) and especially with the possibilities of the quantitative chemical EELS analysis of the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) fundamental questions concerning morphology and chemical properties of self-organized quantum structures should be answered. By the high position resolution of the STEM among others essentail morphological and structural parameters in the growth behaviour of 'dot in a well' (DWell) structures and of vertically correlated quantum dots (QDs) could be analyzed. For the optimization of DWell structures samples were studied, the nominal InAs-QD growth position was directedly varied within the embedding InGaAs quantum wells. The STEM offers in connection with the EELS method a large potential for the chemical analysis of quantum structures. Studied was a sample series of self-organized InGaAs/GaAs structures on GaAs substrate, the stress of which was changed by varying the Ga content of the INGaAs material between 2.4 % and 4.3 %. [German] Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, die analytischen Methoden der Raster-Transmissionselektronenmikroskopie zur Untersuchung selbstorganisierter In(Ga)As-Quantenstrukturen anzuwenden. Mit den abbildenden Methoden Z-Kontrast und Hellfeld (Ortsaufloesungen im Subnanometerbereich) und insbesondere mit den Moeglichkeiten der quantitativen chemischen EELS-Analyse des Raster-Transmissionselektronenmikroskops (RTEMs) sollten grundsaetzliche Fragestellungen hinsichtlich der Morphologie und der chemischen Eigenschaften selbstorganisierter Quantenstrukturen beantwortet werden. Durch die hohe Ortsaufloesung des RTEMs konnten u.a. essentielle morphologische und strukturelle Parameter im Wachstumsverhalten von 'Dot in a Well

  13. Direct observation and analysis of york-shell materials using low-voltage high-resolution scanning electron microscopy: Nanometal-particles encapsulated in metal-oxide, carbon, and polymer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shunsuke Asahina

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Nanometal particles show characteristic features in chemical and physical properties depending on their sizes and shapes. For keeping and further enhancing their features, the particles should be protected from coalescence or degradation. One approach is to encapsulate the nanometal particles inside pores with chemically inert or functional materials, such as carbon, polymer, and metal oxides, which contain mesopores to allow permeation of only chemicals not the nanometal particles. Recently developed low-voltage high-resolution scanning electron microscopy was applied to the study of structural, chemical, and electron state of both nanometal particles and encapsulating materials in york-shell materials of Au@C, Ru/Pt@C, Au@TiO2, and Pt@Polymer. Progresses in the following categories were shown for the york-shell materials: (i resolution of topographic image contrast by secondary electrons, of atomic-number contrast by back-scattered electrons, and of elemental mapping by X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy; (ii sample preparation for observing internal structures; and (iii X-ray spectroscopy such as soft X-ray emission spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy was also used for characterization of Au@C.

  14. Screening of plant toxins in food,feed and botanicals using full-scan high-resolution (Orbitrap) mass spectrometry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mol, J.G.J.; Dam, van R.C.J.; Zomer, P.; Mulder, P.P.J.

    2011-01-01

    A generic method based on LC with full-scan high-resolution (Orbitrap) mass spectrometry (MS) was systematically investigated for the simultaneous detection of a wide range of plant toxins in a variety of food and feed matrices. For a selection of 150 substances, representing various chemical

  15. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy study of hot-deformed gamma-TiAl-based alloy microstructure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chrapoński, J; Rodak, K

    2006-09-01

    The aim of this work was to assess the changes in the microstructure of hot-deformed specimens made of alloys containing 46-50 at.% Al, 2 at.% Cr and 2 at.% Nb (and alloying additions such as carbon and boron) with the aid of scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques. After homogenization and heat treatment performed in order to make diverse lamellae thickness, the specimens were compressed at 1000 degrees C. Transmission electron microscopy examinations of specimens after the compression test revealed the presence of heavily deformed areas with a high density of dislocation. Deformation twins were also observed. Dynamically recrystallized grains were revealed. For alloys no. 2 and no. 3, the recovery and recrystallization processes were more extensive than for alloy no. 1.

  16. High resolution surface scanning of Thick-GEM for single photo-electron detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamar, G.; Varga, D.

    2012-01-01

    An optical system for high resolution scanning of TGEM UV photon detection systems is introduced. The structure exploits the combination of a single Au-coated TGEM under study, and an asymmetric MWPC (Close Cathode Chamber) as post-amplification stage. A pulsed UV LED source with emission down to 240 nm has been focused to a spot of 0.07 mm on the TGEM surface, and single photo-electron charge spectra has been recorded over selected two dimensional regions. This way, the TGEM gain (order of 10–100) and TGEM photo-electron detection efficiency is clearly separated, unlike in case of continuous illumination. The surface structure connected to the TGEM photon detection is well observable, including inefficiencies in the holes and at the symmetry points between holes. The detection efficiency as well as the gas gain are fluctuating from hole to hole. The gain is constant in the hexagon around any hole, pointing to the fact that the gain depends on hole geometry, and less on the position where the electron enters. The detection probability map strongly changes with the field strength above the TGEM surface, in relation to the change of the actual surface field configuration. The results can be confronted with position-dependent simulations of TGEM electron transfer and gas multiplication. -- Highlights: ► First demonstration of Thick GEM surface scanning with single photo-electrons. ► Resolution of 0.1 mm is sufficient to identify structures connected to TGEM surface field structure. ► Gain and detection efficiency and separately measurable. ► Detection efficiency is high in a ring around the holes, and gain is constant in the hexagonal collection regions.

  17. Secondary electron spectroscopy and Auger microscopy at high spatial resolution. Application to scanning electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Le Gressus, Claude; Massignon, Daniel; Sopizet, Rene

    1979-01-01

    Secondary electron spectroscopy (SES), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (ELS) are combined with ultra high vacuum scanning microscopy (SEM) for surface analysis at high spatial resolution. Reliability tests for the optical column for the vacuum and for the spectrometer are discussed. Furthermore the sensitivity threshold in AES which is compatible with a non destructive surface analysis at high spatial resolution is evaluated. This combination of all spectroscopies is used in the study of the beam damage correlated with the well known secondary electron image (SEI) darkening still observed in ultra high vacuum. The darkening is explained as a bulk decontamination of the sample rather than as a surface contamination from the residual vacuum gas [fr

  18. Improved image quality and diagnostic potential using ultra-high-resolution computed tomography of the lung with small scan FOV: A prospective study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huiyuan Zhu

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to assess whether CT imaging using an ultra-high-resolution CT (UHRCT scan with a small scan field of view (FOV provides higher image quality and helps to reduce the follow-up period compared with a conventional high-resolution CT (CHRCT scan. We identified patients with at least one pulmonary nodule at our hospital from July 2015 to November 2015. CHRCT and UHRCT scans were conducted in all enrolled patients. Three experienced radiologists evaluated the image quality using a 5-point score and made diagnoses. The paired images were displayed side by side in a random manner and annotations of scan information were removed. The following parameters including image quality, diagnostic confidence of radiologists, follow-up recommendations and diagnostic accuracy were assessed. A total of 52 patients (62 nodules were included in this study. UHRCT scan provides a better image quality regarding the margin of nodules and solid internal component compared to that of CHRCT (P 0.05. These findings suggest that the UHRCT prototype scanner provides a better image quality of subsolid nodules compared to CHRCT and contributes significantly to reduce the patients' follow-up period.

  19. Quantitative Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy of Electronic and Nanostructured Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yankovich, Andrew B.

    Electronic and nanostructured materials have been investigated using advanced scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) techniques. The first topic is the microstructure of Ga and Sb-doped ZnO. Ga-doped ZnO is a candidate transparent conducting oxide material. The microstructure of GZO thin films grown by MBE under different growth conditions and different substrates were examined using various electron microscopy (EM) techniques. The microstructure, prevalent defects, and polarity in these films strongly depend on the growth conditions and substrate. Sb-doped ZnO nanowires have been shown to be the first route to stable p-type ZnO. Using Z-contrast STEM, I have showed that an unusual microstructure of Sb-decorated head-to-head inversion domain boundaries and internal voids contain all the Sb in the nanowires and cause the p-type conduction. InGaN thin films and InGaN / GaN quantum wells (QW) for light emitting diodes are the second topic. Low-dose Z-contrast STEM, PACBED, and EDS on InGaN QW LED structures grown by MOCVD show no evidence for nanoscale composition variations, contradicting previous reports. In addition, a new extended defect in GaN and InGaN was discovered. The defect consists of a faceted pyramid-shaped void that produces a threading dislocation along the [0001] growth direction, and is likely caused by carbon contamination during growth. Non-rigid registration (NRR) and high-precision STEM of nanoparticles is the final topic. NRR is a new image processing technique that corrects distortions arising from the serial nature of STEM acquisition that previously limited the precision of locating atomic columns and counting the number of atoms in images. NRR was used to demonstrate sub-picometer precision in STEM images of single crystal Si and GaN, the best achieved in EM. NRR was used to measure the atomic surface structure of Pt nanoacatalysts and Au nanoparticles, which revealed new bond length variation phenomenon of surface atoms. In

  20. Attenuation correction for the HRRT PET-scanner using transmission scatter correction and total variation regularization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Keller, Sune H; Svarer, Claus; Sibomana, Merence

    2013-01-01

    scatter correction in the μ-map reconstruction and total variation filtering to the transmission processing. Results: Comparing MAP-TR and the new TXTV with gold standard CT-based attenuation correction, we found that TXTV has less bias as compared to MAP-TR. We also compared images acquired at the HRRT......In the standard software for the Siemens high-resolution research tomograph (HRRT) positron emission tomography (PET) scanner the most commonly used segmentation in the μ -map reconstruction for human brain scans is maximum a posteriori for transmission (MAP-TR). Bias in the lower cerebellum...

  1. 'Crazy-Paving' Patterns on High-Resolution CT Scans in Patients with Pulmonary Complications after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marchiori, Edson; Escuissato, Dante L.; Gasparetto, Taisa Davaus; Considera, Daniela Peixoto; Franquet, Tomas

    2009-01-01

    To describe the pulmonary complications following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) that can present with a 'crazy-paving' pattern in high-resolution CT scans. Retrospective review of medical records from 2,537 patients who underwent HSCT. The 'crazy-paving' pattern consists of interlobular and intralobular septal thickening superimposed on an area of ground-glass attenuation on high-resolution CT scans. The CT scans were retrospectively reviewed by two radiologists, who reached final decisions by consensus. We identified 10 cases (2.02%), seven male and three female, with pulmonary complications following HSCT that presented with the 'crazy-paving' pattern. Seven (70%) patients had infectious pneumonia (adenovirus, herpes simplex, influenza virus, cytomegalovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and toxoplasmosis), and three patients presented with non-infectious complications (idiopathic pneumonia syndrome and acute pulmonary edema). The 'crazy-paving' pattern was bilateral in all cases, with diffuse distribution in nine patients (90%), predominantly in the middle and inferior lung regions in seven patients (70%), and involving the anterior and posterior regions of the lungs in nine patients (90%). The 'crazy-paving' pattern is rare in HSCT recipients with pulmonary complications and is associated with infectious complications more commonly than non-infectious conditions

  2. Attenuation correction for the HRRT PET-scanner using transmission scatter correction and total variation regularization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keller, Sune H; Svarer, Claus; Sibomana, Merence

    2013-09-01

    In the standard software for the Siemens high-resolution research tomograph (HRRT) positron emission tomography (PET) scanner the most commonly used segmentation in the μ -map reconstruction for human brain scans is maximum a posteriori for transmission (MAP-TR). Bias in the lower cerebellum and pons in HRRT brain images have been reported. The two main sources of the problem with MAP-TR are poor bone/soft tissue segmentation below the brain and overestimation of bone mass in the skull. We developed the new transmission processing with total variation (TXTV) method that introduces scatter correction in the μ-map reconstruction and total variation filtering to the transmission processing. Comparing MAP-TR and the new TXTV with gold standard CT-based attenuation correction, we found that TXTV has less bias as compared to MAP-TR. We also compared images acquired at the HRRT scanner using TXTV to the GE Advance scanner images and found high quantitative correspondence. TXTV has been used to reconstruct more than 4000 HRRT scans at seven different sites with no reports of biases. TXTV-based reconstruction is recommended for human brain scans on the HRRT.

  3. Determination of the cork bark porosity through the gamma ray transmission technology and electronic scanning microscopy image analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moraes, Antonio M.C.; Moreira, Anderson C.; Appoloni, Carlos R.

    2007-01-01

    This work applies the gamma transmission techniques (GTR) and imaging by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for determination of porosity in the sparkling wine bottle corks. The gamma transmission experimental apparatus consists of a micrometric table (ZX) of sample movement automated, a Am-241 source (59,53 keV, 100 mCi), lead collimators, sample-holder, Na I(Tl) detector and appropriated electronics. For the microscopic images an FEI (Quanta 200), electronic microscope with associated electronics was used, and the image analysis was performed with IMAGO software. The average porosity for 22 samples analysed by GTR was of φ=58 +- 4.6 percent. By the imaging technique the found average porosity was φ=60.0 +- 6.2 percent. (author)

  4. Practical Approaches to Mitigation of Specimen Charging in High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young-Min Kim

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Specimen charging that is associated with the electron bombardment on the sample is a practical hindrance to high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM analysis because it causes a severe loss of resolution in either diffraction or image data. Conductive thin film deposition on an insulating specimen has been proposed as an effective approach to the mitigation of the specimen charging; however, this method is generally not useful in HRTEM imaging of materials because the deposited film induces another artifact in the HRTEM image contrast. In this study, we propose practical methods to mitigate the specimen charging that takes place during the HRTEM of materials. For bulk-type specimens prepared by either an ion-thinning or focused-ion beam (FIB process, a plasma cleaning treatment is significantly effective in eliminating the charging phenomenon. In the case of low-dimensional nanomaterials such as nanowires and nanoparticles, the plasma cleaning is not feasible; however, the charging effect can be effectively eliminated by adjusting the electron illumination condition. The proposed methods facilitate a decrease in the buildup of specimen charging, thereby enhancing the quality of high-resolution images significantly.

  5. Impact of Membrane-Induced Particle Immobilization on Seeded Growth Monitored by In Situ Liquid Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiner, Rebecca G; Chen, Dennis P; Unocic, Raymond R; Skrabalak, Sara E

    2016-05-01

    In situ liquid cell scanning transmission electron microscopy probes seeded growth in real time. The growth of Pd on Au nanocubes is monitored as a model system to compare growth within a liquid cell and traditional colloidal synthesis. Different growth patterns are observed due to seed immobilization and the highly reducing environment within the liquid cell. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. A high-resolution analytical scanning transmission electron microscopy study of the early stages of spinodal decomposition in binary Fe–Cr

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Westraadt, J.E.; Olivier, E.J.; Neethling, J.H.; Hedström, P.; Odqvist, J.; Xu, X.; Steuwer, A.

    2015-01-01

    Spinodal decomposition (SD) is an important phenomenon in materials science and engineering. For example, it is considered to be responsible for the 475 °C embrittlement of stainless steels comprising the bcc (ferrite) or bct (martensite) phases. Structural characterization of the evolving minute nano-scale concentration fluctuations during SD in the Fe–Cr system is, however, a notable challenge, and has mainly been considered accessible via atom probe tomography (APT) and small-angle neutron scattering. The standard tool for nanostructure characterization, viz. transmission electron microscopy (TEM), has only been successfully applied to late stages of SD when embrittlement is already severe. However, we here demonstrate that the structural evolution in the early stages of SD in binary Fe–Cr, and alloys based on the binary, are accessible via analytical scanning TEM. An Fe–36 wt% Cr alloy aged at 500 °C for 1, 10 and 100 h is investigated using an aberration-corrected microscope and it is found that highly coherent and interconnected Cr-rich regions develop. The wavelength of decomposition is rather insensitive to the sample thickness and it is quantified to 2, 3 and 6 nm after ageing for 1, 10 and 100 h, which is in reasonable agreement with prior APT analysis. The concentration amplitude is more sensitive to the sample thickness and acquisition parameters but the TEM analysis is in good agreement with APT analysis for the longest ageing time. These findings open up for combinatorial TEM studies where both local crystallography and chemistry is required. - Highlights: • STEM-EELS analysis was successfully applied to resolve early stage SD in Fe–Cr. • Compositional wavelength measured with STEM-EELS compares well to previous ATP studies. • Compositional amplitude measured with STEM-EELS is a function of experimental parameters. • STEM-EELS allows for combinatorial studies of SD using complementary techniques.

  7. A high-resolution analytical scanning transmission electron microscopy study of the early stages of spinodal decomposition in binary Fe–Cr

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Westraadt, J.E., E-mail: johan.westraadt@nmmu.ac.za [Centre for High Resolution TEM, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, University Way, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa); Olivier, E.J.; Neethling, J.H. [Centre for High Resolution TEM, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, University Way, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa); Hedström, P.; Odqvist, J.; Xu, X. [Dept. Materials Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvägen 23, 10044 Stockholm (Sweden); Steuwer, A. [Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Gardham Av., Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa)

    2015-11-15

    Spinodal decomposition (SD) is an important phenomenon in materials science and engineering. For example, it is considered to be responsible for the 475 °C embrittlement of stainless steels comprising the bcc (ferrite) or bct (martensite) phases. Structural characterization of the evolving minute nano-scale concentration fluctuations during SD in the Fe–Cr system is, however, a notable challenge, and has mainly been considered accessible via atom probe tomography (APT) and small-angle neutron scattering. The standard tool for nanostructure characterization, viz. transmission electron microscopy (TEM), has only been successfully applied to late stages of SD when embrittlement is already severe. However, we here demonstrate that the structural evolution in the early stages of SD in binary Fe–Cr, and alloys based on the binary, are accessible via analytical scanning TEM. An Fe–36 wt% Cr alloy aged at 500 °C for 1, 10 and 100 h is investigated using an aberration-corrected microscope and it is found that highly coherent and interconnected Cr-rich regions develop. The wavelength of decomposition is rather insensitive to the sample thickness and it is quantified to 2, 3 and 6 nm after ageing for 1, 10 and 100 h, which is in reasonable agreement with prior APT analysis. The concentration amplitude is more sensitive to the sample thickness and acquisition parameters but the TEM analysis is in good agreement with APT analysis for the longest ageing time. These findings open up for combinatorial TEM studies where both local crystallography and chemistry is required. - Highlights: • STEM-EELS analysis was successfully applied to resolve early stage SD in Fe–Cr. • Compositional wavelength measured with STEM-EELS compares well to previous ATP studies. • Compositional amplitude measured with STEM-EELS is a function of experimental parameters. • STEM-EELS allows for combinatorial studies of SD using complementary techniques.

  8. High Resolution Scanning Ion Microscopy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Castaldo, V.

    2011-01-01

    The structure of the thesis is the following. The first chapter is an introduction to scanning microscopy, where the path that led to the Focused Ion Beam (FIB) is described and the main differences between electrons and ion beams are highlighted. Chapter 2 is what is normally referred to (which I

  9. Internal scanning method as unique imaging method of optical vortex scanning microscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Popiołek-Masajada, Agnieszka; Masajada, Jan; Szatkowski, Mateusz

    2018-06-01

    The internal scanning method is specific for the optical vortex microscope. It allows to move the vortex point inside the focused vortex beam with nanometer resolution while the whole beam stays in place. Thus the sample illuminated by the focused vortex beam can be scanned just by the vortex point. We show that this method enables high resolution imaging. The paper presents the preliminary experimental results obtained with the first basic image recovery procedure. A prospect of developing more powerful tools for topography recovery with the optical vortex scanning microscope is discussed shortly.

  10. Determination of the spatial resolution of an aperture-type near-field scanning optical microscope using a standard sample of a quantum-dot-embedded polymer film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, J. Y.; Kim, D. C.; Nakajima, K.; Mitsui, T.; Aoki, H.

    2010-01-01

    The near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) is a form of scanning probe microscope that achieves, through the use of the near-field, a spatial resolution significantly superior to that defined by the Abbe diffraction limit. Although the term spatial resolution has a clear meaning, it is often used in different ways in characterizing the NSOM instrument. In this paper, we describe the concept, the cautions, and the general guidelines of a method to measure the spatial resolution of an aperture-type NSOM instrument. As an example, a quantum dot embedded polymer film was prepared and imaged as a test sample, and the determination of the lateral resolution was demonstrated using the described method.

  11. Electron dose dependence of signal-to-noise ratio, atom contrast and resolution in transmission electron microscope images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Z.; Rose, H.; Lehtinen, O.; Biskupek, J.; Kaiser, U.

    2014-01-01

    In order to achieve the highest resolution in aberration-corrected (AC) high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images, high electron doses are required which only a few samples can withstand. In this paper we perform dose-dependent AC-HRTEM image calculations, and study the dependence of the signal-to-noise ratio, atom contrast and resolution on electron dose and sampling. We introduce dose-dependent contrast, which can be used to evaluate the visibility of objects under different dose conditions. Based on our calculations, we determine optimum samplings for high and low electron dose imaging conditions. - Highlights: • The definition of dose-dependent atom contrast is introduced. • The dependence of the signal-to-noise ratio, atom contrast and specimen resolution on electron dose and sampling is explored. • The optimum sampling can be determined according to different dose conditions

  12. High-resolution dichroic imaging of magnetic flux distributions in superconductors with scanning x-ray microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruoss, Stephen; Stahl, Claudia; Weigand, Markus; Schuetz, Gisela [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Intelligente Systeme, Stuttgart (Germany); Albrecht, Joachim [Research Institute for Innovative Surfaces, FINO, Aalen University (Germany)

    2015-07-01

    The penetration of magnetic flux into the high-temperature superconductor YBCO has been observed using a new high-resolution technique based on X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). Superconductors coated with thin soft magnetic layers of CoFeB are observed in a scanning x-ray microscope providing cooling of the sample down to 83 K under the influence of external magnetic fields. Resulting electrical currents create an inhomogeneous magnetic field distribution above the superconductor which leads to a local reorientation of the ferromagnetic layer. X-ray absorption measurements with circular polarized radiation allows the analysis of the magnetic flux distribution in the superconductor via the ferromagnetic layer. In this work we present first images taken at 83K with high spatial resolution in the nanoscale.

  13. Observations of silicon carbide by high resolution transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, D.J.; Jepps, N.W.; Page, T.F.

    1978-01-01

    High resolution transmission electron microscopy techniques, principally involving direct lattice imaging, have been used as part of a study of the crystallography and phase transformation mechanics of silicon carbide polytypes. In particular, the 3C (cubic) and 6H (hexagonal) polytypes have been examined together with partially transformed structural mixtures. Although direct observation of two-dimensional atomic structures was not possible at an operating voltage of 100 kV, considerable microstructural information has been obtained by careful choice of the experimental conditions. In particular, tilted beam observations of the 0.25 nm lattice fringes have been made in the 3C polytype for two different brace 111 brace plane arrays in order to study the dimensions and coherency of finely-twinned regions together with brace 0006 brace and brace 1 0 bar1 2 brace lattice images in the 6H polytype which allow the detailed stacking operations to be resolved. Lower resolution lattice images formed with axial illumination have also been used to study the nature of the 3C → 6H transformation and results are presented showing that the transformation interface may originate with fine twinning of the 3C structure followed by growth of the resultant 6H regions. Observations have been made of the detailed stepped structure of this interface together with the stacking fault distribution in the resultant 6H material. (author)

  14. Dose-rate-dependent damage of cerium dioxide in the scanning transmission electron microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston-Peck, Aaron C; DuChene, Joseph S; Roberts, Alan D; Wei, Wei David; Herzing, Andrew A

    2016-11-01

    Beam damage caused by energetic electrons in the transmission electron microscope is a fundamental constraint limiting the collection of artifact-free information. Through understanding the influence of the electron beam, experimental routines may be adjusted to improve the data collection process. Investigations of CeO 2 indicate that there is not a critical dose required for the accumulation of electron beam damage. Instead, measurements using annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy demonstrate that the onset of measurable damage occurs when a critical dose rate is exceeded. The mechanism behind this phenomenon is that oxygen vacancies created by exposure to a 300keV electron beam are actively annihilated as the sample re-oxidizes in the microscope environment. As a result, only when the rate of vacancy creation exceeds the recovery rate will beam damage begin to accumulate. This observation suggests that dose-intensive experiments can be accomplished without disrupting the native structure of the sample when executed using dose rates below the appropriate threshold. Furthermore, the presence of an encapsulating carbonaceous layer inhibits processes that cause beam damage, markedly increasing the dose rate threshold for the accumulation of damage. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  15. High resolution surface scanning of Thick-GEM for single photo-electron detection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hamar, G., E-mail: hamar.gergo@wigner.mta.hu [Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Budapest (Hungary); Varga, D., E-mail: vdezso@mail.cern.ch [Eoetvoes Lorand University, Budapest (Hungary)

    2012-12-01

    An optical system for high resolution scanning of TGEM UV photon detection systems is introduced. The structure exploits the combination of a single Au-coated TGEM under study, and an asymmetric MWPC (Close Cathode Chamber) as post-amplification stage. A pulsed UV LED source with emission down to 240 nm has been focused to a spot of 0.07 mm on the TGEM surface, and single photo-electron charge spectra has been recorded over selected two dimensional regions. This way, the TGEM gain (order of 10-100) and TGEM photo-electron detection efficiency is clearly separated, unlike in case of continuous illumination. The surface structure connected to the TGEM photon detection is well observable, including inefficiencies in the holes and at the symmetry points between holes. The detection efficiency as well as the gas gain are fluctuating from hole to hole. The gain is constant in the hexagon around any hole, pointing to the fact that the gain depends on hole geometry, and less on the position where the electron enters. The detection probability map strongly changes with the field strength above the TGEM surface, in relation to the change of the actual surface field configuration. The results can be confronted with position-dependent simulations of TGEM electron transfer and gas multiplication. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer First demonstration of Thick GEM surface scanning with single photo-electrons. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Resolution of 0.1 mm is sufficient to identify structures connected to TGEM surface field structure. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Gain and detection efficiency and separately measurable. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Detection efficiency is high in a ring around the holes, and gain is constant in the hexagonal collection regions.

  16. Not all trees sleep the same - High temporal resolution terrestrial laser scanning shows differences in nocturnal plant movement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zlinszky, András; Barfod, Anders; Molnár, Bence

    2017-01-01

    Circadian leaf movements are widely known in plants, but nocturnal movement of tree branches were only recently discovered by using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), a high resolution three-dimensional surveying technique. TLS uses a pulsed laser emitted in a regular scan pattern for rapid...... surveyed a series of 18 full scans over a 12-h night period to measure nocturnal changes in shape simultaneously for an experimental setup of 22 plants representing different species. Resulting point clouds were evaluated by comparing changes in height percentiles of laser scanning points belonging...... to the canopy. Changes in crown shape were observed for all studied trees, but clearly distinguishable sleep movements are apparently rare. Ambient light conditions were continuously dark between sunset (7:30 p.m.) and sunrise (6:00 a.m.), but most changes in movement direction occurred during this period, thus...

  17. Improved image quality and diagnostic potential using ultra-high-resolution computed tomography of the lung with small scan FOV: A prospective study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Huiyuan; Zhang, Lian; Wang, Yali; Hamal, Preeti; You, Xiaofang; Mao, Haixia; Li, Fei; Sun, Xiwen

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to assess whether CT imaging using an ultra-high-resolution CT (UHRCT) scan with a small scan field of view (FOV) provides higher image quality and helps to reduce the follow-up period compared with a conventional high-resolution CT (CHRCT) scan. We identified patients with at least one pulmonary nodule at our hospital from July 2015 to November 2015. CHRCT and UHRCT scans were conducted in all enrolled patients. Three experienced radiologists evaluated the image quality using a 5-point score and made diagnoses. The paired images were displayed side by side in a random manner and annotations of scan information were removed. The following parameters including image quality, diagnostic confidence of radiologists, follow-up recommendations and diagnostic accuracy were assessed. A total of 52 patients (62 nodules) were included in this study. UHRCT scan provides a better image quality regarding the margin of nodules and solid internal component compared to that of CHRCT (P images than of CHRCT images (Pimages (P 0.05). These findings suggest that the UHRCT prototype scanner provides a better image quality of subsolid nodules compared to CHRCT and contributes significantly to reduce the patients' follow-up period.

  18. Detection of fatigue fracture in pearlitic flake graphite cast iron with the help of scanning and transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dunger, B.; Hunger, J.

    1976-01-01

    To prove the existence of the characteristic features of fatigue fracture in a pearlitic flake graphite cast iron, its fracture surface topography revealed by scanning electron microscopy has been compared with that of a pearlitic steel, the fractures having been caused by static tensile and by cyclic bending tests. The characteristic features of fatigue fracture were visible in the pearlitic matrix of the steel and of the flake graphite cast iron as well. These features differ characteristically from the lamellar structure of the pearlite, particularly after etching the surface area of the fractures. The graphite structures as viewed on the electron scanning and the electron transmission microscope are described. (orig.) [de

  19. EVALUATION OF THE ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE SMALL INTESTINE OF HIV INFECTED CHILDREN BY TRANSMISSION AND SCANNING ELECTRONIC MICROSCOPY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christiane Araujo Chaves LEITE

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Objectives To describe HIV children's small intestinal ultrastructural findings. Methods Descriptive, observational study of small intestine biopsies performed between August 1994 and May 1995 at São Paulo, SP, Brazil. This material pertained to 11 HIV infected children and was stored in a laboratory in paraffin blocks. Scanning and transmission electronic microscopy were used to view those intestine samples and ultrastructural findings were described by analyzing digitalized photos of this material. Ethical Committee approval was obtained. Results In most samples scanning microscopy showed various degrees of shortening and decreasing number of microvilli and also completes effacements in some areas. Derangement of the enterocytes was seen frequently and sometimes cells well defined borders limits seemed to be loosened. In some areas a mucous-fibrin like membrane with variable thickness and extension appeared to partially or totally coat the epithelial surface. Fat drops were present in the intestinal lumen in various samples and a bacterium morphologically resembling bacilli was seen in two occasions. Scanning microscopy confirmed transmission microscopy microvilli findings and also showed little “tufts” of those structures. In addition, it showed an increased number of vacuoles and multivesicular bodies inside various enterocytes, an increased presence of intraepithelial lymphocytes, mitochondrial vacuolization and basement membrane enlargement in the majority of samples analyzed. However, some samples exhibited normal aspect. Conclusions Our study showed the common occurrence of various important intestinal ultrastructural alterations with variable degrees among HIV infected children, some of them in our knowledge not described before.

  20. Novel edge treatment method for improving the transmission reconstruction quality in Tomographic Gamma Scanning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Miaomiao; Guo, Zhirong; Liu, Haifeng; Li, Qinghua

    2018-05-01

    Tomographic Gamma Scanning (TGS) is a method used for the nondestructive assay of radioactive wastes. In TGS, the actual irregular edge voxels are regarded as regular cubic voxels in the traditional treatment method. In this study, in order to improve the performance of TGS, a novel edge treatment method is proposed that considers the actual shapes of these voxels. The two different edge voxel treatment methods were compared by computing the pixel-level relative errors and normalized mean square errors (NMSEs) between the reconstructed transmission images and the ideal images. Both methods were coupled with two different interative algorithms comprising Algebraic Reconstruction Technique (ART) with a non-negativity constraint and Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization (MLEM). The results demonstrated that the traditional method for edge voxel treatment can introduce significant error and that the real irregular edge voxel treatment method can improve the performance of TGS by obtaining better transmission reconstruction images. With the real irregular edge voxel treatment method, MLEM algorithm and ART algorithm can be comparable when assaying homogenous matrices, but MLEM algorithm is superior to ART algorithm when assaying heterogeneous matrices. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. In-situ environmental (scanning) transmission electron microscopy of catalysts at the atomic level

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gai, P L; Boyes, E D

    2014-01-01

    Observing reacting single atoms on the solid catalyst surfaces under controlled reaction conditions is a key goal in understanding and controlling heterogeneous catalytic reactions. In-situ real time aberration corrected environmental (scanning) transmission electron microscopy (E(S)TEM permit the direct imaging of dynamic surface and sub-surface structures of reacting catalysts. In this paper in-situ AC ETEM and AC ESTEM studies under controlled reaction environments of oxide catalysts and supported metal nanocatalysts important in chemical industry are presented. They provide the direct evidence of dynamic processes at the oxide catalyst surface at the atomic scale and single atom dynamics in catalytic reactions. The ESTEM studies of single atom dynamics in controlled reaction environments show that nanoparticles act as reservoirs of ad-atoms. The results have important implications in catalysis and nanoparticle studies

  2. Modelling high-resolution electron microscopy based on core-loss spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allen, L.J.; Findlay, S.D.; Oxley, M.P.; Witte, C.; Zaluzec, N.J.

    2006-01-01

    There are a number of factors affecting the formation of images based on core-loss spectroscopy in high-resolution electron microscopy. We demonstrate unambiguously the need to use a full nonlocal description of the effective core-loss interaction for experimental results obtained from high angular resolution electron channelling electron spectroscopy. The implications of this model are investigated for atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Simulations are used to demonstrate that core-loss spectroscopy images formed using fine probes proposed for future microscopes can result in images that do not correspond visually with the structure that has led to their formation. In this context, we also examine the effect of varying detector geometries. The importance of the contribution to core-loss spectroscopy images by dechannelled or diffusely scattered electrons is reiterated here

  3. Gas-phase synthesis of magnesium nanoparticles: A high-resolution transmission electron microscopy study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kooi, B. J.; Palasantzas, G.; De Hosson, J. Th. M.

    2006-01-01

    Magnesium nanoparticles with size above 10 nm, prepared by gas-phase syntheses, were investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The dominant particle shape is a hexagonal prism terminated by Mg(0002) and Mg(1010) facets. Oxidation of Mg yields a MgO shell (∼3 nm thick), which has an orientation relation with the Mg. Inhomogeneous facet oxidation influences their growth kinetics resulting in a relatively broad size and shape distribution. Faceted voids between Mg and MgO shells indicate a fast outward diffusion of Mg and vacancy rearrangement into voids. The faceting of polar (220) planes is assisted by electron irradiation

  4. STEMsalabim: A high-performance computing cluster friendly code for scanning transmission electron microscopy image simulations of thin specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oelerich, Jan Oliver; Duschek, Lennart; Belz, Jürgen; Beyer, Andreas; Baranovskii, Sergei D.; Volz, Kerstin

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • We present STEMsalabim, a modern implementation of the multislice algorithm for simulation of STEM images. • Our package is highly parallelizable on high-performance computing clusters, combining shared and distributed memory architectures. • With STEMsalabim, computationally and memory expensive STEM image simulations can be carried out within reasonable time. - Abstract: We present a new multislice code for the computer simulation of scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) images based on the frozen lattice approximation. Unlike existing software packages, the code is optimized to perform well on highly parallelized computing clusters, combining distributed and shared memory architectures. This enables efficient calculation of large lateral scanning areas of the specimen within the frozen lattice approximation and fine-grained sweeps of parameter space.

  5. STEMsalabim: A high-performance computing cluster friendly code for scanning transmission electron microscopy image simulations of thin specimens

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oelerich, Jan Oliver, E-mail: jan.oliver.oelerich@physik.uni-marburg.de; Duschek, Lennart; Belz, Jürgen; Beyer, Andreas; Baranovskii, Sergei D.; Volz, Kerstin

    2017-06-15

    Highlights: • We present STEMsalabim, a modern implementation of the multislice algorithm for simulation of STEM images. • Our package is highly parallelizable on high-performance computing clusters, combining shared and distributed memory architectures. • With STEMsalabim, computationally and memory expensive STEM image simulations can be carried out within reasonable time. - Abstract: We present a new multislice code for the computer simulation of scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) images based on the frozen lattice approximation. Unlike existing software packages, the code is optimized to perform well on highly parallelized computing clusters, combining distributed and shared memory architectures. This enables efficient calculation of large lateral scanning areas of the specimen within the frozen lattice approximation and fine-grained sweeps of parameter space.

  6. Enhanced phase contrast transfer using ptychography combined with a pre-specimen phase plate in a scanning transmission electron microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Hao; Ercius, Peter [Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Nellist, Peter D. [Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PH (United Kingdom); Ophus, Colin, E-mail: clophus@lbl.gov [Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)

    2016-12-15

    The ability to image light elements in both crystalline and noncrystalline materials at near atomic resolution with an enhanced contrast is highly advantageous to understand the structure and properties of a wide range of beam sensitive materials including biological specimens and molecular hetero-structures. This requires the imaging system to have an efficient phase contrast transfer at both low and high spatial frequencies. In this work we introduce a new phase contrast imaging method in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) using a pre-specimen phase plate in the probe forming aperture, combined with a fast pixelated detector to record diffraction patterns at every probe position, and phase reconstruction using ptychography. The phase plate significantly enhances the contrast transfer of low spatial frequency information, and ptychography maximizes the extraction of the phase information at all spatial frequencies. In addition, the STEM probe with the presence of the phase plate retains its atomic resolution, allowing simultaneous incoherent Z-contrast imaging to be obtained along with the ptychographic phase image. An experimental image of Au nanoparticles on a carbon support shows high contrast for both materials. Multislice image simulations of a DNA molecule shows the capability of imaging soft matter at low dose conditions, which implies potential applications of low dose imaging of a wide range of beam sensitive materials. - Highlights: • This work demonstrates a phase contrast imaging method by combining a pre-specimen phase plate with ptychogrpahy. • This method is shown to have a high phase contrast transfer efficiency at both low and high spatial frequencies. • Unlike CTEM which uses a heavy defocus to gain contrast, the phase plate gives a linear phase contrast at zero defocus aberrations. • Image simulations of DNA suggest this method is highly attractive for imaging beam sensitive materials at a low dose.

  7. Gas chromatographic quadrupole time-of-flight full scan high resolution mass spectrometric screening of human urine in antidoping analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Abushareeda, Wadha; Lyris, Emmanouil; Kraiem, Suhail; Wahaibi, Aisha Al; Alyazidi, Sameera; Dbes, Najib; Lommen, Arjen; Nielen, Michel; Horvatovich, Peter L.; Alsayrafi, Mohammed; Georgakopoulos, Costas

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents the development and validation of a high-resolution full scan (FS) electron impact ionization (EI) gas chromatography coupled to quadrupole Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry (GC/QTOF) platform for screening anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) in human urine samples. The World

  8. Ultra high resolution soft x-ray tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haddad, W.S.; Trebes, J.E.; Goodman, D.M.

    1995-01-01

    Ultra high resolution three dimensional images of a microscopic test object were made with soft x-rays using a scanning transmission x-ray microscope. The test object consisted of two different patterns of gold bars on silicon nitride windows that were separated by ∼5μm. A series of nine 2-D images of the object were recorded at angles between -50 to +55 degrees with respect to the beam axis. The projections were then combined tomographically to form a 3-D image by means of an algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) algorithm. A transverse resolution of ∼1000 Angstrom was observed. Artifacts in the reconstruction limited the overall depth resolution to ∼6000 Angstrom, however some features were clearly reconstructed with a depth resolution of ∼1000 Angstrom. A specially modified ART algorithm and a constrained conjugate gradient (CCG) code were also developed as improvements over the standard ART algorithm. Both of these methods made significant improvements in the overall depth resolution bringing it down to ∼1200 Angstrom overall. Preliminary projection data sets were also recorded with both dry and re-hydrated human sperm cells over a similar angular range

  9. Ultra high resolution soft x-ray tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haddad, W.S.; Trebes, J.E.; Goodman, D.M.; Lee, H.R.; McNulty, I.; Zalensky, A.O.

    1995-01-01

    Ultra high resolution three dimensional images of a microscopic test object were made with soft x-rays using a scanning transmission x-ray microscope. The test object consisted of two different patterns of gold bars on silicon nitride windows that were separated by ∼5 microm. A series of nine 2-D images of the object were recorded at angles between -50 to +55 degrees with respect to the beam axis. The projections were then combined tomographically to form a 3-D image by means of an algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) algorithm. A transverse resolution of ∼ 1,000 angstrom was observed. Artifacts in the reconstruction limited the overall depth resolution to ∼ 6,000 angstrom, however some features were clearly reconstructed with a depth resolution of ∼ 1,000 angstrom. A specially modified ART algorithm and a constrained conjugate gradient (CCG) code were also developed as improvements over the standard ART algorithm. Both of these methods made significant improvements in the overall depth resolution, bringing it down to ∼ 1,200 angstrom overall. Preliminary projection data sets were also recorded with both dry and re-hydrated human sperm cells over a similar angular range

  10. Enhanced resolution imaging of ultrathin ZnO layers on Ag(111) by multiple hydrogen molecules in a scanning tunneling microscope junction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Shuyi; Shiotari, Akitoshi; Baugh, Delroy; Wolf, Martin; Kumagai, Takashi

    2018-05-01

    Molecular hydrogen in a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) junction has been found to enhance the lateral spatial resolution of the STM imaging, referred to as scanning tunneling hydrogen microscopy (STHM). Here we report atomic resolution imaging of 2- and 3-monolayer (ML) thick ZnO layers epitaxially grown on Ag(111) using STHM. The enhanced resolution can be obtained at a relatively large tip to surface distance and resolves a more defective structure exhibiting dislocation defects for 3-ML-thick ZnO than for 2 ML. In order to elucidate the enhanced imaging mechanism, the electric and mechanical properties of the hydrogen molecular junction (HMJ) are investigated by a combination of STM and atomic force microscopy. It is found that the HMJ shows multiple kinklike features in the tip to surface distance dependence of the conductance and frequency shift curves, which are absent in a hydrogen-free junction. Based on a simple modeling, we propose that the junction contains several hydrogen molecules and sequential squeezing of the molecules out of the junction results in the kinklike features in the conductance and frequency shift curves. The model also qualitatively reproduces the enhanced resolution image of the ZnO films.

  11. Prospects for realizing a sub-A sub-eV resolution EFTEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rose, H.

    1999-01-01

    The arrangement of a sub-Angstrom and sub-eV resolution energy filtering transmission electron microscope (EFTEM) is outlined. This ideal future analytical microscope is a combination of a scanning transmission (STEM) and a corrected fixed-beam transmission electron microscope (TEM) and operates at voltages between 150 and 300 kV. The ultra resolution EFTEM will consist of a field emission gun followed by a monochromator yielding an energy width below 0.2 eV. The condenser system provides Koehler illumination for the TEM mode and a spot size of about 0.2 nm for the STEM mode. The spherically corrected aplanatic objective lens consists of a coma-free round lens and an integrated hexapole corrector. The formation of the energy loss spectrum is performed by the ultradispersive aberration-free MANDOLINE filter. The filtered intermediate image or the energy loss spectrum, respectively, are imaged onto a Charged-Coupled Device (CCD) array with variable magnification by means of a distortion-free projector system consisting of several quadrupoles and octupoles. For obtaining sub-Angstrom resolution the parasitic mechanical and electromagnetic instabilities must be reduced to such an extent that the information limit is pushed below 0.06 nm. All requirements can be met at the present state of technology. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

  12. Gas chromatographic quadrupole time-of-flight full scan high resolution mass spectrometric screening of human urine in antidoping analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Abushareeda, Wadha; Lyris, Emmanouil; Kraiem, Suhail; Wahaibi, Aisha Al; Alyazidi, Sameera; Dbes, Najib; Lommen, Arjen; Nielen, Michel; Horvatovich, Peter L.; Alsayrafi, Mohammed; Georgakopoulos, Costas

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents the development and validation of a high-resolution full scan (FS) electron impact ionization (EI) gas chromatography coupled to quadrupole Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry (GC/QTOF) platform for screening anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) in human urine samples. The World

  13. High resolution RGB color line scan camera

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lynch, Theodore E.; Huettig, Fred

    1998-04-01

    A color line scan camera family which is available with either 6000, 8000 or 10000 pixels/color channel, utilizes off-the-shelf lenses, interfaces with currently available frame grabbers, includes on-board pixel by pixel offset correction, and is configurable and controllable via RS232 serial port for computer controlled or stand alone operation is described in this paper. This line scan camera is based on an available 8000 element monochrome line scan camera designed by AOA for OEM use. The new color version includes improvements such as better packaging and additional user features which make the camera easier to use. The heart of the camera is a tri-linear CCD sensor with on-chip color balancing for maximum accuracy and pinned photodiodes for low lag response. Each color channel is digitized to 12 bits and all three channels are multiplexed together so that the resulting camera output video is either a 12 or 8 bit data stream at a rate of up to 24Megpixels/sec. Conversion from 12 to 8 bit, or user-defined gamma, is accomplished by on board user-defined video look up tables. The camera has two user-selectable operating modes; lows speed, high sensitivity mode or high speed, reduced sensitivity mode. The intended uses of the camera include industrial inspection, digital archiving, document scanning, and graphic arts applications.

  14. The Use Of Scanning Probe Microscopy To Investigate Crystal-Fluid Interfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Orme, C A; Giocondi, J L

    2007-01-01

    Over the past decade there has been a natural drive to extend the investigation of dynamic surfaces in fluid environments to higher resolution characterization tools. Various aspects of solution crystal growth have been directly visualized for the first time. These include island nucleation and growth using transmission electron microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy; elemental step motion using scanning probe microscopy; and the time evolution of interfacial atomic structure using various diffraction techniques. In this lecture we will discuss the use of one such in situ method, scanning probe microscopy, as a means of measuring surface dynamics during crystal growth and dissolution. We will cover both practical aspects of imaging such as environmental control, fluid flow, and electrochemical manipulation, as well as the types of physical measurements that can be made. Measurements such as step motion, critical lengths, nucleation density, and step fluctuations, will be put in context of the information they provide about mechanistic processes at surfaces using examples from metal and mineral crystal growth

  15. Three-dimensional nanofabrication by electron-beam-induced deposition using 200-keV electrons in scanning transmission electron microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Z.Q.; Mitsuishi, K.; Furuya, K.

    2005-01-01

    Attempts were made to fabricate three-dimensional nanostructures on and out of a substrate by electron-beam-induced deposition in a 200-kV scanning transmission electron microscope. Structures with parallel wires over the substrate surface were difficult to fabricate due to the direct deposition of wires on both top and bottom surfaces of the substrate. Within the penetration depth of the incident electron beam, nanotweezers were fabricated by moving the electron beam beyond different substrate layers. Combining the deposition of self-supporting wires and self-standing tips, complicated three-dimensional doll-like, flag-like, and gate-like nanostructures that extend out of the substrate were successfully fabricated with one-step or multi-step scans of the electron beam. Effects of coarsening, nucleation, and distortion during electron-beam-induced deposition are discussed. (orig.)

  16. High-resolution MRI of the labyrinth. Optimization of scan parameters with 3D-FSE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakata, Motomichi; Harada, Kuniaki; Shirase, Ryuji; Kumagai, Akiko; Ogasawara, Masashi

    2005-01-01

    The aim of our study was to optimize the parameters of high-resolution MRI of the labyrinth with a 3D fast spin-echo (3D-FSE) sequence. We investigated repetition time (TR), echo time (TE), Matrix, field of view (FOV), and coil selection in terms of CNR (contrast-to-noise ratio) and SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) by comparing axial images and/or three-dimensional images. The optimal 3D-FSE sequence parameters were as follows: 1.5 Tesla MR unit (Signa LX, GE Medical Systems), 3D-FSE sequence, dual 3-inch surface coil, acquisition time=12.08 min, TR=5000 msec, TE=300 msec, 3 number of excitations (NEX), FOV=12 cm, matrix=256 x 256, slice thickness=0.5 mm/0.0 sp, echo train=64, bandwidth=±31.5 kHz. High-resolution MRI of the labyrinth using the optimized 3D-FSE sequence parameters permits visualization of important anatomic details (such as scala tympani and scala vestibuli), making it possible to determine inner ear anomalies and the patency of cochlear turns. To obtain excellent heavily T2-weighted axial and three-dimensional images in the labyrinth, high CNR, SNR, and spatial resolution are significant factors at the present time. Furthermore, it is important not only to optimize the scan parameters of 3D-FSE but also to select an appropriate coil for high-resolution MRI of the labyrinth. (author)

  17. Characterization and fabrication of fully metal-coated scanning near-field optical microscopy SiO2 tips.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aeschimann, L; Akiyama, T; Staufer, U; De Rooij, N F; Thiery, L; Eckert, R; Heinzelmann, H

    2003-03-01

    The fabrication of silicon cantilever-based scanning near-field optical microscope probes with fully aluminium-coated quartz tips was optimized to increase production yield. Different cantilever designs for dynamic- and contact-mode force feedback were implemented. Light transmission through the tips was investigated experimentally in terms of the metal coating and the tip cone-angle. We found that transmittance varies with the skin depth of the metal coating and is inverse to the cone angle, meaning that slender tips showed higher transmission. Near-field optical images of individual fluorescing molecules showed a resolution thermocouple showed no evidence of mechanical defect or orifice formation by thermal effects.

  18. Through-the-wall high-resolution imaging of a human and experimental characterization of the transmission of wall materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nilsson, S.; Jänis, A.; Gustafsson, M.; Kjellgren, J.; Sume, Ain

    2008-10-01

    This paper describes the research efforts made at the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI) concerning through-the-wall imaging radar, as well as fundamental characterization of various wall materials. These activities are a part of two FOI-projects concerning security sensors in the aspects of Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) and Homeland Defence. Through-the-wall high resolution imaging of a human between 28-40 GHz has been performed at FOI. The UWB radar that was used is normally a member of the instrumentation of the FOI outdoor RCS test range Lilla Gåra. The armed test person was standing behind different kinds of walls. The radar images were generated by stepping the turntable in azimuth and elevation. The angular resolution in the near-field was improved by refocusing the parabolic antennas, which in combination with the large bandwidth (12 GHz) gave extremely high resolution radar images. A 3D visualization of the person even exposed the handgun tucked into one hip pocket. A qualitative comparison between the experimental results and simulation results (physical optics-based method) will also be presented. The second part of this paper describes results from activities at FOI concerning material characterization in the 2-110 GHz region. The transmission of building, packing and clothing materials has been experimentally determined. The wide-band measurements in free space were carried out with a scalar network analyzer. In this paper results from these characterizations will be presented. Furthermore, an experimental investigation will be reported of how the transmission properties for some moisted materials change as a function of water content and frequency. We will also show experimental results of how the transmission properties of a pine panel are affected when the surface is coated with a thin surface layer of water.

  19. High quality transmission Kikuchi diffraction analysis of deformed alloys - Case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tokarski, Tomasz; Cios, Grzegorz; Kula, Anna; Bała, Piotr

    2016-01-01

    Modern scanning electron microscopes (SEM) equipped with thermally assisted field emission guns (Schottky FEG) are capable of imaging with a resolution in the range of several nanometers or better. Simultaneously, the high electron beam current can be used, which enables fast chemical and crystallographic analysis with a higher resolution than is normally offered by SEM with a tungsten cathode. The current resolution that limits the EDS and EBSD analysis is related to materials' physics, particularly to the electron-specimen interaction volume. The application of thin, electron-transparent specimens, instead of bulk samples, improves the resolution and allows for the detailed analysis of very fine microstructural features. Beside the typical imaging mode, it is possible to use a standard EBSD camera in such a configuration that only transmitted and scattered electrons are detected. This modern approach was successfully applied to various materials giving rise to significant resolution improvement, especially for the light element magnesium based alloys. This paper presents an insight into the application of the transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) technique applied to the most troublesome, heavily-deformed materials. In particular, the values of the highest possible acquisition rates for high resolution and high quality mapping were estimated within typical imaging conditions of stainless steel and magnesium-yttrium alloy. - Highlights: •Monte Carlo simulations were used to simulate EBSD camera intensity for various measuring conditions. •Transmission Kikuchi diffraction parameters were evaluated for highly deformed, light and heavy elements based alloys. •High quality maps with 20 nm spatial resolution were acquired for Mg and Fe based alloys. •High speed TKD measurements were performed at acquisition rates comparable to the reflection EBSD.

  20. High-resolution line-scan analysis of resin-embedded sediments using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hennekam, R.; Jilbert, T.; de Lange, G.J.; Reichart, G.J.

    2015-01-01

    Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) line-scanning is a promising technique for producing high-resolution (µm-scale) geochemical records on resin-embedded sediments. However, this approach has not yet been thoroughly tested on sediment samples of known elemental

  1. Impulse radio ultra wideband wireless transmission of dopamine concentration levels recorded by fast-scan cyclic voltammetry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebrazeh, Ali; Bozorgzadeh, Bardia; Mohseni, Pedram

    2015-01-01

    This paper demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing impulse radio ultra wideband (IR-UWB) signaling technique for reliable, wireless transmission of dopamine concentration levels recorded by fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) at a carbon-fiber microelectrode (CFM) to address the problem of elevated data rates in high-channel-count neurochemical monitoring. Utilizing an FSCV-sensing chip fabricated in AMS 0.35μm 2P/4M CMOS, a 3-5-GHz, IR-UWB transceiver (TRX) chip fabricated in TSMC 90nm 1P/9M RF CMOS, and two off-chip, miniature, UWB antennae, wireless transfer of pseudo-random binary sequence (PRBS) data at 50Mbps over a distance of wireless transmission of dopamine concentration levels prerecorded with FSCV at a CFM during flow injection analysis (FIA) is also demonstrated with transmitter (TX) power dissipation of only ~4.4μW from 1.2V, representing two orders of magnitude reduction in TX power consumption compared to that of a conventional frequency-shift-keyed (FSK) link operating at ~433MHz.

  2. Structural and functional changes in the intenstine of irradiated and hypothermic irradiated rats : a scanning and transmission electron microscopic study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaudhuri, S.; Chaudhuri, Swapna; Roy, Bijon

    1982-01-01

    Severe destructive changes in the intestine of rats following whole body exposure to gamma rays (832 rads) were observed by light microscope, scanning and transmission electron microscope studies. Hypothermia (15deg C rectal temperature) induced prior to irradiation protected the intestinal mucosa from destruction. A simultaneous study showed that glucose absorption decreased significantly in irradiated rats, whereas it was increased in hypothermic irradiated animals. (author)

  3. Combining scanning tunneling microscopy and synchrotron radiation for high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy with chemical, electronic, and magnetic contrast

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cummings, M.L.; Chien, T.Y.; Preissner, C.; Madhavan, V.; Diesing, D.; Bode, M.; Freeland, J.W.; Rose, V.

    2012-01-01

    The combination of high-brilliance synchrotron radiation with scanning tunneling microscopy opens the path to high-resolution imaging with chemical, electronic, and magnetic contrast. Here, the design and experimental results of an in-situ synchrotron enhanced x-ray scanning tunneling microscope (SXSTM) system are presented. The system is designed to allow monochromatic synchrotron radiation to enter the chamber, illuminating the sample with x-ray radiation, while an insulator-coated tip (metallic tip apex open for tunneling, electron collection) is scanned over the surface. A unique feature of the SXSTM is the STM mount assembly, designed with a two free-flex pivot, providing an angular degree of freedom for the alignment of the tip and sample with respect to the incoming x-ray beam. The system designed successfully demonstrates the ability to resolve atomic-scale corrugations. In addition, experiments with synchrotron x-ray radiation validate the SXSTM system as an accurate analysis technique for the study of local magnetic and chemical properties on sample surfaces. The SXSTM system's capabilities have the potential to broaden and deepen the general understanding of surface phenomena by adding elemental contrast to the high-resolution of STM. -- Highlights: ► Synchrotron enhanced x-ray scanning tunneling microscope (SXSTM) system designed. ► Unique STM mount design allows angular DOF for tip alignment with x-ray beam. ► System demonstrates ability to resolve atomic corrugations on HOPG. ► Studies show chemical sensitivity with STM tip from photocurrent and tunneling. ► Results show system's ability to study local magnetic (XMCD) properties on Fe films.

  4. Advanced scanning transmission stereo electron microscopy of structural and functional engineering materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agudo Jácome, L.; Eggeler, G.; Dlouhý, A.

    2012-01-01

    Stereo transmission electron microscopy (TEM) provides a 3D impression of the microstructure in a thin TEM foil. It allows to perform depth and TEM foil thickness measurements and to decide whether a microstructural feature lies inside of a thin foil or on its surface. It allows appreciating the true three-dimensional nature of dislocation configurations. In the present study we first review some basic elements of classical stereo TEM. We then show how the method can be extended by working in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) mode of a modern analytical 200 kV TEM equipped with a field emission gun (FEG TEM) and a high angle annular dark field (HAADF) detector. We combine two micrographs of a stereo pair into one anaglyph. When viewed with special colored glasses the anaglyph provides a direct and realistic 3D impression of the microstructure. Three examples are provided which demonstrate the potential of this extended stereo TEM technique: a single crystal Ni-base superalloy, a 9% Chromium tempered martensite ferritic steel and a NiTi shape memory alloy. We consider the effect of camera length, show how foil thicknesses can be measured, and discuss the depth of focus and surface effects. -- Highlights: ► The advanced STEM/HAADF diffraction contrast is extended to 3D stereo-imaging. ► The advantages of the new technique over stereo-imaging in CTEM are demonstrated. ► The new method allows foil thickness measurements in a broad range of conditions. ► We show that features associated with ion milling surface damage can be beneficial for appreciating 3D features of the microstructure.

  5. Advanced scanning transmission stereo electron microscopy of structural and functional engineering materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Agudo Jacome, L., E-mail: leonardo.agudo@bam.de [Institut fuer Werkstoffe, Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, D-44780 Bochum (Germany); Eggeler, G., E-mail: gunther.eggeler@ruhr-uni-bochum.de [Institut fuer Werkstoffe, Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, D-44780 Bochum (Germany); Dlouhy, A., E-mail: dlouhy@ipm.cz [Institute of Physics of Materials, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Zizkova 22, 616 62 Brno (Czech Republic)

    2012-11-15

    Stereo transmission electron microscopy (TEM) provides a 3D impression of the microstructure in a thin TEM foil. It allows to perform depth and TEM foil thickness measurements and to decide whether a microstructural feature lies inside of a thin foil or on its surface. It allows appreciating the true three-dimensional nature of dislocation configurations. In the present study we first review some basic elements of classical stereo TEM. We then show how the method can be extended by working in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) mode of a modern analytical 200 kV TEM equipped with a field emission gun (FEG TEM) and a high angle annular dark field (HAADF) detector. We combine two micrographs of a stereo pair into one anaglyph. When viewed with special colored glasses the anaglyph provides a direct and realistic 3D impression of the microstructure. Three examples are provided which demonstrate the potential of this extended stereo TEM technique: a single crystal Ni-base superalloy, a 9% Chromium tempered martensite ferritic steel and a NiTi shape memory alloy. We consider the effect of camera length, show how foil thicknesses can be measured, and discuss the depth of focus and surface effects. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The advanced STEM/HAADF diffraction contrast is extended to 3D stereo-imaging. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The advantages of the new technique over stereo-imaging in CTEM are demonstrated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The new method allows foil thickness measurements in a broad range of conditions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We show that features associated with ion milling surface damage can be beneficial for appreciating 3D features of the microstructure.

  6. High-resolution line-scan analysis of resin-embedded sediments using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hennekam, Rick; Jilbert, Tom; Mason, Paul R D; de Lange, Gert J.; Reichart, Gert Jan

    2015-01-01

    Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) line-scanning is a promising technique for producing high-resolution (μm-scale) geochemical records on resin-embedded sediments. However, this approach has not yet been thoroughly tested on sediment samples of known elemental

  7. Leishmaniasis transmission: distribution and coarse-resolution ecology of two vectors and two parasites in Egypt

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdallah M. Samy

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: In past decades, leishmaniasis burden has been low across Egypt; however, changing environment and land use has placed several parts of the country at risk. As a consequence, leishmaniasis has become a particularly difficult health problem, both for local inhabitants and for multinational military personnel. Methods: To evaluate coarse-resolution aspects of the ecology of leishmaniasis transmission, collection records for sandflies and Leishmania species were obtained from diverse sources. To characterize environmental variation across the country, we used multitemporal Land Surface Temperature (LST and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS for 2005-2011. Ecological niche models were generated using MaxEnt, and results were analyzed using background similarity tests to assess whether associations among vectors and parasites (i.e., niche similarity can be detected across broad geographic regions. Results: We found niche similarity only between one vector species and its corresponding parasite species (i.e., Phlebotomus papatasi with Leishmania major, suggesting that geographic ranges of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis and its potential vector may overlap, but under distinct environmental associations. Other associations (e.g., P. sergenti with L. major were not supported. Mapping suitable areas for each species suggested that northeastern Egypt is particularly at risk because both parasites have potential to circulate. Conclusions: Ecological niche modeling approaches can be used as a first-pass assessment of vector-parasite interactions, offering useful insights into constraints on the geography of transmission patterns of leishmaniasis.

  8. Resolution doubling in fluorescence microscopy with confocal spinning-disk image scanning microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulz, Olaf; Pieper, Christoph; Clever, Michaela; Pfaff, Janine; Ruhlandt, Aike; Kehlenbach, Ralph H; Wouters, Fred S; Großhans, Jörg; Bunt, Gertrude; Enderlein, Jörg

    2013-12-24

    We demonstrate how a conventional confocal spinning-disk (CSD) microscope can be converted into a doubly resolving image scanning microscopy (ISM) system without changing any part of its optical or mechanical elements. Making use of the intrinsic properties of a CSD microscope, we illuminate stroboscopically, generating an array of excitation foci that are moved across the sample by varying the phase between stroboscopic excitation and rotation of the spinning disk. ISM then generates an image with nearly doubled resolution. Using conventional fluorophores, we have imaged single nuclear pore complexes in the nuclear membrane and aggregates of GFP-conjugated Tau protein in three dimensions. Multicolor ISM was shown on cytoskeletal-associated structural proteins and on 3D four-color images including MitoTracker and Hoechst staining. The simple adaptation of conventional CSD equipment allows superresolution investigations of a broad variety of cell biological questions.

  9. On the role of the gas environment, electron-dose-rate, and sample on the image resolution in transmission electron microscopy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ek, Martin; Jespersen, Sebastian Pirel Fredsgaard; Damsgaard, Christian Danvad

    2016-01-01

    on the electron-dose-rate. In this article, we demonstrate that both the total and areal electron-dose-rates work as descriptors for the dose-rate-dependent resolution and are related through the illumination area. Furthermore, the resolution degradation was observed to occur gradually over time after......The introduction of gaseous atmospheres in transmission electron microscopy offers the possibility of studying materials in situ under chemically relevant environments. The presence of a gas environment can degrade the resolution. Surprisingly, this phenomenon has been shown to depend...... initializing the illumination of the sample and gas by the electron beam. The resolution was also observed to be sensitive to the electrical conductivity of the sample. These observations can be explained by a charge buildup over the electron-illuminated sample area, caused by the beam–gas–sample interaction...

  10. 'Crazy-Paving' Patterns on High-Resolution CT Scans in Patients with Pulmonary Complications after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marchiori, Edson; Escuissato, Dante L.; Gasparetto, Taisa Davaus; Considera, Daniela Peixoto [Federal University, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Franquet, Tomas [Hospital de Sant Pau, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona (Spain)

    2009-02-15

    To describe the pulmonary complications following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) that can present with a 'crazy-paving' pattern in high-resolution CT scans. Retrospective review of medical records from 2,537 patients who underwent HSCT. The 'crazy-paving' pattern consists of interlobular and intralobular septal thickening superimposed on an area of ground-glass attenuation on high-resolution CT scans. The CT scans were retrospectively reviewed by two radiologists, who reached final decisions by consensus. We identified 10 cases (2.02%), seven male and three female, with pulmonary complications following HSCT that presented with the 'crazy-paving' pattern. Seven (70%) patients had infectious pneumonia (adenovirus, herpes simplex, influenza virus, cytomegalovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and toxoplasmosis), and three patients presented with non-infectious complications (idiopathic pneumonia syndrome and acute pulmonary edema). The 'crazy-paving' pattern was bilateral in all cases, with diffuse distribution in nine patients (90%), predominantly in the middle and inferior lung regions in seven patients (70%), and involving the anterior and posterior regions of the lungs in nine patients (90%). The 'crazy-paving' pattern is rare in HSCT recipients with pulmonary complications and is associated with infectious complications more commonly than non-infectious conditions.

  11. Bright-field scanning confocal electron microscopy using a double aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Peng; Behan, Gavin; Kirkland, Angus I; Nellist, Peter D; Cosgriff, Eireann C; D'Alfonso, Adrian J; Morgan, Andrew J; Allen, Leslie J; Hashimoto, Ayako; Takeguchi, Masaki; Mitsuishi, Kazutaka; Shimojo, Masayuki

    2011-06-01

    Scanning confocal electron microscopy (SCEM) offers a mechanism for three-dimensional imaging of materials, which makes use of the reduced depth of field in an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope. The simplest configuration of SCEM is the bright-field mode. In this paper we present experimental data and simulations showing the form of bright-field SCEM images. We show that the depth dependence of the three-dimensional image can be explained in terms of two-dimensional images formed in the detector plane. For a crystalline sample, this so-called probe image is shown to be similar to a conventional diffraction pattern. Experimental results and simulations show how the diffracted probes in this image are elongated in thicker crystals and the use of this elongation to estimate sample thickness is explored. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Efficient green lasers for high-resolution scanning micro-projector displays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhatia, Vikram; Bauco, Anthony S.; Oubei, Hassan M.; Loeber, David A. S.

    2010-02-01

    Laser-based projectors are gaining increased acceptance in mobile device market due to their low power consumption, superior image quality and small size. The basic configuration of such micro-projectors is a miniature mirror that creates an image by raster scanning the collinear red, blue and green laser beams that are individually modulated on a pixel-bypixel basis. The image resolution of these displays can be limited by the modulation bandwidth of the laser sources, and the modulation speed of the green laser has been one of the key limitations in the development of these displays. We will discuss how this limitation is fundamental to the architecture of many laser designs and then present a green laser configuration which overcomes these difficulties. In this green laser architecture infra-red light from a distributed Bragg-reflector (DBR) laser diode undergoes conversion to green light in a waveguided second harmonic generator (SHG) crystal. The direct doubling in a single pass through the SHG crystal allows the device to operate at the large modulation bandwidth of the DBR laser. We demonstrate that the resultant product has a small footprint (9% electrical-to-optical conversion) and large modulation bandwidth (>100 MHz).

  13. Ultrastructural instability of paired helical filaments from corticobasal degeneration as examined by scanning transmission electron microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ksiezak-Reding, H.; Tracz, E.; Yang, L. S.; Dickson, D. W.; Simon, M.; Wall, J. S.

    1996-01-01

    Paired helical filaments (PHFs) accumulate in the brains of subjects affected with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and certain other neurodegenerative disorders, including corticobasal degeneration (CBD). Electron microscope studies have shown that PHFs from CBD differ from those of AD by being wider and having a longer periodicity of the helical twist. Moreover, PHFs from CBD have been shown to be primarily composed of two rather than three highly phosphorylated polypeptides of tau (PHF-tau), with these polypeptides expressing no exons 3 and 10. To further explore the relationship between the heterogeneity of PHF-tau and the appearance of abnormal filaments, the ultrastructure and physical parameters such as mass per unit length and dimensions were compared in filaments from CBD and AD using high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Filament-enriched fractions were isolated as Sarcosyl-insoluble pellets and for STEM studies, samples were freeze-dried without prior fixation or staining. Ultrastructurally, PHFs from CBD were shown to be a heterogeneous population as double- and single-stranded filaments could be identified based on their width and physical mass per unit length expressed in kilodaltons (kd) per nanometer (nm). Less abundant, double-stranded filaments had a maximal width of 29 nm and a mass per unit length of 133 kd/nm, whereas three times more abundant single-stranded filaments were 15 nm wide and bad a mass per unit length of 62 kd/nm. Double-stranded filaments also displayed a distinct axial region of less dense mass, which appeared to divide the PHFs into two protofilament-like strands. Furthermore, these filaments were frequently observed to physically separate along the long axis into two single strands or to break longitudinally. In contrast, PHFs from AD were ultrastructurally stable and uniform both in their width (22 nm) and physical mass per unit length (104 kd/nm). The ultrastructural features indicate that filaments of

  14. Fiber coupled ultrafast scanning tunneling microscope

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Keil, Ulrich Dieter Felix; Jensen, Jacob Riis; Hvam, Jørn Märcher

    1997-01-01

    We report on a scanning tunneling microscope with a photoconductive gate in the tunneling current circuit. The tunneling tip is attached to a coplanar transmission line with an integrated photoconductive switch. The switch is illuminated through a fiber which is rigidly attached to the switch...... waveguide. The measurements show that the probe works as a transient voltage detector in contact and a capacitively coupled transient field detector in tunneling mode. We do not measure the transient voltage change in the ohmic tunneling current. In this sense, the spatial resolution for propagating...... substrate. By using a firmly attached fiber we achieve an excellent reproducibility and unconstrained positioning of the tip. We observe a transient signal with 2.9 ps pulse width in tunneling mode and 5 ps in contact mode. The instrument is applied to investigating the mode structure on a coplanar...

  15. High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope Observation of Zero-Strain Deformation Twinning Mechanisms in Ag

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, L.; Wang, J.; Gong, S. K.; Mao, S. X.

    2011-04-01

    We have observed a new deformation-twinning mechanism using the high resolution transmission electron microscope in polycrystalline Ag films, zero-strain twinning via nucleation, and the migration of a Σ3{112} incoherent twin boundary (ITB). This twinning mechanism produces a near zero macroscopic strain because the net Burgers vectors either equal zero or are equivalent to a Shockley partial dislocation. This observation provides new insight into the understanding of deformation twinning and confirms a previous hypothesis: detwinning could be accomplished via the nucleation and migration of Σ3{112} ITBs. The zero-strain twinning mechanism may be unique to low staking fault energy metals with implications for their deformation behavior.

  16. High resolution melting for mutation scanning of TP53 exons 5–8

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krypuy, Michael; Dobrovic, Alexander; Ahmed, Ahmed Ashour; Etemadmoghadam, Dariush; Hyland, Sarah J; Australian Ovarian Cancer Study Group; Fazio, Anna de; Fox, Stephen B; Brenton, James D; Bowtell, David D

    2007-01-01

    p53 is commonly inactivated by mutations in the DNA-binding domain in a wide range of cancers. As mutant p53 often influences response to therapy, effective and rapid methods to scan for mutations in TP53 are likely to be of clinical value. We therefore evaluated the use of high resolution melting (HRM) as a rapid mutation scanning tool for TP53 in tumour samples. We designed PCR amplicons for HRM mutation scanning of TP53 exons 5 to 8 and tested them with DNA from cell lines hemizygous or homozygous for known mutations. We assessed the sensitivity of each PCR amplicon using dilutions of cell line DNA in normal wild-type DNA. We then performed a blinded assessment on ovarian tumour DNA samples that had been previously sequenced for mutations in TP53 to assess the sensitivity and positive predictive value of the HRM technique. We also performed HRM analysis on breast tumour DNA samples with unknown TP53 mutation status. One cell line mutation was not readily observed when exon 5 was amplified. As exon 5 contained multiple melting domains, we divided the exon into two amplicons for further screening. Sequence changes were also introduced into some of the primers to improve the melting characteristics of the amplicon. Aberrant HRM curves indicative of TP53 mutations were observed for each of the samples in the ovarian tumour DNA panel. Comparison of the HRM results with the sequencing results revealed that each mutation was detected by HRM in the correct exon. For the breast tumour panel, we detected seven aberrant melt profiles by HRM and subsequent sequencing confirmed the presence of these and no other mutations in the predicted exons. HRM is an effective technique for simple and rapid scanning of TP53 mutations that can markedly reduce the amount of sequencing required in mutational studies of TP53

  17. Minimum detection limit and spatial resolution of thin-sample field-emission electron probe microanalysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kubo, Yugo; Hamada, Kotaro; Urano, Akira

    2013-01-01

    The minimum detection limit and spatial resolution for a thinned semiconductor sample were determined by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) using a Schottky field emission (FE) electron gun and wavelength dispersive X-ray spectrometry. Comparison of the FE-EPMA results with those obtained using energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry in conjunction with scanning transmission electron microscopy, confirmed that FE-EPMA is largely superior in terms of detection sensitivity. Thin-sample FE-EPMA is demonstrated as a very effective method for high resolution, high sensitivity analysis in a laboratory environment because a high probe current and high signal-to-noise ratio can be achieved. - Highlights: • Minimum detection limit and spatial resolution determined for FE-EPMA. • Detection sensitivity of FE-EPMA greatly superior to that of STEM-EDX. • Minimum detection limit and spatial resolution controllable by probe current

  18. Scanning vector Hall probe microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cambel, V.; Gregusova, D.; Fedor, J.; Kudela, R.; Bending, S.J.

    2004-01-01

    We have developed a scanning vector Hall probe microscope for mapping magnetic field vector over magnetic samples. The microscope is based on a micromachined Hall sensor and the cryostat with scanning system. The vector Hall sensor active area is ∼5x5 μm 2 . It is realized by patterning three Hall probes on the tilted faces of GaAs pyramids. Data from these 'tilted' Hall probes are used to reconstruct the full magnetic field vector. The scanning area of the microscope is 5x5 mm 2 , space resolution 2.5 μm, field resolution ∼1 μT Hz -1/2 at temperatures 10-300 K

  19. An interchangeable scanning Hall probe/scanning SQUID microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, Chiu-Chun; Lin, Hui-Ting; Wu, Sing-Lin; Chen, Tse-Jun; Wang, M. J.; Ling, D. C.; Chi, C. C.; Chen, Jeng-Chung

    2014-01-01

    We have constructed a scanning probe microscope for magnetic imaging, which can function as a scanning Hall probe microscope (SHPM) and as a scanning SQUID microscope (SSM). The scanning scheme, applicable to SHPM and SSM, consists of a mechanical positioning (sub) micron-XY stage and a flexible direct contact to the sample without a feedback control system for the Z-axis. With the interchangeable capability of operating two distinct scanning modes, our microscope can incorporate the advantageous functionalities of the SHPM and SSM with large scan range up to millimeter, high spatial resolution (⩽4 μm), and high field sensitivity in a wide range of temperature (4.2 K-300 K) and magnetic field (10 −7 T-1 T). To demonstrate the capabilities of the system, we present magnetic images scanned with SHPM and SSM, including a RbFeB magnet and a nickel grid pattern at room temperature, surface magnetic domain structures of a La 2/3 Ca 1/3 MnO 3 thin film at 77 K, and superconducting vortices in a striped niobium film at 4.2 K

  20. Evidence of sharp and diffuse domain walls in BiFeO3 by means of unit-cell-wise strain and polarization maps obtained with high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lubk, A; Rossell, M D; Seidel, J; He, Q; Yang, S Y; Chu, Y H; Ramesh, R; Hÿtch, M J; Snoeck, E

    2012-07-27

    Domain walls (DWs) substantially influence a large number of applications involving ferroelectric materials due to their limited mobility when shifted during polarization switching. The discovery of greatly enhanced conduction at BiFeO(3) DWs has highlighted yet another role of DWs as a local material state with unique properties. However, the lack of precise information on the local atomic structure is still hampering microscopical understanding of DW properties. Here, we examine the atomic structure of BiFeO(3) 109° DWs with pm precision by a combination of high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy and a dedicated structural analysis. By measuring simultaneously local polarization and strain, we provide direct experimental proof for the straight DW structure predicted by ab initio calculations as well as the recently proposed theory of diffuse DWs, thus resolving a long-standing discrepancy between experimentally measured and theoretically predicted DW mobilities.

  1. A scanning Hall probe microscope for high resolution magnetic imaging down to 300 mK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khotkevych, V. V.; Bending, S. J.; Milosevic, M. V.

    2008-01-01

    We present the design, construction, and performance of a low-temperature scanning Hall probe microscope with submicron lateral resolution and a large scanning range. The detachable microscope head is mounted on the cold flange of a commercial 3 He-refrigerator (Oxford Instruments, Heliox VT-50) and operates between room temperature and 300 mK. It is fitted with a three-axis slip-stick nanopositioner that enables precise in situ adjustment of the probe location within a 6x6x7 mm 3 space. The local magnetic induction at the sample surface is mapped with an easily changeable microfabricated Hall probe [typically GsAs/AlGaAs or AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs Hall sensors with integrated scanning tunnel microscopy (STM) tunneling tips] and can achieve minimum detectable fields ≥10 mG/Hz 1/2 . The Hall probe is brought into very close proximity to the sample surface by sensing and controlling tunnel currents at the integrated STM tip. The instrument is capable of simultaneous tunneling and Hall signal acquisition in surface-tracking mode. We illustrate the potential of the system with images of superconducting vortices at the surface of a Nb thin film down to 372 mK, and also of labyrinth magnetic-domain patterns of an yttrium iron garnet film captured at room temperature.

  2. Atomic imaging using secondary electrons in a scanning transmission electron microscope: experimental observations and possible mechanisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inada, H; Su, D; Egerton, R F; Konno, M; Wu, L; Ciston, J; Wall, J; Zhu, Y

    2011-06-01

    We report detailed investigation of high-resolution imaging using secondary electrons (SE) with a sub-nanometer probe in an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope, Hitachi HD2700C. This instrument also allows us to acquire the corresponding annular dark-field (ADF) images both simultaneously and separately. We demonstrate that atomic SE imaging is achievable for a wide range of elements, from uranium to carbon. Using the ADF images as a reference, we studied the SE image intensity and contrast as functions of applied bias, atomic number, crystal tilt, and thickness to shed light on the origin of the unexpected ultrahigh resolution in SE imaging. We have also demonstrated that the SE signal is sensitive to the terminating species at a crystal surface. A possible mechanism for atomic-scale SE imaging is proposed. The ability to image both the surface and bulk of a sample at atomic-scale is unprecedented, and can have important applications in the field of electron microscopy and materials characterization. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. High-resolution imaging of magnetic fields using scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fong de Los Santos, Luis E.

    Development of a scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) microscope system with interchangeable sensor configurations for imaging magnetic fields of room-temperature (RT) samples with sub-millimeter resolution. The low-critical-temperature (Tc) niobium-based monolithic SQUID sensor is mounted in the tip of a sapphire rod and thermally anchored to the cryostat helium reservoir. A 25 mum sapphire window separates the vacuum space from the RT sample. A positioning mechanism allows adjusting the sample-to-sensor spacing from the top of the Dewar. I have achieved a sensor-to-sample spacing of 100 mum, which could be maintained for periods of up to 4 weeks. Different SQUID sensor configurations are necessary to achieve the best combination of spatial resolution and field sensitivity for a given magnetic source. For imaging thin sections of geological samples, I used a custom-designed monolithic low-Tc niobium bare SQUID sensor, with an effective diameter of 80 mum, and achieved a field sensitivity of 1.5 pT/Hz1/2 and a magnetic moment sensitivity of 5.4 x 10-18 Am2/Hz1/2 at a sensor-to-sample spacing of 100 mum in the white noise region for frequencies above 100 Hz. Imaging action currents in cardiac tissue requires higher field sensitivity, which can only be achieved by compromising spatial resolution. I developed a monolithic low-Tc niobium multiloop SQUID sensor, with sensor sizes ranging from 250 mum to 1 mm, and achieved sensitivities of 480 - 180 fT/Hz1/2 in the white noise region for frequencies above 100 Hz, respectively. For all sensor configurations, the spatial resolution was comparable to the effective diameter and limited by the sensor-to-sample spacing. Spatial registration allowed us to compare high-resolution images of magnetic fields associated with action currents and optical recordings of transmembrane potentials to study the bidomain nature of cardiac tissue or to match petrography to magnetic field maps in thin sections of

  4. Elemental mapping in achromatic atomic-resolution energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Forbes, B.D. [School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 (Australia); Houben, L. [Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons and Peter Gruenberg Institute, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Mayer, J. [Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons and Peter Gruenberg Institute, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Central Facility for Electron Microscopy, RWTH Aachen University, D-52074 Aachen (Germany); Dunin-Borkowski, R.E. [Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons and Peter Gruenberg Institute, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Allen, L.J., E-mail: lja@unimelb.edu.au [School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 (Australia)

    2014-12-15

    We present atomic-resolution energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) images obtained with the chromatic-aberration-corrected FEI Titan PICO at the Ernst-Ruska Centre, Jülich, Germany. We find qualitative agreement between experiment and simulation for the background-subtracted EFTEM images of the Ti–L{sub 2,3} and O–K edges for a specimen of SrTiO{sub 3} oriented down the [110] zone axis. The simulations utilize the transition potential formulation for inelastic scattering, which permits a detailed investigation of contributions to the EFTEM image. We find that energy-filtered images of the Ti–L{sub 2,3} and O–K edges are lattice images and that the background-subtracted core-loss maps may not be directly interpretable as elemental maps. Simulations show that this is a result of preservation of elastic contrast, whereby the qualitative details of the image are determined primarily by elastic, coherent scattering. We show that this effect places a constraint on the range of specimen thicknesses which could theoretically yield directly useful elemental maps. In general, interpretation of EFTEM images is ideally accompanied by detailed simulations. - Highlights: • Achromatic atomic-resolution EFTEM images were obtained for STO 〈110〉. • Simulations were in qualitative agreement with Ti–L{sub 2,3} and O–K edge maps. • The experimental EFTEM maps are not directly interpretable as elemental maps. • Image intensities are strongly determined by preservation of elastic contrast. • Interpretation of EFTEM images is ideally accompanied by detailed simulations.

  5. The neural elements in the lining of the ventricular-subventricular zone: making an old story new by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlos Alexandre Dos Santos Haemmerle

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available The classical description of the neural elements that compose the lining of brain ventricles introduces us to the single layer of ependymal cells. However, new findings, especially in the lateral ventricle - the major niche for the generation of new neurons in the adult brain - have provided information about additional cell elements that influence the organization of this part of the ventricular system and produce important contributions to neurogenesis. To complement the cell neurochemistry findings, we present a three-dimensional in situ description that demonstrates the anatomical details of the different types of ciliated cells and the innervation of these elements. After processing adult rat brains for ultrastructural analysis by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, we observed a heterogeneous pattern of cilia distribution at the different poles of the lateral ventricle surface. Furthermore, we describe the particular three-dimensional aspects of the ciliated cells of the lateral ventricle, in addition the fiber bundles and varicose axons surrounding these cells. Therefore, we provide a unique ultrastructural description of the three-dimensional in situ organization of the lateral ventricle surface, highlighting its innervation, to corroborate the available neurochemical and functional findings regarding the factors that regulate this neurogenic niche.

  6. Quantitation of size of myocardial infarctions by computerized transmission tomography. Comparison with hot-spot and cold-spot radionuclide scans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gerber, K.H.; Higgins, C.B.

    1983-01-01

    The current study evaluated the ability to quantitate the volume of myocardial infarctions when they are outlined by intravenously administered contrast media in the myocardial perfusion phase and in the phase of delayed contrast enhancement of the infarct. Quantitation by contrast media was assessed from computerized transmission tomography (CTT) scans of the ex situ heart and compared with quantitation by technetium-99m (/sup 99m/Tc)pyrophosphate (/sup 99m/Tc PYP) and thallium-201 (201Tl) scans of the same ex situ hearts. True volume was defined by histochemical morphometry. CTT during the contrast perfusion phase uniformly underestimated infarct size but had a good correlation with true volume. CTT during enhancement phase correlated closely with true volume (r . 0.98) and most precisely measured true size (y . 1.06 X 0.23). The /sup 99m/Tc PYP scan overestimated infarct volume (predictive overestimation of 6 to 199%) but had a good correlation with true volume. 201Tl underestimated infarct volume but correlated well with true volume. Thus, quantitation of infarct volume from CTT scans performed during either the perfusion or infarct enhancement phase after intravenous contrast media provides a good estimate of true infarct volume. Delineation of the infarct by contrast media in the ex situ heart is more precise during the phase of delayed enhancement of the infarct

  7. High resolution x-ray stereomicroscopy: True three-dimensional imaging of biological samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loo, B.W.Jr.; Williams, S.; Meizel, S.; Rothman, S.S.; Univ. of California, Berkeley/San Francisco, CA; Univ. of California, San Francisco, CA

    1993-01-01

    X-ray microscopy has the potential to become a powerful tool for the study of biological samples, allowing the imaging of intact cells and subcellular organelles in an aqueous environment at resolutions previously achievable only by electron microscopy. The ability to examine a relatively thick sample raises the issue of superposition of objects from multiple planes within the sample, making difficult the interpretation of conventional, orthogonally projected images. This paper describes early attempts at developing three-dimensional methods for x-ray microimaging: the first to use x-ray optics, and to the authors' knowledge, the first demonstrating sub-visible resolutions and natural contrast. These studies were performed using the scanning transmission x-ray microscope (STXM) at the National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory

  8. Intensity and resolution of a general scan in reciprocal space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lebech, B.; Nielsen, M.

    1975-01-01

    Elastic neutron scattering on single crystals is traditionally carried out either by rotating the sample and keeping the detector fixed, or by coupling the detector rotation to the sample rotation in the the ratio 2:1. In recent years, a number of papers have discussed the feasibility of other types of scans. General scans at oblique angles to reciprocal lattice vectors are commonly used in inelastic neutron scattering. Such scans are also useful in elastic neutron scattering and may easily be made by means of computer or tape controlled diffractometers. Formulas are derived for the intensity and width of Bragg reflections measured by scanning at oblique angles to reciprocal lattice vectors. The results of the calculations are compared to experimental results on simple structures. The limitations of general scans in reciprocal space are also discussed

  9. Scanning laser ophthalmoscope design with adaptive optics

    OpenAIRE

    Laut, SP; Jones, SM; Olivier, SS; Werner, JS

    2005-01-01

    A design for a high-resolution scanning instrument is presented for in vivo imaging of the human eye at the cellular scale. This system combines adaptive optics technology with a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) to image structures with high lateral (∼2 μm) resolution. In this system, the ocular wavefront aberrations that reduce the resolution of conventional SLOs are detected by a Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor, and compensated with two deformable mirrors in a closed-loop for dynamic cor...

  10. Sample preparation methods for scanning electron microscopy of homogenized Al-Mg-Si billets: A comparative study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Österreicher, Johannes Albert; Kumar, Manoj; Schiffl, Andreas; Schwarz, Sabine; Hillebrand, Daniel; Bourret, Gilles Remi

    2016-01-01

    Characterization of Mg-Si precipitates is crucial for optimizing the homogenization heat treatment of Al-Mg-Si alloys. Although sample preparation is key for high quality scanning electron microscopy imaging, most common methods lead to dealloying of Mg-Si precipitates. In this article we systematically evaluate different sample preparation methods: mechanical polishing, etching with various reagents, and electropolishing using different electrolytes. We demonstrate that the use of a nitric acid and methanol electrolyte for electropolishing a homogenized Al-Mg-Si alloy prevents the dissolution of Mg-Si precipitates, resulting in micrographs of higher quality. This preparation method is investigated in depth and the obtained scanning electron microscopy images are compared with transmission electron micrographs: the shape and size of Mg-Si precipitates appear very similar in either method. The scanning electron micrographs allow proper identification and measurement of the Mg-Si phases including needles with lengths of roughly 200 nm. These needles are β″ precipitates as confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy. - Highlights: •Secondary precipitation in homogenized 6xxx Al alloys is crucial for extrudability. •Existing sample preparation methods for SEM are improvable. •Electropolishing with nitric acid/methanol yields superior quality in SEM. •The obtained micrographs are compared to TEM micrographs.

  11. Sample preparation methods for scanning electron microscopy of homogenized Al-Mg-Si billets: A comparative study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Österreicher, Johannes Albert; Kumar, Manoj [LKR Light Metals Technologies Ranshofen, Austrian Institute of Technology, Postfach 26, 5282 Ranshofen (Austria); Schiffl, Andreas [Hammerer Aluminium Industries Extrusion GmbH, Lamprechtshausener Straße 69, 5282 Ranshofen (Austria); Schwarz, Sabine [University Service Centre for Transmission Electron Microscopy, Vienna University of Technology, Wiedner Hauptstr. 8-10, 1040 Wien (Austria); Hillebrand, Daniel [Hammerer Aluminium Industries Extrusion GmbH, Lamprechtshausener Straße 69, 5282 Ranshofen (Austria); Bourret, Gilles Remi, E-mail: gilles.bourret@sbg.ac.at [Department of Materials Science and Physics, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020 Salzburg (Austria)

    2016-12-15

    Characterization of Mg-Si precipitates is crucial for optimizing the homogenization heat treatment of Al-Mg-Si alloys. Although sample preparation is key for high quality scanning electron microscopy imaging, most common methods lead to dealloying of Mg-Si precipitates. In this article we systematically evaluate different sample preparation methods: mechanical polishing, etching with various reagents, and electropolishing using different electrolytes. We demonstrate that the use of a nitric acid and methanol electrolyte for electropolishing a homogenized Al-Mg-Si alloy prevents the dissolution of Mg-Si precipitates, resulting in micrographs of higher quality. This preparation method is investigated in depth and the obtained scanning electron microscopy images are compared with transmission electron micrographs: the shape and size of Mg-Si precipitates appear very similar in either method. The scanning electron micrographs allow proper identification and measurement of the Mg-Si phases including needles with lengths of roughly 200 nm. These needles are β″ precipitates as confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy. - Highlights: •Secondary precipitation in homogenized 6xxx Al alloys is crucial for extrudability. •Existing sample preparation methods for SEM are improvable. •Electropolishing with nitric acid/methanol yields superior quality in SEM. •The obtained micrographs are compared to TEM micrographs.

  12. Line-scanning tomographic optical microscope with isotropic transfer function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gajdátsy, Gábor; Dudás, László; Erdélyi, Miklós; Szabó, Gábor

    2010-01-01

    An imaging method and optical system, referred to as a line-scanning tomographic optical microscope (LSTOM) using a combination of line-scanning technique and CT reconstruction principle, is proposed and studied theoretically and experimentally. In our implementation a narrow focus line is scanned over the sample and the reflected light is measured in a confocal arrangement. One such scan is equivalent to a transverse projection in tomography. Repeating the scanning procedure in several directions, a number of transverse projections are recorded from which the image can be obtained using conventional CT reconstruction algorithms. The resolution of the image is independent of the spatial dimensions and structure of the applied detector; furthermore, the transfer function of the system is isotropic. The imaging performance of the implemented confocal LSTOM was compared with a point-scanning confocal microscope, based on recorded images. These images demonstrate that the resolution of the confocal LSTOM exceeds (by 15%) the resolution limit of a point-scanning confocal microscope

  13. Investigation into scanning tunnelling luminescence microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manson-Smith, S.K.

    2001-01-01

    This work reports on the development of a scanning tunnelling luminescence (STL) microscope and its application to the study of Ill-nitride semiconductor materials used in the production of light emitting devices. STL microscopy is a technique which uses the high resolution topographic imaging capabilities of the scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) to generate high resolution luminescence images. The STM tunnelling current acts as a highly localised source of electrons (or holes) which generates luminescence in certain materials. Light generated at the STM tunnelling junction is collected concurrently with the height variation of the tunnelling probe as it is scanned across a sample surface, producing simultaneous topographic and luminescence images. Due to the very localised excitation source, high resolution luminescence images can be obtained. Spectroscopic resolution can be obtained by using filters. Additionally, the variation of luminescence intensity with tunnel current and with bias voltage can provide information on recombination processes and material properties. The design and construction of a scanning tunnelling luminescence microscope is described in detail. Operating under ambient conditions, the microscope has several novel features, including a new type of miniature inertial slider-based approach motor, large solid-angle light collection optical arrangement and a tip-height regulation system which requires the minimum of operator input. (author)

  14. Puzzling Intergrowth in Cerium Nitridophosphate Unraveled by Joint Venture of Aberration-Corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy and Synchrotron Diffraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kloß, Simon D; Neudert, Lukas; Döblinger, Markus; Nentwig, Markus; Oeckler, Oliver; Schnick, Wolfgang

    2017-09-13

    Thorough investigation of nitridophosphates has rapidly accelerated through development of new synthesis strategies. Here we used the recently developed high-pressure metathesis to prepare the first rare-earth metal nitridophosphate, Ce 4 Li 3 P 18 N 35 , with a high degree of condensation >1/2. Ce 4 Li 3 P 18 N 35 consists of an unprecedented hexagonal framework of PN 4 tetrahedra and exhibits blue luminescence peaking at 455 nm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed two intergrown domains with slight structural and compositional variations. One domain type shows extremely weak superstructure phenomena revealed by atomic-resolution scanning TEM (STEM) and single-crystal diffraction using synchrotron radiation. The corresponding superstructure involves a modulated displacement of Ce atoms in channels of tetrahedra 6-rings. The displacement model was refined in a supercell as well as in an equivalent commensurate (3 + 2)-dimensional description in superspace group P6 3 (α, β, 0)0(-α - β, α, 0)0. In the second domain type, STEM revealed disordered vacancies of the same Ce atoms that were modulated in the first domain type, leading to sum formula Ce 4-0.5x Li 3 P 18 N 35-1.5x O 1.5x (x ≈ 0.72) of the average structure. The examination of these structural intricacies may indicate the detection limit of synchrotron diffraction and TEM. We discuss the occurrence of either Ce displacements or Ce vacancies that induce the incorporation of O as necessary stabilization of the crystal structure.

  15. Characterizing automotive fuel cell materials by soft x-ray scanning transmission x-ray microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hitchcock, A. P.; Lee, V.; Wu, J.; Cooper, G.; West, M. M.; Berejnov, V.; Soboleva, T.; Susac, D.; Stumper, J.

    2016-01-01

    Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEM-FC) based engines are being developed rapidly for near-term implementation in hydrogen fueled, mass production, personal automobiles. Research is focused on understanding and controlling various degradation processes (carbon corrosion, Pt migration, cold start), and reducing cost by reducing or eliminating Pt catalyst. We are using soft X-ray scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) at the S 2p, C 1s, O 1s and F 1s edges to study a variety of issues related to optimization of PEM-FC materials for automotive applications. A method to efficiently and accurately measure perfluorosulfonic acid distributions was developed and is being used to better understand how different loadings and preparation methods affect the ionomer distribution in the cathode. Progress towards an environmental cell capable of controlling the temperature and humidity of a PEM-FC sample in the STXM is described. Methods for studying the 3D chemical structure of PEM-FC are outlined

  16. Characterizing automotive fuel cell materials by soft x-ray scanning transmission x-ray microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hitchcock, A. P., E-mail: aph@mcmaster.ca; Lee, V.; Wu, J.; Cooper, G. [Chemistry & Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4M1 (Canada); West, M. M.; Berejnov, V. [Faculty of Health Sciences Electron Microscopy, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5 (Canada); Soboleva, T.; Susac, D.; Stumper, J. [Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation Corp., Burnaby BC V5J 5J8 (Canada)

    2016-01-28

    Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEM-FC) based engines are being developed rapidly for near-term implementation in hydrogen fueled, mass production, personal automobiles. Research is focused on understanding and controlling various degradation processes (carbon corrosion, Pt migration, cold start), and reducing cost by reducing or eliminating Pt catalyst. We are using soft X-ray scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) at the S 2p, C 1s, O 1s and F 1s edges to study a variety of issues related to optimization of PEM-FC materials for automotive applications. A method to efficiently and accurately measure perfluorosulfonic acid distributions was developed and is being used to better understand how different loadings and preparation methods affect the ionomer distribution in the cathode. Progress towards an environmental cell capable of controlling the temperature and humidity of a PEM-FC sample in the STXM is described. Methods for studying the 3D chemical structure of PEM-FC are outlined.

  17. Probing plasmons in three dimensions by combining complementary spectroscopies in a scanning transmission electron microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hachtel, J A; Haglund, R F; Pantelides, S T; Marvinney, C; Mayo, D; Mouti, A; Lupini, A R; Chisholm, M F; Mu, R; Pennycook, S J

    2016-01-01

    The nanoscale optical response of surface plasmons in three-dimensional metallic nanostructures plays an important role in many nanotechnology applications, where precise spatial and spectral characteristics of plasmonic elements control device performance. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and cathodoluminescence (CL) within a scanning transmission electron microscope have proven to be valuable tools for studying plasmonics at the nanoscale. Each technique has been used separately, producing three-dimensional reconstructions through tomography, often aided by simulations for complete characterization. Here we demonstrate that the complementary nature of the two techniques, namely that EELS probes beam-induced electronic excitations while CL probes radiative decay, allows us to directly obtain a spatially- and spectrally-resolved picture of the plasmonic characteristics of nanostructures in three dimensions. The approach enables nanoparticle-by-nanoparticle plasmonic analysis in three dimensions to aid in the design of diverse nanoplasmonic applications. (paper)

  18. An interchangeable scanning Hall probe/scanning SQUID microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tang, Chiu-Chun; Lin, Hui-Ting; Wu, Sing-Lin [Department of Physics, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China); Chen, Tse-Jun; Wang, M. J. [Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Ling, D. C. [Department of Physics, Tamkang University, Tamsui Dist., New Taipei City 25137, Taiwan (China); Chi, C. C.; Chen, Jeng-Chung [Department of Physics, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China); Frontier Research Center on Fundamental and Applied Sciences of Matters, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China)

    2014-08-15

    We have constructed a scanning probe microscope for magnetic imaging, which can function as a scanning Hall probe microscope (SHPM) and as a scanning SQUID microscope (SSM). The scanning scheme, applicable to SHPM and SSM, consists of a mechanical positioning (sub) micron-XY stage and a flexible direct contact to the sample without a feedback control system for the Z-axis. With the interchangeable capability of operating two distinct scanning modes, our microscope can incorporate the advantageous functionalities of the SHPM and SSM with large scan range up to millimeter, high spatial resolution (⩽4 μm), and high field sensitivity in a wide range of temperature (4.2 K-300 K) and magnetic field (10{sup −7} T-1 T). To demonstrate the capabilities of the system, we present magnetic images scanned with SHPM and SSM, including a RbFeB magnet and a nickel grid pattern at room temperature, surface magnetic domain structures of a La{sub 2/3}Ca{sub 1/3}MnO{sub 3} thin film at 77 K, and superconducting vortices in a striped niobium film at 4.2 K.

  19. LIDAR COMBINED SCANNING UNIT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. V. Elizarov

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Subject of Research. The results of lidar combined scanning unit development for locating leaks of hydrocarbons are presented The unit enables to perform high-speed scanning of the investigated space in wide and narrow angle fields. Method. Scanning in a wide angular field is produced by one-line scanning path by means of the movable aluminum mirror with a frequency of 20Hz and amplitude of 20 degrees of swing. Narrowband scanning is performed along a spiral path by the deflector. The deflection of the beam is done by rotation of the optical wedges forming part of the deflector at an angle of ±50. The control function of the scanning node is performed by a specialized software product written in C# programming language. Main Results. This scanning unit allows scanning the investigated area at a distance of 50-100 m with spatial resolution at the level of 3 cm. The positioning accuracy of the laser beam in space is 15'. The developed scanning unit gives the possibility to browse the entire investigated area for the time not more than 1 ms at a rotation frequency of each wedge from 50 to 200 Hz. The problem of unambiguous definition of the beam geographical coordinates in space is solved at the software level according to the rotation angles of the mirrors and optical wedges. Lidar system coordinates are determined by means of GPS. Practical Relevance. Development results open the possibility for increasing the spatial resolution of scanning systems of a wide range of lidars and can provide high positioning accuracy of the laser beam in space.

  20. A design for a subminiature, low energy scanning electron microscope with atomic resolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eastham, D. A.; Edmondson, P.; Greene, S.; Donnelly, S.; Olsson, E.; Svensson, K.; Bleloch, A.

    2009-01-01

    We describe a type of scanning electron microscope that works by directly imaging the electron field-emission sites on a nanotip. Electrons are extracted from the nanotip through a nanoscale aperture, accelerated in a high electric field, and focused to a spot using a microscale Einzel lens. If the whole microscope (accelerating section and lens) and the focal length are both restricted in size to below 10 μm, then computer simulations show that the effects of aberration are extremely small and it is possible to have a system with approximately unit magnification at electron energies as low as 300 eV. Thus a typical emission site of 1 nm diameter will produce an image of the same size, and an atomic emission site will give a resolution of 0.1-0.2 nm (1-2 A). Also, because the beam is not allowed to expand beyond 100 nm in diameter, the depth of field is large and the contribution to the beam spot size from chromatic aberrations is less than 0.02 nm (0.2 A) for 500 eV electrons. Since it is now entirely possible to make stable atomic sized emitters (nanopyramids), it is expected that this instrument will have atomic resolution. Furthermore the brightness of the beam is determined only by the field emission and can be up to 1x10 6 times larger than in a typical (high energy) electron microscope. The advantages of this low energy, bright-beam electron microscope with atomic resolution are described and include the possibility of it being used to rapidly sequence the human genome from a single strand of DNA as well as being able to identify atomic species directly from the elastic scattering of electrons

  1. Fifty years old, and still going strong: Transmission electron optical studies of materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, L.M.

    2008-01-01

    Highlights in the history of transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy include the introduction of diffraction contrast, resolution of periodic lattices by phase contrast and incoherent imaging via the high-angle annular dark-field detector. Convergent-beam electron diffraction and analytical electron microscopy, especially the application of energy-dispersive X-ray and electron energy-loss spectrometry, have provided structural and chemical information in addition to strain contrast from lattice defects. From the outset, novel specimen stages and improvements to aid the operator enhanced the electron-optical engineering provided by the instrument makers. The spatial resolution achieved was mainly determined by the way the instrument was used, and not by the basic resolution limit set by the electron optics. However, the application of computer controlled correction of spherical (and higher order) aberration has resulted in a new generation of instruments capable of sub-Angstrom point-to-point resolution. This improved performance, combined with electron energy-loss spectrometry, promises genuine three-dimensional determination of atomic and electronic structure: an indispensable weapon in the battle to fabricate and control useful nanostructures. The uncertainty principle now fundamentally restricts some of the observations one can make, but much more technical development over the next decades must occur before one can say that the techniques of electron-optical imaging of material structure have reached their fundamental limitations. One can expect remarkable progress over the next few years

  2. Specific, sensitive, high-resolution detection of protein molecules in eukaryotic cells using metal-tagging transmission electron microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Risco, Cristina; Sanmartín-Conesa, Eva; Tzeng, Wen-Pin; Frey, Teryl K.; Seybold, Volker; de Groot, Raoul J.

    2012-01-01

    Summary More than any other methodology, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has contributed to our understanding of the architecture and organization of cells. With current detection limits approaching atomic resolution, it will ultimately become possible to ultrastructurally image intracellular macromolecular assemblies in situ. Presently, however, methods to unambiguously identify proteins within the crowded environment of the cell’s interior are lagging behind. We describe a novel approach, metal-tagging TEM (METTEM) that allows detection of intracellular proteins in mammalian cells with high specificity, exceptional sensitivity and at molecular scale resolution. In live cells treated with gold salts, proteins bearing a small metal-binding tag will form 1-nm gold nanoclusters, readily detectable in electron micrographs. The applicability and strength of METTEM is demonstrated by a study of Rubella virus replicase and capsid proteins, which revealed virus-induced cell structures not seen before. PMID:22579245

  3. Improving angular resolution with Scan-MUSIC algorithm for real complex targets using 35-GHz millimeter-wave radar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ly, Canh

    2004-08-01

    Scan-MUSIC algorithm, developed by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), improves angular resolution for target detection with the use of a single rotatable radar scanning the angular region of interest. This algorithm has been adapted and extended from the MUSIC algorithm that has been used for a linear sensor array. Previously, it was shown that the SMUSIC algorithm and a Millimeter Wave radar can be used to resolve two closely spaced point targets that exhibited constructive interference, but not for the targets that exhibited destructive interference. Therefore, there were some limitations of the algorithm for the point targets. In this paper, the SMUSIC algorithm is applied to a problem of resolving real complex scatterer-type targets, which is more useful and of greater practical interest, particular for the future Army radar system. The paper presents results of the angular resolution of the targets, an M60 tank and an M113 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), that are within the mainlobe of a Κα-band radar antenna. In particular, we applied the algorithm to resolve centroids of the targets that were placed within the beamwidth of the antenna. The collected coherent data using the stepped-frequency radar were compute magnitudely for the SMUSIC calculation. Even though there were significantly different signal returns for different orientations and offsets of the two targets, we resolved those two target centroids when they were as close as about 1/3 of the antenna beamwidth.

  4. CIRS High-Resolution Thermal Scans and the Structure of Saturn's B Ring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brooks, S. M.; Spilker, L. J.; Showalter, M.; Pilorz, S.; Edgington, S. G.

    2017-12-01

    The flyby of Titan on November 29, 2016, sent the Cassini spacecraft on a trajectory that would take it within 10,000 kilometers of Saturn's F ring multiple times before a subsequent Titan encounter on April 22, 2017, would send it on ballistic trajectory carrying it between Saturn's cloud tops and the planet's D ring for several flybys. This geometry has proven beneficial for high-resolution studies of the rings, not just because of Cassini's proximity to the rings, but also because of the spacecraft's high elevation angle above the rings, which reduces the foreshortening that tends to degrade resolution in the ring plane. We will report on several observations of Saturn's main rings at the high spatial resolutions enabled by the end-of-mission geometry, particulary the B ring, with the Composite Infrared Spectrometer onboard Cassini during the F-ring and proximal orbits. CIRS' three infrared detectors cover a combined spectral range of 10 to 1400 cm-1 (1 mm down to 7 microns). We focus on data from Focal Plane 1, which covers the 10 to 600 cm-1 range (1 mm to 16 microns). The apodized spectral resolution of the instrument can be varied from 15 cm-1 to 0.5 cm-1 (Flasar et al. 2004). FP1's wavelength range makes it well-suited to sensing thermal emission from objects at temperatures typical of Saturn's rings. Correlating ring optical depth with temperatures retrieved from scans of the face of the rings exposed to direct solar illumination (the lit face) and the opposite (unlit) face suggests differences in ring structure or particle transport between the lit and unlit sides of the rings in different regions of the B ring. Lit side temperatures in the core of the B ring range between 82 and 87 K; temperatures on the unlit side of the core vary from 66 K up to 74 K. Ferrari and Reffet (2013) and Pilorz et al. (2015) published thorough analyses of the thermal throughput across this optically thick ring. We will discuss these recent CIRS rings observations and their

  5. Time-resolved scanning tunnelling microscopy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Houselt, Arie; Zandvliet, Henricus J.W.

    2010-01-01

    Scanning tunneling microscopy has revolutionized our ability to image, study, and manipulate solid surfaces on the size scale of atoms. One important limitation of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is, however, its poor time resolution. Recording a standard image with a STM typically takes

  6. Cochlear Implant Electrode Localization Using an Ultra-High Resolution Scan Mode on Conventional 64-Slice and New Generation 192-Slice Multi-Detector Computed Tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlson, Matthew L; Leng, Shuai; Diehn, Felix E; Witte, Robert J; Krecke, Karl N; Grimes, Josh; Koeller, Kelly K; Bruesewitz, Michael R; McCollough, Cynthia H; Lane, John I

    2017-08-01

    A new generation 192-slice multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) clinical scanner provides enhanced image quality and superior electrode localization over conventional MDCT. Currently, accurate and reliable cochlear implant electrode localization using conventional MDCT scanners remains elusive. Eight fresh-frozen cadaveric temporal bones were implanted with full-length cochlear implant electrodes. Specimens were subsequently scanned with conventional 64-slice and new generation 192-slice MDCT scanners utilizing ultra-high resolution modes. Additionally, all specimens were scanned with micro-CT to provide a reference criterion for electrode position. Images were reconstructed according to routine temporal bone clinical protocols. Three neuroradiologists, blinded to scanner type, reviewed images independently to assess resolution of individual electrodes, scalar localization, and severity of image artifact. Serving as the reference standard, micro-CT identified scalar crossover in one specimen; imaging of all remaining cochleae demonstrated complete scala tympani insertions. The 192-slice MDCT scanner exhibited improved resolution of individual electrodes (p implant imaging compared with conventional MDCT. This technology provides important feedback regarding electrode position and course, which may help in future optimization of surgical technique and electrode design.

  7. Special raster scanning for reduction of charging effects in scanning electron microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Kazuhiko; Oho, Eisaku

    2014-01-01

    A special raster scanning (SRS) method for reduction of charging effects is developed for the field of SEM. Both a conventional fast scan (horizontal direction) and an unusual scan (vertical direction) are adopted for acquiring raw data consisting of many sub-images. These data are converted to a proper SEM image using digital image processing techniques. About sharpness of the image and reduction of charging effects, the SRS is compared with the conventional fast scan (with frame-averaging) and the conventional slow scan. Experimental results show the effectiveness of SRS images. By a successful combination of the proposed scanning method and low accelerating voltage (LV)-SEMs, it is expected that higher-quality SEM images can be more easily acquired by the considerable reduction of charging effects, while maintaining the resolution. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. AFM-based nanolithography : manipulating poly(dimethylsiloxane) : loading force, scan speed and image resolution dependence on stick-slip outcomes in the slow and fast scan directions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watson, J.A.; Brown, C.L.; Myhra, S.; Watson, G.S.

    2005-01-01

    The various properties of a polymer will affect its functionality in a wide range of applications including biosensors, tissue engineering and biomaterials technology. Some of those require precise manipulation of laterally differentiated regions, currently taking place on the μm-scale. It is now apparent that this need must now be driven into the nm-regime. Using the AFM, the principal objective is to explore and investigate lithographic outcomes during tip-induced manipulation with the aid of work on poly(dimethylsiloxane), (PDMS). The frictional effects (including any in-plane relaxation), and their dependence on the loading force, scan speed and image resolution are examined. (author). 3 refs., 5 figs

  9. Admittance Scanning for Whole Column Detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stamos, Brian N; Dasgupta, Purnendu K; Ohira, Shin-Ichi

    2017-07-05

    Whole column detection (WCD) is as old as chromatography itself. WCD requires an ability to interrogate column contents from the outside. Other than the obvious case of optical detection through a transparent column, admittance (often termed contactless conductance) measurements can also sense changes in the column contents (especially ionic content) from the outside without galvanic contact with the solution. We propose here electromechanically scanned admittance imaging and apply this to open tubular (OT) chromatography. The detector scans across the column; the length resolution depends on the scanning velocity and the data acquisition frequency, ultimately limited by the physical step resolution (40 μm in the present setup). Precision equal to this step resolution was observed for locating an interface between two immiscible liquids inside a 21 μm capillary. Mechanically, the maximum scanning speed was 100 mm/s, but at 1 kHz sampling rate and a time constant of 25 ms, the highest practical scan speed (no peak distortion) was 28 mm/s. At scanning speeds of 0, 4, and 28 mm/s, the S/N for 180 pL (zone length of 1.9 mm in a 11 μm i.d. column) of 500 μM KCl injected into water was 6450, 3850, and 1500, respectively. To facilitate constant and reproducible contact with the column regardless of minor variations in outer diameter, a double quadrupole electrode system was developed. Columns of significant length (>1 m) can be readily scanned. We demonstrate its applicability with both OT and commercial packed columns and explore uniformity of retention along a column, increasing S/N by stopped-flow repeat scans, etc. as unique applications.

  10. Towards atomic scale engineering of rare-earth-doped SiAlON ceramics through aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yurdakul, Hilmi; Idrobo, Juan C.; Pennycook, Stephen J.; Turan, Servet

    2011-01-01

    Direct visualization of rare earths in α- and β-SiAlON unit-cells is performed through Z-contrast imaging technique in an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope. The preferential occupation of Yb and Ce atoms in different interstitial locations of β-SiAlON lattice is demonstrated, yielding higher solubility for Yb than Ce. The triangular-like host sites in α-SiAlON unit cell accommodate more Ce atoms than hexagonal sites in β-SiAlON. We think that our results will be applicable as guidelines for many kinds of rare-earth-doped materials.

  11. Sparsity-Based Super Resolution for SEM Images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsiper, Shahar; Dicker, Or; Kaizerman, Idan; Zohar, Zeev; Segev, Mordechai; Eldar, Yonina C

    2017-09-13

    The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is an electron microscope that produces an image of a sample by scanning it with a focused beam of electrons. The electrons interact with the atoms in the sample, which emit secondary electrons that contain information about the surface topography and composition. The sample is scanned by the electron beam point by point, until an image of the surface is formed. Since its invention in 1942, the capabilities of SEMs have become paramount in the discovery and understanding of the nanometer world, and today it is extensively used for both research and in industry. In principle, SEMs can achieve resolution better than one nanometer. However, for many applications, working at subnanometer resolution implies an exceedingly large number of scanning points. For exactly this reason, the SEM diagnostics of microelectronic chips is performed either at high resolution (HR) over a small area or at low resolution (LR) while capturing a larger portion of the chip. Here, we employ sparse coding and dictionary learning to algorithmically enhance low-resolution SEM images of microelectronic chips-up to the level of the HR images acquired by slow SEM scans, while considerably reducing the noise. Our methodology consists of two steps: an offline stage of learning a joint dictionary from a sequence of LR and HR images of the same region in the chip, followed by a fast-online super-resolution step where the resolution of a new LR image is enhanced. We provide several examples with typical chips used in the microelectronics industry, as well as a statistical study on arbitrary images with characteristic structural features. Conceptually, our method works well when the images have similar characteristics, as microelectronics chips do. This work demonstrates that employing sparsity concepts can greatly improve the performance of SEM, thereby considerably increasing the scanning throughput without compromising on analysis quality and resolution.

  12. SU-E-CAMPUS-T-05: Validation of High-Resolution 3D Patient QA for Proton Pencil Beam Scanning and IMPT by Polymer Gel Dosimetry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cardin, A; Avery, S; Ding, X; Kassaee, A; Lin, L [University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Maryanski, M [MGS Research, Inc., Madison, CT (United States)

    2014-06-15

    Purpose: Validation of high-resolution 3D patient QA for proton pencil beam scanning and IMPT by polymer gel dosimetry. Methods: Four BANG3Pro polymer gel dosimeters (manufactured by MGS Research Inc, Madison, CT) were used for patient QA at the Robert's Proton Therapy Center (RPTC, Philadelphia, PA). All dosimeters were sealed in identical thin-wall Pyrex glass spheres. Each dosimeter contained a set of markers for 3D registration purposes. The dosimeters were mounted in a consistent and reproducible manner using a custom build holder. Two proton pencil beam scanning plans were designed using Varian Eclipse™ treatment planning system: 1) A two-field intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) plan and 2) one single field uniform dose (SFUD) plan. The IMPT fields were evaluated as a composite plan and individual fields, the SFUD plan was delivered as a single field plan.Laser CT scanning was performed using the manufacturer's OCTOPUS-IQ axial transmission laser CT scanner using a 1 mm slice thickness. 3D registration, analysis, and OD/cm to absorbed dose calibrations were perfomed using DICOM RT-Dose and CT files, and software developed by the manufacturer. 3D delta index, a metric equivalent to the gamma tool, was used for dose comparison. Results: Very good agreement with single IMPT fields and with SFUD was obtained. Composite IMPT fields had a less satisfactory agreement. The single fields had 3D delta index passing rates (3% dose difference, 3 mm DTA) of 98.98% and 94.91%. The composite 3D delta index passing rate was 80.80%. The SFUD passing rate was 93.77%. Required shifts of the dose distributions were less than 4 mm. Conclusion: A formulation of the BANG3Pro polymer gel dosimeter, suitable for 3D QA of proton patient plans is established and validated. Likewise, the mailed QA analysis service provided by the manufacturer is a practical option when required resources are unavailable. We fully disclose that the subject of this research regards a

  13. Nano features of Al/Au ultrasonic bond interface observed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ji Hongjun; Li Mingyu; Kim, Jong-Myung; Kim, Dae-Won; Wang Chunqing

    2008-01-01

    Nano-scale interfacial details of ultrasonic AlSi1 wire wedge bonding to a Au/Ni/Cu pad were investigated using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The intermetallic phase Au 8 Al 3 formed locally due to diffusion and reaction activated by ultrasound at the Al/Au bond interface. Multilayer sub-interfaces roughly parallel to the wire/pad interface were observed among this phase, and interdiffusional features near the Au pad resembled interference patterns, alternately dark and bright bars. Solid-state diffusion theory cannot be used to explain why such a thick compound formed within milliseconds at room temperature. The major formation of metallurgical bonds was attributed to ultrasonic cyclic vibration

  14. Helium ion microscopy and ultra-high-resolution scanning electron microscopy analysis of membrane-extracted cells reveals novel characteristics of the cytoskeleton of Giardia intestinalis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gadelha, Ana Paula Rocha; Benchimol, Marlene; de Souza, Wanderley

    2015-06-01

    Giardia intestinalis presents a complex microtubular cytoskeleton formed by specialized structures, such as the adhesive disk, four pairs of flagella, the funis and the median body. The ultrastructural organization of the Giardia cytoskeleton has been analyzed using different microscopic techniques, including high-resolution scanning electron microscopy. Recent advances in scanning microscopy technology have opened a new venue for the characterization of cellular structures and include scanning probe microscopy techniques such as ultra-high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (UHRSEM) and helium ion microscopy (HIM). Here, we studied the organization of the cytoskeleton of G. intestinalis trophozoites using UHRSEM and HIM in membrane-extracted cells. The results revealed a number of new cytoskeletal elements associated with the lateral crest and the dorsal surface of the parasite. The fine structure of the banded collar was also observed. The marginal plates were seen linked to a network of filaments, which were continuous with filaments parallel to the main cell axis. Cytoplasmic filaments that supported the internal structures were seen by the first time. Using anti-actin antibody, we observed a labeling in these filamentous structures. Taken together, these data revealed new surface characteristics of the cytoskeleton of G. intestinalis and may contribute to an improved understanding of the structural organization of trophozoites. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Time-resolved X-ray transmission microscopy on magnetic microstructures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Puzic, Aleksandar

    2007-01-01

    Three excitation schemes were designed for stroboscopic imaging of magnetization dynamics with time-resolved magnetic transmission X-ray microscopy (TR-MTXM). These techniques were implemented into two types of X-ray microscopes, namely the imaging transmission X-ray microscope (ITXM) and the scanning transmission X-ray microscope (STXM), both installed at the electron storage ring of the Advanced Light Source in Berkeley, USA. Circular diffraction gratings (Fresnel zone plates) used in both microscopes as focusing and imaging elements presently allow for lateral resolution down to 30 nm. Magnetic imaging is performed by using the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) as element specific contrast mechanism. The developed methods have been successfully applied to the experimental investigation of magnetization dynamics in ferromagnetic microstructures. A temporal resolution well below 100 ps was achieved. A conventional pump-probe technique was implemented first. The dynamic response of the magnetization excited by a broadband pulsed magnetic field was imaged spatially resolved using focused X-ray flashes. As a complementary method, the spatially resolved ferromagnetic resonance (SR-FMR) technique was developed for experimental study of magnetization dynamics in the frequency domain. As a third excitation mode, the burst excitation was implemented. The performance and efficiency of the developed methods have been demonstrated by imaging the local magnetization dynamics in laterally patterned ferromagnetic thin-film elements and three-layer stacks. The existence of multiple eigenmodes in the excitation spectra of ferromagnetic microstructures has been verified by using the pump-probe technique. Magnetostatic spin waves were selectively excited and detected with a time resolution of 50 ps using the SR-FMR technique. Thorough analysis of 20 in most cases independently prepared samples has verified that vortices which exhibit a low-amplitude switching of their core

  16. Optimization of transmission-scan time for the FixER method: a MR-based PET attenuation correction with a weak fixed-position external radiation source

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kawaguchi, Hiroshi; Hirano, Yoshiyuki; Kershaw, Jeff; Yoshida, Eiji [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan); Shiraishi, Takahiro [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan); Research Center for Charged Particle Therapy, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan); Suga, Mikio [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan); Center for Frontier Medical Engineering, Chiba University (Japan); Obata, Takayuki [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan); Research Center for Charged Particle Therapy, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan); Ito, Hiroshi; Yamaya, Taiga [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan)

    2014-07-29

    In recent work, we proposed an MRI-based attenuation-coefficient (μ-value) estimation method that uses a weak fixed-position external radiation source to construct an attenuation map for PET/MRI. In this presentation we refer to this method as FixER, and perform a series of simulations to investigate the duration of the transmission scan required to accurately estimate μ-values.

  17. Optimization of transmission-scan time for the FixER method: a MR-based PET attenuation correction with a weak fixed-position external radiation source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawaguchi, Hiroshi; Hirano, Yoshiyuki; Kershaw, Jeff; Yoshida, Eiji; Shiraishi, Takahiro; Suga, Mikio; Obata, Takayuki; Ito, Hiroshi; Yamaya, Taiga

    2014-01-01

    In recent work, we proposed an MRI-based attenuation-coefficient (μ-value) estimation method that uses a weak fixed-position external radiation source to construct an attenuation map for PET/MRI. In this presentation we refer to this method as FixER, and perform a series of simulations to investigate the duration of the transmission scan required to accurately estimate μ-values.

  18. High resolution CT in cystic fibrosis--the contribution of expiratory scans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dorloechter, Ludger; Nes, Harald; Fluge, Gjermund; Rosendahl, Karen

    2003-01-01

    Introduction: The use of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is well accepted as an accurate method for evaluation of lung parenchyma in cystic fibrosis (CF). Several scoring methods exist and, in common, all are based on HRCT findings during inspiration alone. Objective: To examine whether expiratory HRCT scans could add information about the degree of mosaic perfusion in patients with CF. Methods and patients: Pulmonary HRCT was performed in 17 CF patients (median age of 12 years) with 1-mm thin sections and 10-mm intervals during inspiration, followed by 1-mm thin sections with 20-mm intervals during expiration. HRCT was scored by using a modified Bhalla method. Results: The mean HRCT score was 8.2. Out of 17 patients, 11 (65%) demonstrated a pathological mosaic perfusion in expiration, while only three patients showed mosaic perfusion in inspiration. The degree of expiratory mosaic perfusion was graded as severe in nine patients and moderate in two patients. There was a significant correlation between our modified HRCT score and lung function, as measured by forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1% predicted, P<0.01). Conclusion: Mosaic perfusion in expiration was a common pathological HRCT finding in our study group. The clinical significance of this finding needs further evaluation

  19. High-resolution computed tomography scan of lumbosacral spine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lifson, A.; Heithoff, K.B.; Burton, C.V.; Ray, C.D.

    1981-01-01

    A GE 8800 computed tomography (CT) scanner was used in over 4,000 cases of acute and chronic low back pain. Practically unlimited potentials of the study were clearly demonstrated in the diagnosis of such conditions as central and lateral spinal stenosis, overgrowth of fusions, disk herniation and free extrusion. Nonenhanced CT scanning is capable of clear visualization of soft-tissue structures: nerve roots and ganglia, epidural fat, epidural fibrous tissue, and epidural veins. CT scanning has become a primary diagnostic modality in the Low Back Clinic at our institute, replacing myelography in the majority of cases. Enhancement of the image with metrizamide was found to be of limited diagnostic value in lumbar degenerative disk disease. However, the utilization of a radiopaque material is indicated in selected circumstances. (Auth.)

  20. Scanning probe microscopy experiments in microgravity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Drobek, Tanja; Reiter, Michael; Heckl, Wolfgang M.

    2004-01-01

    The scanning probe microscopy setups are small, lightweight and do not require vacuum or high voltage supply. In addition, samples can be investigated directly without further preparation. Therefore, these techniques are well-suited for applications in space, in particular, for operation on the International Space Station (ISS) or for high resolution microscopy on planetary missions. A feasibility study for a scanning tunneling microscopy setup was carried out on a parabolic flight campaign in November 2001 in order to test the technical setup for microgravity applications. With a pocket-size design microscope, a graphite surface was imaged under ambient conditions. Atomic resolution was achieved although the quality of the images was inferior in comparison to laboratory conditions. Improvements for future scanning probe microscopy experiments in microgravity are suggested

  1. A compact sub-Kelvin ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope with high energy resolution and high stability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, L; Miyamachi, T; Tomanić, T; Dehm, R; Wulfhekel, W

    2011-10-01

    We designed a scanning tunneling microscope working at sub-Kelvin temperatures in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) in order to study the magnetic properties on the nanoscale. An entirely homebuilt three-stage cryostat is used to cool down the microscope head. The first stage is cooled with liquid nitrogen, the second stage with liquid (4)He. The third stage uses a closed-cycle Joule-Thomson refrigerator of a cooling power of 1 mW. A base temperature of 930 mK at the microscope head was achieved using expansion of (4)He, which can be reduced to ≈400 mK when using (3)He. The cryostat has a low liquid helium consumption of only 38 ml/h and standing times of up to 280 h. The fast cooling down of the samples (3 h) guarantees high sample throughput. Test experiments with a superconducting tip show a high energy resolution of 0.3 meV when performing scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The vertical stability of the tunnel junction is well below 1 pm (peak to peak) and the electric noise floor of tunneling current is about 6fA/√Hz. Atomic resolution with a tunneling current of 1 pA and 1 mV was achieved on Au(111). The lateral drift of the microscope at stable temperature is below 20 pm/h. A superconducting spilt-coil magnet allows to apply an out-of-plane magnetic field of up to 3 T at the sample surface. The flux vortices of a Nb(110) sample were clearly resolved in a map of differential conductance at 1.1 K and a magnetic field of 0.21 T. The setup is designed for in situ preparation of tip and samples under UHV condition.

  2. Scanning tunnel microscope with large vision field compatible with a scanning electron microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Volodin, A.P.; Stepanyan, G.A.; Khajkin, M.S.; Ehdel'man, V.S.

    1989-01-01

    A scanning tunnel microscope (STM) with the 20μm vision field and 1nm resolution, designed to be compatible with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), is described. The sample scanning area is chosen within the 3x10mm limits with a 0.1-1μm step. The STM needle is moved automatically toward the sample surface from the maximum distance of 10mm until the tunneling current appears. Bimorphous elements of the KP-1 piezocorrector are used in the STM design. The device is installed on a table of SEM object holders

  3. Frequency scanning microstrip antennas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Danielsen, Magnus; Jørgensen, Rolf

    1979-01-01

    The principles of using radiating microstrip resonators as elements in a frequency scanning antenna array are described. The resonators are cascade-coupled. This gives a scan of the main lobe due to the phase-shift in the resonator in addition to that created by the transmission line phase......-shift. Experimental results inX-band, in good agreement with the theory, show that it is possible to scan the main lobe an angle ofpm30degby a variation of the frequencypm300MHz, and where the 3 dB beamwidth is less than10deg. The directivity was 14.7 dB, while the gain was 8.1 dB. The efficiency might be improved...

  4. Morphology of gills of the seawater fish Cathorops spixii (Agassiz (Ariidae by scanning and transmission electron microscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daura R. Eiras-Stofella

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available Gills of the seawater fish Cathorops spixii (Agassiz, 1829 were submitted to routine processing for observation in scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The wrinkled surface of the gill filaments showed well-defined cellular ultrastructures. Microridges on cellular surface were projected over all gill structures, including respiratory lamellae. Chloride cells were usually at primary lamellae. Some rodlet cells were found. Mucous secretory cells were uncommon at all parts of the gill arches. The pharyngeal region of the gill arches showed a lot of taste buds but no spines. There were small and strong rakers. Such morphology is indicative of fishes that swallow small food but do not have filtering habits. At the ultrastructural level the gills of C. spixii presented the typical morphological pattern of Teleostei fishes.

  5. Inverse modeling applied to Scanning Capacitance Microscopy for improved spatial resolution and accuracy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McMurray, J. S.; Williams, C. C.

    1998-01-01

    Scanning Capacitance Microscopy (SCM) is capable of providing two-dimensional information about dopant and carrier concentrations in semiconducting devices. This information can be used to calibrate models used in the simulation of these devices prior to manufacturing and to develop and optimize the manufacturing processes. To provide information for future generations of devices, ultra-high spatial accuracy (<10 nm) will be required. One method, which potentially provides a means to obtain these goals, is inverse modeling of SCM data. Current semiconducting devices have large dopant gradients. As a consequence, the capacitance probe signal represents an average over the local dopant gradient. Conversion of the SCM signal to dopant density has previously been accomplished with a physical model which assumes that no dopant gradient exists in the sampling area of the tip. The conversion of data using this model produces results for abrupt profiles which do not have adequate resolution and accuracy. A new inverse model and iterative method has been developed to obtain higher resolution and accuracy from the same SCM data. This model has been used to simulate the capacitance signal obtained from one and two-dimensional ideal abrupt profiles. This simulated data has been input to a new iterative conversion algorithm, which has recovered the original profiles in both one and two dimensions. In addition, it is found that the shape of the tip can significantly impact resolution. Currently SCM tips are found to degrade very rapidly. Initially the apex of the tip is approximately hemispherical, but quickly becomes flat. This flat region often has a radius of about the original hemispherical radius. This change in geometry causes the silicon directly under the disk to be sampled with approximately equal weight. In contrast, a hemispherical geometry samples most strongly the silicon centered under the SCM tip and falls off quickly with distance from the tip's apex. Simulation

  6. Imaging and elemental mapping of biological specimens with a dual-EDS dedicated scanning transmission electron microscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, J.S.; Kim, A. M.; Bleher, R.; Myers, B.D.; Marvin, R. G.; Inada, H.; Nakamura, K.; Zhang, X.F.; Roth, E.; Li, S.Y.; Woodruff, T. K.; O'Halloran, T. V.; Dravid, Vinayak P.

    2013-01-01

    A dedicated analytical scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) with dual energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) detectors has been designed for complementary high performance imaging as well as high sensitivity elemental analysis and mapping of biological structures. The performance of this new design, based on a Hitachi HD-2300A model, was evaluated using a variety of biological specimens. With three imaging detectors, both the surface and internal structure of cells can be examined simultaneously. The whole-cell elemental mapping, especially of heavier metal species that have low cross-section for electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), can be faithfully obtained. Optimization of STEM imaging conditions is applied to thick sections as well as thin sections of biological cells under low-dose conditions at room- and cryogenic temperatures. Such multimodal capabilities applied to soft/biological structures usher a new era for analytical studies in biological systems. PMID:23500508

  7. Minimum Detectable Activity for Tomographic Gamma Scanning System

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Venkataraman, Ram [Canberra Industries (AREVA BDNM), Meriden, CT (United States); Smith, Susan [Canberra Industries (AREVA BDNM), Meriden, CT (United States); Kirkpatrick, J. M. [Canberra Industries (AREVA BDNM), Meriden, CT (United States); Croft, Stephen [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2015-01-01

    For any radiation measurement system, it is useful to explore and establish the detection limits and a minimum detectable activity (MDA) for the radionuclides of interest, even if the system is to be used at far higher values. The MDA serves as an important figure of merit, and often a system is optimized and configured so that it can meet the MDA requirements of a measurement campaign. The non-destructive assay (NDA) systems based on gamma ray analysis are no exception and well established conventions, such the Currie method, exist for estimating the detection limits and the MDA. However, the Tomographic Gamma Scanning (TGS) technique poses some challenges for the estimation of detection limits and MDAs. The TGS combines high resolution gamma ray spectrometry (HRGS) with low spatial resolution image reconstruction techniques. In non-imaging gamma ray based NDA techniques measured counts in a full energy peak can be used to estimate the activity of a radionuclide, independently of other counting trials. However, in the case of the TGS each “view” is a full spectral grab (each a counting trial), and each scan consists of 150 spectral grabs in the transmission and emission scans per vertical layer of the item. The set of views in a complete scan are then used to solve for the radionuclide activities on a voxel by voxel basis, over 16 layers of a 10x10 voxel grid. Thus, the raw count data are not independent trials any more, but rather constitute input to a matrix solution for the emission image values at the various locations inside the item volume used in the reconstruction. So, the validity of the methods used to estimate MDA for an imaging technique such as TGS warrant a close scrutiny, because the pair-counting concept of Currie is not directly applicable. One can also raise questions as to whether the TGS, along with other image reconstruction techniques which heavily intertwine data, is a suitable method if one expects to measure samples whose activities

  8. Assessment of hybrid rotation-translation scan schemes for in vivo animal SPECT imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xia Yan; Liu Yaqiang; Wang Shi; Ma Tianyu; Yao Rutao; Deng Xiao

    2013-01-01

    To perform in vivo animal single photon emission computed tomography imaging on a stationary detector gantry, we introduced a hybrid rotation-translation (HRT) tomographic scan, a combination of translational and limited angle rotational movements of the image object, to minimize gravity-induced animal motion. To quantitatively assess the performance of ten HRT scan schemes and the conventional rotation-only scan scheme, two simulated phantoms were first scanned with each scheme to derive the corresponding image resolution (IR) in the image field of view. The IR results of all the scan schemes were visually assessed and compared with corresponding outputs of four scan scheme evaluation indices, i.e. sampling completeness (SC), sensitivity (S), conventional system resolution (SR), and a newly devised directional spatial resolution (DR) that measures the resolution in any specified orientation. A representative HRT scheme was tested with an experimental phantom study. Eight of the ten HRT scan schemes evaluated achieved a superior performance compared to two other HRT schemes and the rotation-only scheme in terms of phantom image resolution. The same eight HRT scan schemes also achieved equivalent or better performance in terms of the four quantitative indices than the conventional rotation-only scheme. As compared to the conventional index SR, the new index DR appears to be a more relevant indicator of system resolution performance. The experimental phantom image obtained from the selected HRT scheme was satisfactory. We conclude that it is feasible to perform in vivo animal imaging with a HRT scan scheme and SC and DR are useful predictors for quantitatively assessing the performance of a scan scheme. (paper)

  9. Scanning Quantum Cryogenic Atom Microscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Fan; Kollár, Alicia J.; Taylor, Stephen F.; Turner, Richard W.; Lev, Benjamin L.

    2017-03-01

    Microscopic imaging of local magnetic fields provides a window into the organizing principles of complex and technologically relevant condensed-matter materials. However, a wide variety of intriguing strongly correlated and topologically nontrivial materials exhibit poorly understood phenomena outside the detection capability of state-of-the-art high-sensitivity high-resolution scanning probe magnetometers. We introduce a quantum-noise-limited scanning probe magnetometer that can operate from room-to-cryogenic temperatures with unprecedented dc-field sensitivity and micron-scale resolution. The Scanning Quantum Cryogenic Atom Microscope (SQCRAMscope) employs a magnetically levitated atomic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), thereby providing immunity to conductive and blackbody radiative heating. The SQCRAMscope has a field sensitivity of 1.4 nT per resolution-limited point (approximately 2 μ m ) or 6 nT /√{Hz } per point at its duty cycle. Compared to point-by-point sensors, the long length of the BEC provides a naturally parallel measurement, allowing one to measure nearly 100 points with an effective field sensitivity of 600 pT /√{Hz } for each point during the same time as a point-by-point scanner measures these points sequentially. Moreover, it has a noise floor of 300 pT and provides nearly 2 orders of magnitude improvement in magnetic flux sensitivity (down to 10-6 Φ0/√{Hz } ) over previous atomic probe magnetometers capable of scanning near samples. These capabilities are carefully benchmarked by imaging magnetic fields arising from microfabricated wire patterns in a system where samples may be scanned, cryogenically cooled, and easily exchanged. We anticipate the SQCRAMscope will provide charge-transport images at temperatures from room temperature to 4 K in unconventional superconductors and topologically nontrivial materials.

  10. A High Rigidity and Precision Scanning Tunneling Microscope with Decoupled XY and Z Scans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xu; Guo, Tengfei; Hou, Yubin; Zhang, Jing; Meng, Wenjie; Lu, Qingyou

    2017-01-01

    A new scan-head structure for the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is proposed, featuring high scan precision and rigidity. The core structure consists of a piezoelectric tube scanner of quadrant type (for XY scans) coaxially housed in a piezoelectric tube with single inner and outer electrodes (for Z scan). They are fixed at one end (called common end). A hollow tantalum shaft is coaxially housed in the XY -scan tube and they are mutually fixed at both ends. When the XY scanner scans, its free end will bring the shaft to scan and the tip which is coaxially inserted in the shaft at the common end will scan a smaller area if the tip protrudes short enough from the common end. The decoupled XY and Z scans are desired for less image distortion and the mechanically reduced scan range has the superiority of reducing the impact of the background electronic noise on the scanner and enhancing the tip positioning precision. High quality atomic resolution images are also shown.

  11. A High Rigidity and Precision Scanning Tunneling Microscope with Decoupled XY and Z Scans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xu Chen

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available A new scan-head structure for the scanning tunneling microscope (STM is proposed, featuring high scan precision and rigidity. The core structure consists of a piezoelectric tube scanner of quadrant type (for XY scans coaxially housed in a piezoelectric tube with single inner and outer electrodes (for Z scan. They are fixed at one end (called common end. A hollow tantalum shaft is coaxially housed in the XY-scan tube and they are mutually fixed at both ends. When the XY scanner scans, its free end will bring the shaft to scan and the tip which is coaxially inserted in the shaft at the common end will scan a smaller area if the tip protrudes short enough from the common end. The decoupled XY and Z scans are desired for less image distortion and the mechanically reduced scan range has the superiority of reducing the impact of the background electronic noise on the scanner and enhancing the tip positioning precision. High quality atomic resolution images are also shown.

  12. Fabrication and characterization of optical-fiber nanoprobes for scanning near-field optical microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Essaidi, N; Chen, Y; Kottler, V; Cambril, E; Mayeux, C; Ronarch, N; Vieu, C

    1998-02-01

    The current scanning near-field optical microscopy has been developed with optical-fiber probes obtained by use of either laser-heated pulling or chemical etching. For high-resolution near-field imaging, the detected signal is rapidly attenuated as the aperture size of the probe decreases. It is thus important to fabricate probes optimized for both spot size and optical transmission. We present a two-step fabrication that allowed us to achieve an improved performance of the optical-fiber probes. Initially, a CO(2) laser-heated pulling was used to produce a parabolic transitional taper ending with a top thin filament. Then, a rapid chemical etching with 50% buffered hydrofluoric acid was used to remove the thin filament and to result in a final conical tip on the top of the parabolic transitional taper. Systematically, we obtained optical-fiber nanoprobes with the apex size as small as 10 nm and the final cone angle varying from 15 degrees to 80 degrees . It was found that the optical transmission efficiency increases rapidly as the taper angle increases from 15 degrees to 50 degrees , but a further increase in the taper angle gives rise to important broadening of the spot size. Finally, the fabricated nanoprobes were used in photon-scanning tunneling microscopy, which allowed observation of etched double lines and grating structures with periods as small as 200 nm.

  13. Developments in Scanning Hall Probe Microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chouinard, Taras; Chu, Ricky; David, Nigel; Broun, David

    2009-05-01

    Low temperature scanning Hall probe microscopy is a sensitive means of imaging magnetic structures with high spatial resolution and magnetic flux sensitivity approaching that of a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device. We have developed a scanning Hall probe microscope with novel features, including highly reliable coarse positioning, in situ optimization of sensor-sample alignment and capacitive transducers for linear, long range positioning measurement. This has been motivated by the need to reposition accurately above fabricated nanostructures such as small superconducting rings. Details of the design and performance will be presented as well as recent progress towards time-resolved measurements with sub nanosecond resolution.

  14. Development of Scanning Ultrafast Electron Microscope Capability.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Collins, Kimberlee Chiyoko [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Talin, Albert Alec [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Chandler, David W. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Michael, Joseph R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2016-11-01

    Modern semiconductor devices rely on the transport of minority charge carriers. Direct examination of minority carrier lifetimes in real devices with nanometer-scale features requires a measurement method with simultaneously high spatial and temporal resolutions. Achieving nanometer spatial resolutions at sub-nanosecond temporal resolution is possible with pump-probe methods that utilize electrons as probes. Recently, a stroboscopic scanning electron microscope was developed at Caltech, and used to study carrier transport across a Si p-n junction [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] . In this report, we detail our development of a prototype scanning ultrafast electron microscope system at Sandia National Laboratories based on the original Caltech design. This effort represents Sandia's first exploration into ultrafast electron microscopy.

  15. Atomic-Resolution Spectrum Imaging of Semiconductor Nanowires.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zamani, Reza R; Hage, Fredrik S; Lehmann, Sebastian; Ramasse, Quentin M; Dick, Kimberly A

    2018-03-14

    Over the past decade, III-V heterostructure nanowires have attracted a surge of attention for their application in novel semiconductor devices such as tunneling field-effect transistors (TFETs). The functionality of such devices critically depends on the specific atomic arrangement at the semiconductor heterointerfaces. However, most of the currently available characterization techniques lack sufficient spatial resolution to provide local information on the atomic structure and composition of these interfaces. Atomic-resolution spectrum imaging by means of electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) is a powerful technique with the potential to resolve structure and chemical composition with sub-angstrom spatial resolution and to provide localized information about the physical properties of the material at the atomic scale. Here, we demonstrate the use of atomic-resolution EELS to understand the interface atomic arrangement in three-dimensional heterostructures in semiconductor nanowires. We observed that the radial interfaces of GaSb-InAs heterostructure nanowires are atomically abrupt, while the axial interface in contrast consists of an interfacial region where intermixing of the two compounds occurs over an extended spatial region. The local atomic configuration affects the band alignment at the interface and, hence, the charge transport properties of devices such as GaSb-InAs nanowire TFETs. STEM-EELS thus represents a very promising technique for understanding nanowire physical properties, such as differing electrical behavior across the radial and axial heterointerfaces of GaSb-InAs nanowires for TFET applications.

  16. Micelle-stabilized room-temperature phosphorescence with synchronous scanning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Femia, R.A.; Love, L.J.C.

    1984-01-01

    The experimental requirements for synchronous wavelength scanning micelle-stabilized room temperature phosphorescence and the factors affecting peak resolution are presented and compared with those for synchronous wavelength scanning fluorescence. Identification of individual compounds in a four-component mixture is illustrated, and criteria to identify and minimize triplet state energy transfer are given. Considerable improvement in resolution of the synchronous peaks is obtained via second derivative spectra. 20 references, 7 figures, 2 tables

  17. An extended model of electrons: experimental evidence from high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hofer, Werner A

    2012-01-01

    In a recent paper we introduced a model of extended electrons, which is fully compatible with quantum mechanics in the formulation of Schrödinger. However, it contradicts the current interpretation of electrons as point-particles. Here, we show by a statistical analysis of high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments, that the interpretation of electrons as point particles and, consequently, the interpretation of the density of electron charge as a statistical quantity will lead to a conflict with the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Given the precision in these experiments we find that the uncertainty principle would be violated by close to two orders of magnitude, if this interpretation were correct. We are thus forced to conclude that the density of electron charge is a physically real, i.e. in principle precisely measurable quantity, as derived in a recent paper. Experimental evidence to the contrary, in particular high-energy scattering experiments, is briefly discussed. The finding is expected to have wide implications in condensed matter physics, chemistry, and biology, scientific disciplines which are based on the properties and interactions of electrons.

  18. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy probe for in situ mechanism study of graphene-oxide-based resistive random access memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nho, Hyun Woo; Kim, Jong Yun; Wang, Jian; Shin, Hyun-Joon; Choi, Sung-Yool; Yoon, Tae Hyun

    2014-01-01

    Here, an in situ probe for scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) has been developed and applied to the study of the bipolar resistive switching (BRS) mechanism in an Al/graphene oxide (GO)/Al resistive random access memory (RRAM) device. To perform in situ STXM studies at the C K- and O K-edges, both the RRAM junctions and the I0 junction were fabricated on a single Si3N4 membrane to obtain local XANES spectra at these absorption edges with more delicate I0 normalization. Using this probe combined with the synchrotron-based STXM technique, it was possible to observe unique chemical changes involved in the BRS process of the Al/GO/Al RRAM device. Reversible oxidation and reduction of GO induced by the externally applied bias voltages were observed at the O K-edge XANES feature located at 538.2 eV, which strongly supported the oxygen ion drift model that was recently proposed from ex situ transmission electron microscope studies.

  19. An electron beam linear scanning mode for industrial limited-angle nano-computed tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chengxiang; Zeng, Li; Yu, Wei; Zhang, Lingli; Guo, Yumeng; Gong, Changcheng

    2018-01-01

    Nano-computed tomography (nano-CT), which utilizes X-rays to research the inner structure of some small objects and has been widely utilized in biomedical research, electronic technology, geology, material sciences, etc., is a high spatial resolution and non-destructive research technique. A traditional nano-CT scanning model with a very high mechanical precision and stability of object manipulator, which is difficult to reach when the scanned object is continuously rotated, is required for high resolution imaging. To reduce the scanning time and attain a stable and high resolution imaging in industrial non-destructive testing, we study an electron beam linear scanning mode of nano-CT system that can avoid mechanical vibration and object movement caused by the continuously rotated object. Furthermore, to further save the scanning time and study how small the scanning range could be considered with acceptable spatial resolution, an alternating iterative algorithm based on ℓ0 minimization is utilized to limited-angle nano-CT reconstruction problem with the electron beam linear scanning mode. The experimental results confirm the feasibility of the electron beam linear scanning mode of nano-CT system.

  20. High resolution, high speed ultrahigh vacuum microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poppa, Helmut

    2004-01-01

    The history and future of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is discussed as it refers to the eventual development of instruments and techniques applicable to the real time in situ investigation of surface processes with high resolution. To reach this objective, it was necessary to transform conventional high resolution instruments so that an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) environment at the sample site was created, that access to the sample by various in situ sample modification procedures was provided, and that in situ sample exchanges with other integrated surface analytical systems became possible. Furthermore, high resolution image acquisition systems had to be developed to take advantage of the high speed imaging capabilities of projection imaging microscopes. These changes to conventional electron microscopy and its uses were slowly realized in a few international laboratories over a period of almost 40 years by a relatively small number of researchers crucially interested in advancing the state of the art of electron microscopy and its applications to diverse areas of interest; often concentrating on the nucleation, growth, and properties of thin films on well defined material surfaces. A part of this review is dedicated to the recognition of the major contributions to surface and thin film science by these pioneers. Finally, some of the important current developments in aberration corrected electron optics and eventual adaptations to in situ UHV microscopy are discussed. As a result of all the path breaking developments that have led to today's highly sophisticated UHV-TEM systems, integrated fundamental studies are now possible that combine many traditional surface science approaches. Combined investigations to date have involved in situ and ex situ surface microscopies such as scanning tunneling microscopy/atomic force microscopy, scanning Auger microscopy, and photoemission electron microscopy, and area-integrating techniques such as x-ray photoelectron

  1. Thin dielectric film thickness determination by advanced transmission electron microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Diebold, A.C.; Foran, B.; Kisielowski, C.; Muller, D.; Pennycook, S.; Principe, E.; Stemmer, S.

    2003-09-01

    High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM) has been used as the ultimate method of thickness measurement for thin films. The appearance of phase contrast interference patterns in HR-TEM images has long been confused as the appearance of a crystal lattice by non-specialists. Relatively easy to interpret crystal lattice images are now directly observed with the introduction of annular dark field detectors for scanning TEM (STEM). With the recent development of reliable lattice image processing software that creates crystal structure images from phase contrast data, HR-TEM can also provide crystal lattice images. The resolution of both methods was steadily improved reaching now into the sub Angstrom region. Improvements in electron lens and image analysis software are increasing the spatial resolution of both methods. Optimum resolution for STEM requires that the probe beam be highly localized. In STEM, beam localization is enhanced by selection of the correct aperture. When STEM measurement is done using a highly localized probe beam, HR-TEM and STEM measurement of the thickness of silicon oxynitride films agree within experimental error. In this paper, the optimum conditions for HR-TEM and STEM measurement are discussed along with a method for repeatable film thickness determination. The impact of sample thickness is also discussed. The key result in this paper is the proposal of a reproducible method for film thickness determination.

  2. Seismic scanning tunneling macroscope - Theory

    KAUST Repository

    Schuster, Gerard T.

    2012-09-01

    We propose a seismic scanning tunneling macroscope (SSTM) that can detect the presence of sub-wavelength scatterers in the near-field of either the source or the receivers. Analytic formulas for the time reverse mirror (TRM) profile associated with a single scatterer model show that the spatial resolution limit to be, unlike the Abbe limit of λ/2, independent of wavelength and linearly proportional to the source-scatterer separation as long as the point scatterer is in the near-field region; if the sub-wavelength scatterer is a spherical impedance discontinuity then the resolution will also be limited by the radius of the sphere. Therefore, superresolution imaging can be achieved as the scatterer approaches the source. This is analogous to an optical scanning tunneling microscope that has sub-wavelength resolution. Scaled to seismic frequencies, it is theoretically possible to extract 100 Hz information from 20 Hz data by imaging of near-field seismic energy.

  3. Seismic scanning tunneling macroscope - Theory

    KAUST Repository

    Schuster, Gerard T.; Hanafy, Sherif M.; Huang, Yunsong

    2012-01-01

    We propose a seismic scanning tunneling macroscope (SSTM) that can detect the presence of sub-wavelength scatterers in the near-field of either the source or the receivers. Analytic formulas for the time reverse mirror (TRM) profile associated with a single scatterer model show that the spatial resolution limit to be, unlike the Abbe limit of λ/2, independent of wavelength and linearly proportional to the source-scatterer separation as long as the point scatterer is in the near-field region; if the sub-wavelength scatterer is a spherical impedance discontinuity then the resolution will also be limited by the radius of the sphere. Therefore, superresolution imaging can be achieved as the scatterer approaches the source. This is analogous to an optical scanning tunneling microscope that has sub-wavelength resolution. Scaled to seismic frequencies, it is theoretically possible to extract 100 Hz information from 20 Hz data by imaging of near-field seismic energy.

  4. Ultrastructural alterations in ciliary cells exposed to ionizing radiation. A scanning and transmission electron microscopic study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baldetorp, L; Mecklenburg, C v; Haakansson, C H [Lund Univ. (Sweden). Hospital; Lund Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Zoology)

    1977-01-01

    Early effects of ionizing radiation were investigated in an experimental in vitro system using the ciliary cells of the tracheal mucous membrane of the rabbit, irradiated at 30/sup 0/C and at more than 90% humidity. The changes in physiological activities of the ciliary cells caused by irradation were continously registered during the irradation. The specimens were examined immediately after irradiation electron microscopically. The morphological changes in irradiated material after 10-70 Gy are compared with normal material. After 40-70 Gy, scanning electron microscopy revealed the formation of vesicles on cilia, and club-like protrusions and adhesion of their tips. After 30-70 Gy, a swelling of mitochondrial membranes and cristae was apparent transmission electron microscopically. The membrane alterations caused by irradiation are assumed to disturb the permeability and flow of ATP from the mitochondria, which in turn leads to the recorded changes in the activity of the ciliated cells.

  5. Transient measurements with an ultrafast scanning tunneling microscope

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Keil, Ulrich Dieter Felix; Jensen, Jacob Riis; Hvam, Jørn Märcher

    1998-01-01

    We use a photoconductively gated ultrafast scanning tunneling microscope to resolve laser-induced transients on transmission lines and photoconductors. The photoconductive switch on the tunneling probe is illuminated through a rigidly attached fiber. The use of the fiber enables us to scan across...... the transmission line while the change in delay time between pump beam (on the sample) and probe beam (on the probe) provides the temporal information. The investigated photoconductor sample is a low-temperature-grown GaAs layer placed on a sapphire substrate with a thin, semitransparent gold layer. In tunneling...... mode the probe is sensitive to laser-induced field changes in the semiconductor layer. Laser-induced transient signals of 2.2 ps widths are detected. As for the transmission lines, the signals can be explained by a capacitive coupling across the tunneling gap....

  6. Development of AMS high resolution injector system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bao Yiwen; Guan Xialing; Hu Yueming

    2008-01-01

    The Beijing HI-13 tandem accelerator AMS high resolution injector system was developed. The high resolution energy achromatic system consists of an electrostatic analyzer and a magnetic analyzer, which mass resolution can reach 600 and transmission is better than 80%. (authors)

  7. A near-field scanning microwave microscope based on a superconducting resonator for low power measurements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Graaf, S E; Danilov, A V; Adamyan, A; Kubatkin, S E

    2013-02-01

    We report on the design and performance of a cryogenic (300 mK) near-field scanning microwave microscope. It uses a microwave resonator as the near-field sensor, operating at a frequency of 6 GHz and microwave probing amplitudes down to 100 μV, approaching low enough photon population (N ∼ 1000) of the resonator such that coherent quantum manipulation becomes feasible. The resonator is made out of a miniaturized distributed fractal superconducting circuit that is integrated with the probing tip, micromachined to be compact enough such that it can be mounted directly on a quartz tuning-fork, and used for parallel operation as an atomic force microscope (AFM). The resonator is magnetically coupled to a transmission line for readout, and to achieve enhanced sensitivity we employ a Pound-Drever-Hall measurement scheme to lock to the resonance frequency. We achieve a well localized near-field around the tip such that the microwave resolution is comparable to the AFM resolution, and a capacitive sensitivity down to 6.4 × 10(-20) F/Hz, limited by mechanical noise. We believe that the results presented here are a significant step towards probing quantum systems at the nanoscale using near-field scanning microwave microscopy.

  8. Transmission positron microscopes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doyama, Masao; Kogure, Yoshiaki; Inoue, Miyoshi; Kurihara, Toshikazu; Yoshiie, Toshimasa; Oshima, Ryuichiro; Matsuya, Miyuki

    2006-01-01

    Immediate and near-future plans for transmission positron microscopes being built at KEK, Tsukuba, Japan, are described. The characteristic feature of this project is remolding a commercial electron microscope to a positron microscope. A point source of electrons kept at a negative high voltage is changed to a point source of positrons kept at a high positive voltage. Positional resolution of transmission microscopes should be theoretically the same as electron microscopes. Positron microscopes utilizing trapping of positrons have always positional ambiguity due to the diffusion of positrons

  9. Sub-nanosecond time-resolved near-field scanning magneto-optical microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rudge, J; Xu, H; Kolthammer, J; Hong, Y K; Choi, B C

    2015-02-01

    We report on the development of a new magnetic microscope, time-resolved near-field scanning magneto-optical microscope, which combines a near-field scanning optical microscope and magneto-optical contrast. By taking advantage of the high temporal resolution of time-resolved Kerr microscope and the sub-wavelength spatial resolution of a near-field microscope, we achieved a temporal resolution of ∼50 ps and a spatial resolution of microscope, the magnetic field pulse induced gyrotropic vortex dynamics occurring in 1 μm diameter, 20 nm thick CoFeB circular disks has been investigated. The microscope provides sub-wavelength resolution magnetic images of the gyrotropic motion of the vortex core at a resonance frequency of ∼240 MHz.

  10. The Scanning Optical Microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheppard, C. J. R.

    1978-01-01

    Describes the principle of the scanning optical microscope and explains its advantages over the conventional microscope in the improvement of resolution and contrast, as well as the possibility of producing a picture from optical harmonies generated within the specimen.

  11. Postprocessing Algorithm for Driving Conventional Scanning Tunneling Microscope at Fast Scan Rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hao; Li, Xianqi; Chen, Yunmei; Park, Jewook; Li, An-Ping; Zhang, X-G

    2017-01-01

    We present an image postprocessing framework for Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) to reduce the strong spurious oscillations and scan line noise at fast scan rates and preserve the features, allowing an order of magnitude increase in the scan rate without upgrading the hardware. The proposed method consists of two steps for large scale images and four steps for atomic scale images. For large scale images, we first apply for each line an image registration method to align the forward and backward scans of the same line. In the second step we apply a "rubber band" model which is solved by a novel Constrained Adaptive and Iterative Filtering Algorithm (CIAFA). The numerical results on measurement from copper(111) surface indicate the processed images are comparable in accuracy to data obtained with a slow scan rate, but are free of the scan drift error commonly seen in slow scan data. For atomic scale images, an additional first step to remove line-by-line strong background fluctuations and a fourth step of replacing the postprocessed image by its ranking map as the final atomic resolution image are required. The resulting image restores the lattice image that is nearly undetectable in the original fast scan data.

  12. Postprocessing Algorithm for Driving Conventional Scanning Tunneling Microscope at Fast Scan Rates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hao Zhang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available We present an image postprocessing framework for Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM to reduce the strong spurious oscillations and scan line noise at fast scan rates and preserve the features, allowing an order of magnitude increase in the scan rate without upgrading the hardware. The proposed method consists of two steps for large scale images and four steps for atomic scale images. For large scale images, we first apply for each line an image registration method to align the forward and backward scans of the same line. In the second step we apply a “rubber band” model which is solved by a novel Constrained Adaptive and Iterative Filtering Algorithm (CIAFA. The numerical results on measurement from copper(111 surface indicate the processed images are comparable in accuracy to data obtained with a slow scan rate, but are free of the scan drift error commonly seen in slow scan data. For atomic scale images, an additional first step to remove line-by-line strong background fluctuations and a fourth step of replacing the postprocessed image by its ranking map as the final atomic resolution image are required. The resulting image restores the lattice image that is nearly undetectable in the original fast scan data.

  13. Radiation exposure during transmission measurements: comparison between CT- and germanium-based techniques with a current PET scanner

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Tung-Hsin; Huang, Yung-Hui; Lee, Jason J.S.; Wang, Shih-Yuan; Wang, Su-Cheng; Su, Cheng-Tau; Chen, Liang-Kung; Chu, Tieh-Chi

    2004-01-01

    In positron emission tomographic (PET) scanning, transmission measurements for attenuation correction are commonly performed by using external germanium-68 rod sources. Recently, combined PET and computed tomographic (CT) scanners have been developed in which the CT data can be used for both anatomical-metabolic image formation and attenuation correction of the PET data. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the difference between germanium- and CT-based transmission scanning in terms of their radiation doses by using the same measurement technique and to compare the doses that patients receive during brain, cardiac and whole-body scans. Measurement of absorbed doses to organs was conducted by using a Rando Alderson phantom with thermoluminescent dosimeters. Effective doses were calculated according to the guidelines in the International Commission on Radiation Protection Publication Number 60. Compared with radionuclide doses used in routine 2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose PET imaging, doses absorbed during germanium-based transmission scans were almost negligible. On the other hand, absorbed doses from CT-based transmission scans were significantly higher, particularly with a whole-body scanning protocol. Effective doses were 8.81 mSv in the high-speed mode and 18.97 mSv in the high-quality mode for whole-body CT-based transmission scans. These measurements revealed that the doses received by a patient during CT-based transmission scanning are more than those received in a typical PET examination. Therefore, the radiation doses represent a limitation to the generalised use of CT-based transmission measurements with current PET/CT scanner systems. (orig.)

  14. An improved image alignment procedure for high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Fang; Liu, Yan; Zhong, Xiaoyan; Chen, Jianghua

    2010-06-01

    Image alignment is essential for image processing methods such as through-focus exit-wavefunction reconstruction and image averaging in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Relative image displacements exist in any experimentally recorded image series due to the specimen drifts and image shifts, hence image alignment for correcting the image displacements has to be done prior to any further image processing. The image displacement between two successive images is determined by the correlation function of the two relatively shifted images. Here it is shown that more accurate image alignment can be achieved by using an appropriate aperture to filter the high-frequency components of the images being aligned, especially for a crystalline specimen with little non-periodic information. For the image series of crystalline specimens with little amorphous, the radius of the filter aperture should be as small as possible, so long as it covers the innermost lattice reflections. Testing with an experimental through-focus series of Si[110] images, the accuracies of image alignment with different correlation functions are compared with respect to the error functions in through-focus exit-wavefunction reconstruction based on the maximum-likelihood method. Testing with image averaging over noisy experimental images from graphene and carbon-nanotube samples, clear and sharp crystal lattice fringes are recovered after applying optimal image alignment. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Evaluation of transmission methodology and attenuation correction for the microPET Focus 220 animal scanner

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lehnert, Wencke; Meikle, Steven R; Siegel, Stefan; Newport, Danny; Banati, Richard B; Rosenfeld, Anatoly B

    2006-01-01

    An accurate, low noise estimate of photon attenuation in the subject is required for quantitative microPET studies of molecular tracer distributions in vivo. In this work, several transmission-based measurement techniques were compared, including coincidence mode with and without rod windowing, singles mode with two different energy sources ( 68 Ge and 57 Co), and postinjection transmission scanning. In addition, the effectiveness of transmission segmentation and the propagation of transmission bias and noise into the emission images were examined. The 57 Co singles measurements provided the most accurate attenuation coefficients and superior signal-to-noise ratio, while 68 Ge singles measurements were degraded due to scattering from the object. Scatter correction of 68 Ge transmission data improved the accuracy for a 10 cm phantom but over-corrected for a mouse phantom. 57 Co scanning also resulted in low bias and noise in postinjection transmission scans for emission activities up to 20 MBq. Segmentation worked most reliably for transmission data acquired with 57 Co but the minor improvement in accuracy of attenuation coefficients and signal-to-noise may not justify its use, particularly for small subjects. We conclude that 57 Co singles transmission scanning is the most suitable method for measured attenuation correction on the microPET Focus 220 animal scanner

  16. Novel carbon nanosheets as support for ultrahigh-resolution structural analysis of nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nottbohm, Christoph T.; Beyer, Andre; Sologubenko, Alla S.; Ennen, Inga; Huetten, Andreas; Roesner, Harald; Eck, Wolfgang; Mayer, Joachim; Goelzhaeuser, Armin

    2008-01-01

    The resolution in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has reached values as low as 0.08 nm. However, these values are not accessible for very small objects in the size range of a few nanometers or lower, as they have to be placed on some support, which contributes to the overall electron-scattering signal, thereby blurring the contrast. Here, we report on the use of nanosheets made from cross-linked aromatic self-assembled monolayers as TEM sample supports. When transferred onto a copper grid, a single 1.6-nm-thick nanosheet can cover the grid and is free standing within the micron-sized openings. Despite its thinness, the sheet is stable under the impact of the electron beam. Micrographs taken from nanoclusters onto these nanosheets show highly increased contrast in comparison to the images taken from amorphous carbon supports. In scanning transmission electron microscopy with nanosheet support, a size analysis of sub-nanometer Au clusters was performed and single Au atoms were resolved

  17. Scanning probe recognition microscopy investigation of tissue scaffold properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Yuan; Chen, Qian; Ayres, Virginia M; Baczewski, Andrew D; Udpa, Lalita; Kumar, Shiva

    2007-01-01

    Scanning probe recognition microscopy is a new scanning probe microscopy technique which enables selective scanning along individual nanofibers within a tissue scaffold. Statistically significant data for multiple properties can be collected by repetitively fine-scanning an identical region of interest. The results of a scanning probe recognition microscopy investigation of the surface roughness and elasticity of a series of tissue scaffolds are presented. Deconvolution and statistical methods were developed and used for data accuracy along curved nanofiber surfaces. Nanofiber features were also independently analyzed using transmission electron microscopy, with results that supported the scanning probe recognition microscopy-based analysis. PMID:18203431

  18. High-resolution room-temperature sample scanning superconducting quantum interference device microscope configurable for geological and biomagnetic applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fong, L. E.; Holzer, J. R.; McBride, K. K.; Lima, E. A.; Baudenbacher, F.; Radparvar, M.

    2005-05-01

    We have developed a scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) microscope system with interchangeable sensor configurations for imaging magnetic fields of room-temperature (RT) samples with submillimeter resolution. The low-critical-temperature (Tc) niobium-based monolithic SQUID sensors are mounted on the tip of a sapphire and thermally anchored to the helium reservoir. A 25μm sapphire window separates the vacuum space from the RT sample. A positioning mechanism allows us to adjust the sample-to-sensor spacing from the top of the Dewar. We achieved a sensor-to-sample spacing of 100μm, which could be maintained for periods of up to four weeks. Different SQUID sensor designs are necessary to achieve the best combination of spatial resolution and field sensitivity for a given source configuration. For imaging thin sections of geological samples, we used a custom-designed monolithic low-Tc niobium bare SQUID sensor, with an effective diameter of 80μm, and achieved a field sensitivity of 1.5pT/Hz1/2 and a magnetic moment sensitivity of 5.4×10-18Am2/Hz1/2 at a sensor-to-sample spacing of 100μm in the white noise region for frequencies above 100Hz. Imaging action currents in cardiac tissue requires a higher field sensitivity, which can only be achieved by compromising spatial resolution. We developed a monolithic low-Tc niobium multiloop SQUID sensor, with sensor sizes ranging from 250μm to 1mm, and achieved sensitivities of 480-180fT /Hz1/2 in the white noise region for frequencies above 100Hz, respectively. For all sensor configurations, the spatial resolution was comparable to the effective diameter and limited by the sensor-to-sample spacing. Spatial registration allowed us to compare high-resolution images of magnetic fields associated with action currents and optical recordings of transmembrane potentials to study the bidomain nature of cardiac tissue or to match petrography to magnetic field maps in thin sections of geological samples.

  19. Viral Transmission Dynamics at Single-Cell Resolution Reveal Transiently Immune Subpopulations Caused by a Carrier State Association.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William Cenens

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Monitoring the complex transmission dynamics of a bacterial virus (temperate phage P22 throughout a population of its host (Salmonella Typhimurium at single cell resolution revealed the unexpected existence of a transiently immune subpopulation of host cells that emerged from peculiarities preceding the process of lysogenization. More specifically, an infection event ultimately leading to a lysogen first yielded a phage carrier cell harboring a polarly tethered P22 episome. Upon subsequent division, the daughter cell inheriting this episome became lysogenized by an integration event yielding a prophage, while the other daughter cell became P22-free. However, since the phage carrier cell was shown to overproduce immunity factors that are cytoplasmically inherited by the P22-free daughter cell and further passed down to its siblings, a transiently resistant subpopulation was generated that upon dilution of these immunity factors again became susceptible to P22 infection. The iterative emergence and infection of transiently resistant subpopulations suggests a new bet-hedging strategy by which viruses could manage to sustain both vertical and horizontal transmission routes throughout an infected population without compromising a stable co-existence with their host.

  20. Resolution limits for wave equation imaging

    KAUST Repository

    Huang, Yunsong

    2014-08-01

    Formulas are derived for the resolution limits of migration-data kernels associated with diving waves, primary reflections, diffractions, and multiple reflections. They are applicable to images formed by reverse time migration (RTM), least squares migration (LSM), and full waveform inversion (FWI), and suggest a multiscale approach to iterative FWI based on multiscale physics. That is, at the early stages of the inversion, events that only generate low-wavenumber resolution should be emphasized relative to the high-wavenumber resolution events. As the iterations proceed, the higher-resolution events should be emphasized. The formulas also suggest that inverting multiples can provide some low- and intermediate-wavenumber components of the velocity model not available in the primaries. Finally, diffractions can provide twice or better the resolution than specular reflections for comparable depths of the reflector and diffractor. The width of the diffraction-transmission wavepath is approximately λ at the diffractor location for the diffraction-transmission wavepath. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

  1. Effect of polymers on the nanostructure and on the carbonation of calcium silicate hydrates: a scanning transmission X-ray microscopy study

    KAUST Repository

    Ha, J.

    2011-09-07

    This study investigated the effects of organic polymers (polyethylene glycol and hexadecyltrimethylammonium) on structures of calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) which is the major product of Portland cement hydration. Increased surface areas and expansion of layers were observed for all organic polymer modified C-S-H. The results from attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopic measurements also suggest lowered water contents in the layered structures for the C-S-H samples that are modified by organic polymers. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) results further supports this observation. We also observed difference in the extent of C-S-H carbonation due to the presence of organic polymers. No calcite formed in the presence of HDTMA whereas formation of calcite was observed with C-S-H sample modified with PEG. We suggest that the difference in the carbonation reaction is possibly due to the ease of penetration and diffusion of the CO 2. This observation suggests that CO 2 reaction strongly depends on the presence of organic polymers and the types of organic polymers incorporated within the C-S-H structure. This is the first comprehensive study using STXM to quantitatively characterize the level of heterogeneity in cementitious materials at high spatial and spectral resolutions. The results from BET, XRD, ATR-FTIR, and STXM measurements are consistent and suggest that C-S-H layer structures are significantly modified due to the presence of organic polymers, and that the chemical composition and structural differences among the organic polymers determine the extent of the changes in the C-S-H nanostructures as well as the extent of carbonation reaction. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

  2. Mapping the layer count of few-layer hexagonal boron nitride at high lateral spatial resolutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohsin, Ali; Cross, Nicholas G.; Liu, Lei; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Duscher, Gerd; Gu, Gong

    2018-01-01

    Layer count control and uniformity of two dimensional (2D) layered materials are critical to the investigation of their properties and to their electronic device applications, but methods to map 2D material layer count at nanometer-level lateral spatial resolutions have been lacking. Here, we demonstrate a method based on two complementary techniques widely available in transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) to map the layer count of multilayer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) films. The mass-thickness contrast in high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) imaging in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) mode allows for thickness determination in atomically clean regions with high spatial resolution (sub-nanometer), but is limited by surface contamination. To complement, another technique based on the boron K ionization edge in the electron energy loss spectroscopy spectrum (EELS) of h-BN is developed to quantify the layer count so that surface contamination does not cause an overestimate, albeit at a lower spatial resolution (nanometers). The two techniques agree remarkably well in atomically clean regions with discrepancies within  ±1 layer. For the first time, the layer count uniformity on the scale of nanometers is quantified for a 2D material. The methodology is applicable to layer count mapping of other 2D layered materials, paving the way toward the synthesis of multilayer 2D materials with homogeneous layer count.

  3. 3D imaging of cement-based materials at submicron resolution by combining laser scanning confocal microscopy with serial sectioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yio, M H N; Mac, M J; Wong, H S; Buenfeld, N R

    2015-05-01

    In this paper, we present a new method to reconstruct large volumes of nontransparent porous materials at submicron resolution. The proposed method combines fluorescence laser scanning confocal microscopy with serial sectioning to produce a series of overlapping confocal z-stacks, which are then aligned and stitched based on phase correlation. The method can be extended in the XY plane to further increase the overall image volume. Resolution of the reconstructed image volume does not degrade with increase in sample size. We have used the method to image cementitious materials, hardened cement paste and concrete and the results obtained show that the method is reliable. Possible applications of the method such as three-dimensional characterization of the pores and microcracks in hardened concrete, three-dimensional particle shape characterization of cementitious materials and three-dimensional characterization of other porous materials such as rocks and bioceramics are discussed. © 2015 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2015 Royal Microscopical Society.

  4. Security scanning at 35 GHz

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderton, Rupert N.; Appleby, Roger; Coward, Peter R.; Kent, P. J.; Price, Sean; Sinclair, Gordon N.; Wasley, Matthew R. M.

    2001-08-01

    It has been known for some time that millimeter waves can pas through clothing. In short range applications such as in the scanning of people for security purposes, operating at Ka band can be an advantage. The penetration through clothing is increased and the cost of the equipment when compared to operation at W band. In this paper a Ka band mechanically scanned imager designed for security scanning is discussed. This imager is based on the folded conical scan technology previously reported. It is constructed from low cost materials such as polystyrene and printed circuit board. The trade off between image spatial resolution and the number of receivers will be described and solutions, which minimize this number discussed.

  5. Review: two-photon scanning systems for clinical high resolution in vivo tissue imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    König, K.; Müller, J.; Höfer, M.; Müller, C.; Weinigel, M.; Bückle, R.; Elsner, P.; Kaatz, M.; Messerschmidt, B.

    2008-02-01

    The femtosecond laser multiphoton tomograph DermaInspect as well as high NA two-photon GRIN microendoscopes for in vivo tomography of human skin have been used to detect malignant melanoma as well as to study the diffusion and intradermal accumulation of topically applied cosmetical and pharmaceutical components. So far, more than 500 patients and volunteers in Europe, Australia, and Asia have been investigated with this unique tomograph. Near infrared 80 MHz picojoule femtosecond laser pulses were employed to excite endogenous fluorophores such as NAD(P)H, flavoproteins, melanin, and elastin as well as fluorescent components of a variety of ointments via a twophoton excitation process. In addition, collagen has been imaged by second harmonic generation. Using a two-PMT detection system, the ratio of elastin to collagen was determined during optical sectioning. A high submicron spatial resolution and 50 picosecond temporal resolution was achieved using galvoscan mirrors and piezodriven focusing optics as well as a time-correlated single photon counting module with a fast microchannel plate detector and fast photomultipliers. Individual intratissue cells, mitochondria, melanosomes, and the morphology of the nuclei as well as extracellular matrix elements could be clearly visualized due to molecular imaging and the calculation of fluorescence lifetime images. Nanoparticles and intratissue drugs have been detected non-invasively, in situ and over a period of up to 3 months. In addition, hydration effects and UV effects were studied by monitoring modifications of cellular morphology and autofluorescence. The system was used to observe the diffusion through the stratum corneum and the accumulation and release of functionalized nanoparticles along hair shafts and epidermal ridges. The DermaInspect been also employed to gain information on skin age and wound healing in patients with ulcers. Novel developments include a galvo/piezo-scan driven flexible articulated arm as

  6. Ultrafast scanning tunneling microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Botkin, D.A. [California Univ., Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Physics]|[Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)

    1995-09-01

    I have developed an ultrafast scanning tunneling microscope (USTM) based on uniting stroboscopic methods of ultrafast optics and scanned probe microscopy to obtain nanometer spatial resolution and sub-picosecond temporal resolution. USTM increases the achievable time resolution of a STM by more than 6 orders of magnitude; this should enable exploration of mesoscopic and nanometer size systems on time scales corresponding to the period or decay of fundamental excitations. USTM consists of a photoconductive switch with subpicosecond response time in series with the tip of a STM. An optical pulse from a modelocked laser activates the switch to create a gate for the tunneling current, while a second laser pulse on the sample initiates a dynamic process which affects the tunneling current. By sending a large sequence of identical pulse pairs and measuring the average tunnel current as a function of the relative time delay between the pulses in each pair, one can map the time evolution of the surface process. USTM was used to measure the broadband response of the STM`s atomic size tunnel barrier in frequencies from tens to hundreds of GHz. The USTM signal amplitude decays linearly with the tunnel junction conductance, so the spatial resolution of the time-resolved signal is comparable to that of a conventional STM. Geometrical capacitance of the junction does not appear to play an important role in the measurement, but a capacitive effect intimately related to tunneling contributes to the measured signals and may limit the ultimate resolution of the USTM.

  7. Towards vortex imaging with scanning tunneling microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuchs, Dan T.

    1994-02-01

    A low temperature, Besocke beetle type scanning tunneling microscope, with a scan range of 10 by 10 microns was built. The scanning tunneling microscope was calibrates for various temperatures and tested on several samples. Gold monolayers evaporated at 400 deg C were resolved and their dynamic behavior observed. Atomic resolution images of graphite were obtained. The scanning tunneling microscope was designed for future applications of vortex imaging in superconductors. The special design considerations for this application are discussed and the physics underlying it reviewed. (author)

  8. Scanning Tunneling Microscope For Use In Vacuum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abel, Phillip B.

    1993-01-01

    Scanning tunneling microscope with subangstrom resolution developed to study surface structures. Although instrument used in air, designed especially for use in vacuum. Scanning head is assembly of small, mostly rigid components made of low-outgassing materials. Includes coarse-positioning mechanical-translation stage, on which specimen mounted by use of standard mounting stub. Tunneling tip mounted on piezoelectric fine-positioning tube. Application of suitable voltages to electrodes on piezoelectric tube controls scan of tunneling tip across surface of specimen. Electronic subsystem generates scanning voltages and collects data.

  9. Identification of light elements in silicon nitride by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Idrobo, Juan C., E-mail: idrobojc@ornl.gov [Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Walkosz, Weronika [Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607 (United States); Klie, Robert F.; Oeguet, Serdar [Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607 (United States)

    2012-12-15

    In silicon nitride structural ceramics, the overall mechanical and thermal properties are controlled by the atomic and electronic structures at the interface between the ceramic grains and the amorphous intergranular films (IGFs) formed by various sintering additives. In the last ten years the atomic arrangements of heavy elements (rare-earths) at the Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}/IGF interfaces have been resolved. However, the atomic position of light elements, without which it is not possible to obtain a complete description of the interfaces, has been lacking. This review article details the authors' efforts to identify the atomic arrangement of light elements such as nitrogen and oxygen at the Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}/SiO{sub 2} interface and in bulk Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Revealing the atomic structure of the {alpha}-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}/SiO{sub 2} interface. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Identification and lattice location of oxygen impurities in bulk {alpha}-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Short range ordering of nitrogen and oxygen at the {beta}-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}/SiO{sub 2} interface.

  10. Use of multimedia messaging system (MMS) by junior doctors for scan image transmission in neurosurgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ling, Ji Min; Lim, Kim Zhuan; Ng, Wai Hoe

    2012-02-01

    Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is used by neurosurgical residents to transmit scan images to the attending neurosurgeon in conjunction with telephone consultation. This service has been well received by the attending neurosurgeons, who felt that after viewing scan images on their phones, they felt increased confidence in clinical decision making and that it reduced the need for recall to the hospital. The use of MMS can be extended to junior doctors making referrals from regional hospitals with no neurosurgical cover. This study aims to validate the competency of non-neurosurgically trained junior doctors in selecting optimal images to transmit via MMS to the attending neurosurgeon on call. Ten junior doctors with no formal neurosurgical training and five neurosurgical residents were interviewed. They were shown the full complement of images together with relevant clinical history and assessment. They were then asked to make the radiological diagnosis and then select two images for MMS transmission to the attending neurosurgeon that they thought would best aid the neurosurgeon in clinical decision making. The attending neurosurgeon was asked to comment, on each image, whether his management plan would differ if he was shown the entire series of the images. All the images chosen are deemed appropriate, and the decision made based on the MMS images would be similar if the entire series of images were available to the neurosurgeon. However, 7 of 10 junior doctors were unable to read magnetic resonance images of lumbar spine. There was no significant difference in the images chosen by the neurosurgical residents and the junior doctors. It is feasible and safe for junior doctors to utilize MMS to transmit computed tomographic images to a neurosurgeon while making an urgent referral. The images selected are representative of the disease pathology and facilitate clinical decision making. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Optical and Optoelectronic Property Analysis of Nanomaterials inside Transmission Electron Microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernando, Joseph F S; Zhang, Chao; Firestein, Konstantin L; Golberg, Dmitri

    2017-12-01

    In situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) allows one to investigate nanostructures at high spatial resolution in response to external stimuli, such as heat, electrical current, mechanical force and light. This review exclusively focuses on the optical, optoelectronic and photocatalytic studies inside TEM. With the development of TEMs and specialized TEM holders that include in situ illumination and light collection optics, it is possible to perform optical spectroscopies and diverse optoelectronic experiments inside TEM with simultaneous high resolution imaging of nanostructures. Optical TEM holders combining the capability of a scanning tunneling microscopy probe have enabled nanomaterial bending/stretching and electrical measurements in tandem with illumination. Hence, deep insights into the optoelectronic property versus true structure and its dynamics could be established at the nanometer-range precision thus evaluating the suitability of a nanostructure for advanced light driven technologies. This report highlights systems for in situ illumination of TEM samples and recent research work based on the relevant methods, including nanomaterial cathodoluminescence, photoluminescence, photocatalysis, photodeposition, photoconductivity and piezophototronics. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. Configurations of the Re-scan Confocal Microscope (RCM) for biomedical applications

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Luca, G. M. R.; Desclos, E.; Breedijk, R. M. P.; Dolz-Edo, L.; Smits, G. J.; Bielefeld, P.; Picavet, L.; Fitzsimons, C. P.; Hoebe, R.; Manders, E. M. M.

    2017-01-01

    The new high-sensitive and high-resolution technique, Re-scan Confocal Microscopy (RCM), is based on a standard confocal microscope extended with a re-scan detection unit. The re-scan unit includes a pair of re-scanning mirrors that project the emission light onto a camera in a scanning manner. The

  13. Configurations of the Re-scan Confocal Microscope (RCM) for biomedical applications

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Luca, G.M.R.; Desclos, E.; Breedijk, R.M.P.; Dolz-Edo, L.; Smits, G.J.; Nahidiazar, L.; Bielefeld, P.; Picavet, L.; Fitzsimons, C.P.; Hoebe, R.; Manders, E.M.M.

    The new high-sensitive and high-resolution technique, Re-scan Confocal Microscopy (RCM), is based on a standard confocal microscope extended with a re-scan detection unit. The re-scan unit includes a pair of re-scanning mirrors that project the emission light onto a camera in a scanning manner. The

  14. Column ratio mapping: a processing technique for atomic resolution high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robb, Paul D; Craven, Alan J

    2008-12-01

    An image processing technique is presented for atomic resolution high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) images that have been acquired using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). This technique is termed column ratio mapping and involves the automated process of measuring atomic column intensity ratios in high-resolution HAADF images. This technique was developed to provide a fuller analysis of HAADF images than the usual method of drawing single intensity line profiles across a few areas of interest. For instance, column ratio mapping reveals the compositional distribution across the whole HAADF image and allows a statistical analysis and an estimation of errors. This has proven to be a very valuable technique as it can provide a more detailed assessment of the sharpness of interfacial structures from HAADF images. The technique of column ratio mapping is described in terms of a [110]-oriented zinc-blende structured AlAs/GaAs superlattice using the 1 angstroms-scale resolution capability of the aberration-corrected SuperSTEM 1 instrument.

  15. Column ratio mapping: A processing technique for atomic resolution high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robb, Paul D.; Craven, Alan J.

    2008-01-01

    An image processing technique is presented for atomic resolution high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) images that have been acquired using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). This technique is termed column ratio mapping and involves the automated process of measuring atomic column intensity ratios in high-resolution HAADF images. This technique was developed to provide a fuller analysis of HAADF images than the usual method of drawing single intensity line profiles across a few areas of interest. For instance, column ratio mapping reveals the compositional distribution across the whole HAADF image and allows a statistical analysis and an estimation of errors. This has proven to be a very valuable technique as it can provide a more detailed assessment of the sharpness of interfacial structures from HAADF images. The technique of column ratio mapping is described in terms of a [1 1 0]-oriented zinc-blende structured AlAs/GaAs superlattice using the 1 A-scale resolution capability of the aberration-corrected SuperSTEM 1 instrument.

  16. Coherent x-ray diffraction imaging of paint pigment particles by scanning a phase plate modulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chu, Y.S.; Chen, B.; Zhang, F.; Berenguer, F.; Bean, R.; Kewish, C.; Vila-Comamala, J.; Rodenburg, J.; Robinson, I.

    2011-01-01

    We have implemented a coherent x-ray diffraction imaging technique that scans a phase plate to modulate wave-fronts of the x-ray beam transmitted by samples. The method was applied to measure a decorative alkyd paint containing iron oxide red pigment particles. By employing an iterative algorithm for wave-front modulation phase retrieval, we obtained an image of the paint sample that shows the distribution of the pigment particles and is consistent with the result obtained from a transmission x-ray microscope. The technique has been experimentally proven to be a feasible coherent x-ray imaging method with about 120 nm spatial resolution and was shown to work well with industrially relevant specimens.

  17. Segmentation methodology for automated classification and differentiation of soft tissues in multiband images of high-resolution ultrasonic transmission tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeong, Jeong-Won; Shin, Dae C; Do, Synho; Marmarelis, Vasilis Z

    2006-08-01

    This paper presents a novel segmentation methodology for automated classification and differentiation of soft tissues using multiband data obtained with the newly developed system of high-resolution ultrasonic transmission tomography (HUTT) for imaging biological organs. This methodology extends and combines two existing approaches: the L-level set active contour (AC) segmentation approach and the agglomerative hierarchical kappa-means approach for unsupervised clustering (UC). To prevent the trapping of the current iterative minimization AC algorithm in a local minimum, we introduce a multiresolution approach that applies the level set functions at successively increasing resolutions of the image data. The resulting AC clusters are subsequently rearranged by the UC algorithm that seeks the optimal set of clusters yielding the minimum within-cluster distances in the feature space. The presented results from Monte Carlo simulations and experimental animal-tissue data demonstrate that the proposed methodology outperforms other existing methods without depending on heuristic parameters and provides a reliable means for soft tissue differentiation in HUTT images.

  18. High-resolution X-ray television and high-resolution video recorders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haendle, J.; Horbaschek, H.; Alexandrescu, M.

    1977-01-01

    The improved transmission properties of the high-resolution X-ray television chain described here make it possible to transmit more information per television image. The resolution in the fluoroscopic image, which is visually determined, depends on the dose rate and the inertia of the television pick-up tube. This connection is discussed. In the last few years, video recorders have been increasingly used in X-ray diagnostics. The video recorder is a further quality-limiting element in X-ray television. The development of function patterns of high-resolution magnetic video recorders shows that this quality drop may be largely overcome. The influence of electrical band width and number of lines on the resolution in the X-ray television image stored is explained in more detail. (orig.) [de

  19. Isotropic-resolution linear-array-based photoacoustic computed tomography through inverse Radon transform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Guo; Xia, Jun; Li, Lei; Wang, Lidai; Wang, Lihong V.

    2015-03-01

    Linear transducer arrays are readily available for ultrasonic detection in photoacoustic computed tomography. They offer low cost, hand-held convenience, and conventional ultrasonic imaging. However, the elevational resolution of linear transducer arrays, which is usually determined by the weak focus of the cylindrical acoustic lens, is about one order of magnitude worse than the in-plane axial and lateral spatial resolutions. Therefore, conventional linear scanning along the elevational direction cannot provide high-quality three-dimensional photoacoustic images due to the anisotropic spatial resolutions. Here we propose an innovative method to achieve isotropic resolutions for three-dimensional photoacoustic images through combined linear and rotational scanning. In each scan step, we first elevationally scan the linear transducer array, and then rotate the linear transducer array along its center in small steps, and scan again until 180 degrees have been covered. To reconstruct isotropic three-dimensional images from the multiple-directional scanning dataset, we use the standard inverse Radon transform originating from X-ray CT. We acquired a three-dimensional microsphere phantom image through the inverse Radon transform method and compared it with a single-elevational-scan three-dimensional image. The comparison shows that our method improves the elevational resolution by up to one order of magnitude, approaching the in-plane lateral-direction resolution. In vivo rat images were also acquired.

  20. Orientation and phase mapping in the transmission electron microscope using precession-assisted diffraction spot recognition: state-of-the-art results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viladot, D; Véron, M; Gemmi, M; Peiró, F; Portillo, J; Estradé, S; Mendoza, J; Llorca-Isern, N; Nicolopoulos, S

    2013-10-01

    A recently developed technique based on the transmission electron microscope, which makes use of electron beam precession together with spot diffraction pattern recognition now offers the possibility to acquire reliable orientation/phase maps with a spatial resolution down to 2 nm on a field emission gun transmission electron microscope. The technique may be described as precession-assisted crystal orientation mapping in the transmission electron microscope, precession-assisted crystal orientation mapping technique-transmission electron microscope, also known by its product name, ASTAR, and consists in scanning the precessed electron beam in nanoprobe mode over the specimen area, thus producing a collection of precession electron diffraction spot patterns, to be thereafter indexed automatically through template matching. We present a review on several application examples relative to the characterization of microstructure/microtexture of nanocrystalline metals, ceramics, nanoparticles, minerals and organics. The strengths and limitations of the technique are also discussed using several application examples. ©2013 The Authors. Journal of Microscopy published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal Microscopical Society.

  1. Identifying landscape features associated with Rift Valley fever virus transmission, Ferlo region, Senegal, using very high spatial resolution satellite imagery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soti, Valérie; Chevalier, Véronique; Maura, Jonathan; Bégué, Agnès; Lelong, Camille; Lancelot, Renaud; Thiongane, Yaya; Tran, Annelise

    2013-03-01

    Dynamics of most of vector-borne diseases are strongly linked to global and local environmental changes. Landscape changes are indicators of human activities or natural processes that are likely to modify the ecology of the diseases. Here, a landscape approach developed at a local scale is proposed for extracting mosquito favourable biotopes, and for testing ecological parameters when identifying risk areas of Rift Valley fever (RVF) transmission. The study was carried out around Barkedji village, Ferlo region, Senegal. In order to test whether pond characteristics may influence the density and the dispersal behaviour of RVF vectors, and thus the spatial variation in RVFV transmission, we used a very high spatial resolution remote sensing image (2.4 m resolution) provided by the Quickbird sensor to produce a detailed land-cover map of the study area. Based on knowledge of vector and disease ecology, seven landscape attributes were defined at the pond level and computed from the land-cover map. Then, the relationships between landscape attributes and RVF serologic incidence rates in small ruminants were analyzed through a beta-binomial regression. Finally, the best statistical model according to the Akaike Information Criterion corrected for small samples (AICC), was used to map areas at risk for RVF. Among the derived landscape variables, the vegetation density index (VDI) computed within a 500 m buffer around ponds was positively correlated with serologic incidence (premote sensing data for identifying environmental risk factors and mapping RVF risk areas at a local scale.

  2. Scanning tunneling microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Binnig, G.; Rohrer, H.

    1983-01-01

    Based on vacuum tunneling, a novel type of microscope, the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was developed. It has an unprecedented resolution in real space on an atomic scale. The authors review the important technical features, illustrate the power of the STM for surface topographies and discuss its potential in other areas of science and technology. (Auth.)

  3. High-resolution visualization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 biofilms by freeze-substitution transmission electron microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunter, Ryan C; Beveridge, Terry J

    2005-11-01

    High-pressure freeze-substitution and transmission electron microscopy have been used for high-resolution imaging of the natural structure of a gram-negative biofilm. Unlike more conventional embedding techniques, this method confirms many of the observations seen by confocal microscopy but with finer structural detail. It further reveals that there is a structural complexity to biofilms at both the cellular and extracellular matrix levels that has not been seen before. Different domains of healthy and lysed cells exist randomly dispersed within a single biofilm as well as different structural organizations of exopolymers. Particulate matter is suspended within this network of fibers and appears to be an integral part of the exopolymeric substance (EPS). O-side chains extending from the outer membrane are integrated into EPS polymers so as to form a continuum. Together, the results support the concept of physical microenvironments within biofilms and show a complexity that was hitherto unknown.

  4. Rapid line scan MR angiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frahm, J.; Merboldt, K.D.; Hanicke, W.; Bruhn, H.

    1987-01-01

    Direct MR angiography may be performed using line scan imaging techniques combined with presaturation of stationary spins. Thus, a single line scan echo yields a projection of vessels due to the signal from reflowing unsaturated spins. Reconstruction of an angiographic image is performed line by line at slightly incremented positions. In particular, line scan angiography is direct and fast without a sensitivity to artifacts even for high flow rates. Image resolution and field of view may be chosen without restrictions, and zoom images using enhanced gradients may be recorded without aliasing artifacts. The method is robust with respect to eddy currents and pulsatile flow. Line scan MR angiograms of phantoms, animals, and human volunteers have been recorded using 90 0 radio frequency pulses and gradient-recalled echoes

  5. Evaluation of gas chromatography – electron ionization – full scan high resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry for pesticide residue analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mol, Hans G.J.; Tienstra, Marc; Zomer, Paul

    2016-01-01

    Gas chromatography with electron ionization and full scan high resolution mass spectrometry with an Orbitrap mass analyzer (GC-EI-full scan Orbitrap HRMS) was evaluated for residue analysis. Pesticides in fruit and vegetables were taken as an example application. The relevant aspects for GC-MS based residue analysis, including the resolving power (15,000 to 120,000 FWHM at m/z 200), scan rate, dynamic range, selectivity, sensitivity, analyte identification, and utility of existing EI-libraries, are assessed and discussed in detail. The optimum acquisition conditions in full scan mode (m/z 50–500) were a resolving power of 60,000 and an automatic-gain-control target value of 3E6. These conditions provided (i) an optimum mass accuracy: within 2 ppm over a wide concentration range, with/without matrix, enabling the use of ±5 ppm mass extraction windows (ii) adequate scan speed: minimum 12 scans/peak, (iii) an intra-scan dynamic range sufficient to achieve LOD/LOQs ≤0.5 pg in fruit/vegetable matrices (corresponding to ≤0.5 μg kg"−"1) for most pesticides. EI-Orbitrap spectra were consistent over a very wide concentration range (5 orders) with good match values against NIST (EI-quadrupole) spectra. The applicability for quantitative residue analysis was verified by validation of 54 pesticides in three matrices (tomato, leek, orange) at 10 and 50 μg/kg. The method involved a QuEChERS-based extraction with a solvent switch into iso-octane, and 1 μL hot splitless injection into the GC-HRMS system. A recovery between 70 and 120% and a repeatability RSD <10% was obtained in most cases. Linearity was demonstrated for the range ≤5–250 μg kg"−"1. The pesticides could be identified according to the applicable EU criteria for GC-HRMS (SANTE/11945/2015). GC-EI-full scan Orbitrap HRMS was found to be highly suited for quantitative pesticide residue analysis. The potential of qualitative screening to extend the scope makes it an attractive alternative to

  6. Evaluation of gas chromatography – electron ionization – full scan high resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry for pesticide residue analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mol, Hans G.J., E-mail: hans.mol@wur.nl; Tienstra, Marc; Zomer, Paul

    2016-09-07

    Gas chromatography with electron ionization and full scan high resolution mass spectrometry with an Orbitrap mass analyzer (GC-EI-full scan Orbitrap HRMS) was evaluated for residue analysis. Pesticides in fruit and vegetables were taken as an example application. The relevant aspects for GC-MS based residue analysis, including the resolving power (15,000 to 120,000 FWHM at m/z 200), scan rate, dynamic range, selectivity, sensitivity, analyte identification, and utility of existing EI-libraries, are assessed and discussed in detail. The optimum acquisition conditions in full scan mode (m/z 50–500) were a resolving power of 60,000 and an automatic-gain-control target value of 3E6. These conditions provided (i) an optimum mass accuracy: within 2 ppm over a wide concentration range, with/without matrix, enabling the use of ±5 ppm mass extraction windows (ii) adequate scan speed: minimum 12 scans/peak, (iii) an intra-scan dynamic range sufficient to achieve LOD/LOQs ≤0.5 pg in fruit/vegetable matrices (corresponding to ≤0.5 μg kg{sup −1}) for most pesticides. EI-Orbitrap spectra were consistent over a very wide concentration range (5 orders) with good match values against NIST (EI-quadrupole) spectra. The applicability for quantitative residue analysis was verified by validation of 54 pesticides in three matrices (tomato, leek, orange) at 10 and 50 μg/kg. The method involved a QuEChERS-based extraction with a solvent switch into iso-octane, and 1 μL hot splitless injection into the GC-HRMS system. A recovery between 70 and 120% and a repeatability RSD <10% was obtained in most cases. Linearity was demonstrated for the range ≤5–250 μg kg{sup −1}. The pesticides could be identified according to the applicable EU criteria for GC-HRMS (SANTE/11945/2015). GC-EI-full scan Orbitrap HRMS was found to be highly suited for quantitative pesticide residue analysis. The potential of qualitative screening to extend the scope makes it an attractive

  7. Low-cost, high-resolution scanning laser ophthalmoscope for the clinical environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soliz, P.; Larichev, A.; Zamora, G.; Murillo, S.; Barriga, E. S.

    2010-02-01

    Researchers have sought to gain greater insight into the mechanisms of the retina and the optic disc at high spatial resolutions that would enable the visualization of small structures such as photoreceptors and nerve fiber bundles. The sources of retinal image quality degradation are aberrations within the human eye, which limit the achievable resolution and the contrast of small image details. To overcome these fundamental limitations, researchers have been applying adaptive optics (AO) techniques to correct for the aberrations. Today, deformable mirror based adaptive optics devices have been developed to overcome the limitations of standard fundus cameras, but at prices that are typically unaffordable for most clinics. In this paper we demonstrate a clinically viable fundus camera with auto-focus and astigmatism correction that is easy to use and has improved resolution. We have shown that removal of low-order aberrations results in significantly better resolution and quality images. Additionally, through the application of image restoration and super-resolution techniques, the images present considerably improved quality. The improvements lead to enhanced visualization of retinal structures associated with pathology.

  8. Fully automatic segmentation of femurs with medullary canal definition in high and in low resolution CT scans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almeida, Diogo F; Ruben, Rui B; Folgado, João; Fernandes, Paulo R; Audenaert, Emmanuel; Verhegghe, Benedict; De Beule, Matthieu

    2016-12-01

    Femur segmentation can be an important tool in orthopedic surgical planning. However, in order to overcome the need of an experienced user with extensive knowledge on the techniques, segmentation should be fully automatic. In this paper a new fully automatic femur segmentation method for CT images is presented. This method is also able to define automatically the medullary canal and performs well even in low resolution CT scans. Fully automatic femoral segmentation was performed adapting a template mesh of the femoral volume to medical images. In order to achieve this, an adaptation of the active shape model (ASM) technique based on the statistical shape model (SSM) and local appearance model (LAM) of the femur with a novel initialization method was used, to drive the template mesh deformation in order to fit the in-image femoral shape in a time effective approach. With the proposed method a 98% convergence rate was achieved. For high resolution CT images group the average error is less than 1mm. For the low resolution image group the results are also accurate and the average error is less than 1.5mm. The proposed segmentation pipeline is accurate, robust and completely user free. The method is robust to patient orientation, image artifacts and poorly defined edges. The results excelled even in CT images with a significant slice thickness, i.e., above 5mm. Medullary canal segmentation increases the geometric information that can be used in orthopedic surgical planning or in finite element analysis. Copyright © 2016 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. SU-E-T-594: Preliminary Active Scanning Results of KHIMA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, C; Yang, T; Chang, S; Kim, H; Lee, H; Kim, J; Jang, H; Han, G; Park, D; Hwang, W; Kim, G

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To verify the design criteria on heavy ion beam irradiation, developing a proto type active scanning system was purposed. The active scanning system consists of scanning magnet, power supplies, beam monitors, energy modulation system, and irradiation control system. Methods: Each components of the active scanning system was designed for carbon beam first. For the fast ramping a laminated yoke was purposed. To measure incoming dose and profile, a plate and strip type of ion chambers were designed. Also, ridge filter and range shifter was manufactured. And, the scanning system was modified to adopt 45 MeV of proton beam because of the absence of carbon ion beam in Korea. The system was installed in a beam line at MC-50, KIRAMS. Also, the irradiation control system and planning software was provided. Results: The scanning experiment was performed by drawing KHIMA logo on GaF film. The logo was scanned by 237 scanning points through time normalized intensity modulation. Also, a grid points scanning was performed to measure the scanning resolution and intensity resolution. Conclusion: A prototype active scanning system was successfully designed and manufactured. Also, an initial experiment to print out a drawing on GaF film through the scanning system was completed. More experiments would be required to specify the system performance

  10. A Scanning Quantum Cryogenic Atom Microscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lev, Benjamin

    Microscopic imaging of local magnetic fields provides a window into the organizing principles of complex and technologically relevant condensed matter materials. However, a wide variety of intriguing strongly correlated and topologically nontrivial materials exhibit poorly understood phenomena outside the detection capability of state-of-the-art high-sensitivity, high-resolution scanning probe magnetometers. We introduce a quantum-noise-limited scanning probe magnetometer that can operate from room-to-cryogenic temperatures with unprecedented DC-field sensitivity and micron-scale resolution. The Scanning Quantum Cryogenic Atom Microscope (SQCRAMscope) employs a magnetically levitated atomic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), thereby providing immunity to conductive and blackbody radiative heating. The SQCRAMscope has a field sensitivity of 1.4 nT per resolution-limited point (2 um), or 6 nT / Hz1 / 2 per point at its duty cycle. Compared to point-by-point sensors, the long length of the BEC provides a naturally parallel measurement, allowing one to measure nearly one-hundred points with an effective field sensitivity of 600 pT / Hz1 / 2 each point during the same time as a point-by-point scanner would measure these points sequentially. Moreover, it has a noise floor of 300 pT and provides nearly two orders of magnitude improvement in magnetic flux sensitivity (down to 10- 6 Phi0 / Hz1 / 2) over previous atomic probe magnetometers capable of scanning near samples. These capabilities are for the first time carefully benchmarked by imaging magnetic fields arising from microfabricated wire patterns and done so using samples that may be scanned, cryogenically cooled, and easily exchanged. We anticipate the SQCRAMscope will provide charge transport images at temperatures from room to \\x9D4K in unconventional superconductors and topologically nontrivial materials.

  11. Investigation of secondary hardening in Co–35Ni–20Cr–10Mo alloy using analytical scanning transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sorensen, D.; Li, B.Q.; Gerberich, W.W.; Mkhoyan, K.A.

    2014-01-01

    The mechanism of secondary hardening in MP35N (Co–35Ni–20Cr–10Mo) alloy due to exposures at elevated temperatures has been studied. It was observed that short exposure to elevated temperatures increased the ultimate tensile strength and yield stress while decreasing the elongation of MP35N wires. Upon aging at temperatures from 300 to 900 °C the elastic modulus increased although no changes in crystallographic orientation or microstructure were observed. The grain size and major texture components were unchanged following aging. Analytical scanning transmission electron microscope investigation showed that MP35N is hardened by preferential segregation of molybdenum to stacking faults and deformation twins. It also revealed that the concentration of molybdenum segregation was proportional to the amount of initial cold work before aging

  12. Dynamically prioritized progressive transmission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanford, Ronald

    1992-04-01

    Retrieval of image data from a centralized database may be subject to bandwidth limitations, whether due to a low-bandwidth communications link or to contention from simultaneous accesses over a high-bandwidth link. Progressive transmission can alleviate this problem by encoding image data so that any prefix of the data stream approximates the complete image at a coarse level of resolution. The longer the prefix, the finer the resolution. In many cases, as little at 1 percent of the image data may be sufficient to decide whether to discard the image, to permit the retrieval to continue, or to restrict retrieval to a subsection of the image. Our approach treats resolution not as a fixed attribute of the image, but rather as a resource which may be allocated to portions of the image at the direction of a user-specified priority function. The default priority function minimizes error by allocating more resolution to regions of high variance. The user may also point to regions of interest requesting priority transmission. More advanced target recognition strategies may be incorporated at the user's discretion. Multispectral imagery is supported. The user engineering implications are profounded. There is immediate response to a query that might otherwise take minutes to complete. The data is transmitted in small increments so that no single user dominates the communications bandwidth. The user-directed improvement means that bandwidth is focused on interesting information. The user may continue working with the first coarse approximations while further image data is still arriving. The algorithm has been implemented in C on Sun, Silicon Graphics, and NeXT workstations, and in Lisp on a Symbolics. Transmission speeds reach as high as 60,000 baud using a Sparc or 68040 processor when storing data to memory; somewhat less if also updating a graphical display. The memory requirements are roughly five bytes per image pixel. Both computational and memory costs may be reduced

  13. Liquid chromatography with high resolution mass spectrometry for identification of organic contaminants in fish fillet: screening and quantification assessment using two scan modes for data acquisition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munaretto, Juliana S; May, Marília M; Saibt, Nathália; Zanella, Renato

    2016-07-22

    This study proposed a strategy to identify and quantify 182 organic contaminants from different chemical classes, as for instance pesticides, veterinary drug and personal care products, in fish fillet using liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QToF/MS). For this purpose, two different scan methods (full scan and all ions MS/MS) were evaluated to assess the best option for screening analysis in spiked fish fillet samples. In general, full scan acquisition was found to be more reliable (84%) in the automatic identification and quantification when compared to all ions MS/MS with 72% of the compounds detected. Additionally, a qualitative automatic search showed a mass accuracy error below 5ppm for 77% of the compounds in full scan mode compared to only 52% in all ions MS/MS scan. However, all ions MS/MS provides fragmentation information of the target compounds. Undoubtedly, structural information of a wide number of compounds can be obtained using high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), but it is necessary thoroughly assess it, in order to choose the best scan mode. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Examination of SUV of regional activity concentration for simultaneous emission/transmission acquisition using the mask technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abe, Shinji; Nishino, Masanari; Yamashita, Masato; Yamaguchi, Hiroshi

    2003-01-01

    To achieve quantitative accuracy of simultaneous emission/transmission (SET) acquisition using the mask technique, we determined the factor of expression that derives the true transmission data from the measured transmission and emission data. We then evaluated the standardized uptake value (SUV) of the regional activity concentration derived respectively from the SET scans and conventional scans. First, to determine the attenuation factor for the transmission source when the photons of the cylindrical phantom filled with 18 F solution reached emission memory, SET scans were performed with a dummy transmission source and under the blank status of the transmission source. Second, to evaluate the SUV, we used a hollow-sphere phantom filled with 18 F solution whose activity concentrations were approximately 3 and 5 times that of the background. Then we performed conventional and SET scans of the phantom for solutions ranging from the higher concentration to the lower concentration. All of the data were reconstructed with the decay correction, and the SUV of each sphere was derived. The results demonstrated that, when the conventional factor was used, SUV was underestimated according to the increasing activity concentration of the solution. However, when a new factor that took into account the attenuation of the transmission source was used, there was no significant difference in the SUV. We estimated the SUV derived from the SET scans was within 3% for the large spheres and within 16% for the small spheres. (author)

  15. A high-resolution full-field range imaging system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carnegie, D. A.; Cree, M. J.; Dorrington, A. A.

    2005-08-01

    There exist a number of applications where the range to all objects in a field of view needs to be obtained. Specific examples include obstacle avoidance for autonomous mobile robots, process automation in assembly factories, surface profiling for shape analysis, and surveying. Ranging systems can be typically characterized as being either laser scanning systems where a laser point is sequentially scanned over a scene or a full-field acquisition where the range to every point in the image is simultaneously obtained. The former offers advantages in terms of range resolution, while the latter tend to be faster and involve no moving parts. We present a system for determining the range to any object within a camera's field of view, at the speed of a full-field system and the range resolution of some point laser scans. Initial results obtained have a centimeter range resolution for a 10 second acquisition time. Modifications to the existing system are discussed that should provide faster results with submillimeter resolution.

  16. Scanning Terahertz Heterodyne Imaging Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegel, Peter; Dengler, Robert

    2007-01-01

    Scanning terahertz heterodyne imaging systems are now at an early stage of development. In a basic scanning terahertz heterodyne imaging system, (see Figure 1) two far-infrared lasers generate beams denoted the local-oscillator (LO) and signal that differ in frequency by an amount, denoted the intermediate frequency (IF), chosen to suit the application. The LO beam is sent directly to a mixer as one of two inputs. The signal beam is focused to a spot on or in the specimen. After transmission through or reflection from the specimen, the beams are focused to a spot on a terahertz mixer, which extracts the IF outputs. The specimen is mounted on a translation stage, by means of which the focal spot is scanned across the specimen to build up an image.

  17. Algorithms for coding scanned halftone pictures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Forchhammer, Søren; Forchhammer, Morten

    1988-01-01

    A method for coding scanned documents containing halftone pictures, e.g. newspapers and magazines, for transmission purposes is proposed. The halftone screen is estimated and the grey value of each dot is found, thus giving a compact description. At the receiver the picture is rescreened. A novel...

  18. System and method for compressive scanning electron microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reed, Bryan W

    2015-01-13

    A scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) system is disclosed. The system may make use of an electron beam scanning system configured to generate a plurality of electron beam scans over substantially an entire sample, with each scan varying in electron-illumination intensity over a course of the scan. A signal acquisition system may be used for obtaining at least one of an image, a diffraction pattern, or a spectrum from the scans, the image, diffraction pattern, or spectrum representing only information from at least one of a select subplurality or linear combination of all pixel locations comprising the image. A dataset may be produced from the information. A subsystem may be used for mathematically analyzing the dataset to predict actual information that would have been produced by each pixel location of the image.

  19. Spatial Angular Compounding Technique for H-Scan Ultrasound Imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khairalseed, Mawia; Xiong, Fangyuan; Kim, Jung-Whan; Mattrey, Robert F; Parker, Kevin J; Hoyt, Kenneth

    2018-01-01

    H-Scan is a new ultrasound imaging technique that relies on matching a model of pulse-echo formation to the mathematics of a class of Gaussian-weighted Hermite polynomials. This technique may be beneficial in the measurement of relative scatterer sizes and in cancer therapy, particularly for early response to drug treatment. Because current H-scan techniques use focused ultrasound data acquisitions, spatial resolution degrades away from the focal region and inherently affects relative scatterer size estimation. Although the resolution of ultrasound plane wave imaging can be inferior to that of traditional focused ultrasound approaches, the former exhibits a homogeneous spatial resolution throughout the image plane. The purpose of this study was to implement H-scan using plane wave imaging and investigate the impact of spatial angular compounding on H-scan image quality. Parallel convolution filters using two different Gaussian-weighted Hermite polynomials that describe ultrasound scattering events are applied to the radiofrequency data. The H-scan processing is done on each radiofrequency image plane before averaging to get the angular compounded image. The relative strength from each convolution is color-coded to represent relative scatterer size. Given results from a series of phantom materials, H-scan imaging with spatial angular compounding more accurately reflects the true scatterer size caused by reductions in the system point spread function and improved signal-to-noise ratio. Preliminary in vivo H-scan imaging of tumor-bearing animals suggests this modality may be useful for monitoring early response to chemotherapeutic treatment. Overall, H-scan imaging using ultrasound plane waves and spatial angular compounding is a promising approach for visualizing the relative size and distribution of acoustic scattering sources. Copyright © 2018 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. A scanning bi-static SODAR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Behrens, P; Bradley, S [Physics Department, Auckland University, 38 Princes Street, Auckland (New Zealand); Hunerbein, S von [Acoustics Department, Newton Building, University of Salford, Greater Manchester M5 4WT (United Kingdom)

    2008-05-01

    Field results are given from a bi-static SODAR which uses a single central vertical transmission and three distributed microphone array receivers. Fourier transform delay methods are applied to data sampled from each microphone to retrospectively scan in angle and follow the transmitted pulse. Advantages of sampling a narrow atmospheric column, rather than distributed volumes are discussed.

  1. A scanning bi-static SODAR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Behrens, P; Bradley, S; Hunerbein, S von

    2008-01-01

    Field results are given from a bi-static SODAR which uses a single central vertical transmission and three distributed microphone array receivers. Fourier transform delay methods are applied to data sampled from each microphone to retrospectively scan in angle and follow the transmitted pulse. Advantages of sampling a narrow atmospheric column, rather than distributed volumes are discussed

  2. Comparison of high resolution computed tomography and pulmonary function tests in diagnosis of mild emphysema

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuwano, Kazuyoshi; Matsuba, Kenichi; Ikeda, Togo

    1989-01-01

    To assess the ability of high resolution CT scan and pulmonary function tests in detecting and grading mild emphysema, we correlated the high resolution CT scan and pulmonary function tests with the pathologic grade of emphysema and the destructive index of lung specimens from 42 patients undergoing thoracotomy for solitary pulmonary nodules. Using the high resolution CT scan, we could identify the pathologic grade of mild and moderate emphysema. By measuring diffusing capacity per unit alveolar gas volume (DLco/VA), it seemed to be possible to detect the mildest degree of alveolar destruction assessed by the destructive index, which was not detected by high resolution CT scan. The reason for these results seemed to be that we assessed the severity of emphysema by detecting the air space enlargement on high resolution CT scan images caused by the destruction of alveolar walls, which were detectable by measuring DLco/VA. We conclude that it is possible to detect mild emphysema using the combination of high resolution CT scan and pulmomary function tests. (author)

  3. Liver scanning with sup(99m)Tc-phytate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kubo, A; Isobe, Y; Kobayashi, T; (Keio Univ., Tokyo (Japan). School of Medicine); Kinoshita, Fumio; Shibata, Masayoshi

    1975-03-01

    /sup 198/Au-colloid has been widely used for liver scanning in Japan but it is not the best scanning agent because of the large exposure dose to the patient. The authors performed a few basic experiments with sup(99m)Tc-phytate, the preparation of which is very easy. The labeling efficiency was found to be 97.5% immediately after preparation and it remained fairly stable for a period of time. As a result, the compound can be used up to 6 hours after preparation without fear of chemical instability. Liver scanning with sup(99m)Tc-phytate was done on 116 patients and was compared with /sup 198/Au-colloid liver-scanning. Scans made with sup(99m)Tc were found to be superior to those made with /sup 198/Au in the resolution of surface defects in the liver, while at increasing depths the resolution with sup(99m)Tc dropped rapidly, apparently due to absorption of its relatively low energy photon. This indicates the importance of taking multidirectional views. The degrees of splenic concentration of sup(99m)Tc-phytate were fairly close to those of /sup 198/Au-colloid. Therefore, liver scanning with sup(99m)Tc-phytate is useful in the diagnostic evaluation of diffuse parenchymal liver disease.

  4. Liver scanning with sup(99m)Tc-phytate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kubo, Atsushi; Isobe, Yoshinori; Kobayashi, Takeshi; Kinoshita, Fumio; Shibata, Masayoshi.

    1975-01-01

    198 Au-colloid has been widely used for liver scanning in Japan but it is not the best scanning agent because of the large exposure dose to the patient. The authors performed a few basic experiments with sup(99m)Tc-phytate, the preparation of which is very easy. The labeling efficiency was found to be 97.5% immediately after preparation and it remained fairly stable for a period of time. As a result, the compound can be used up to 6 hours after preparation without fear of chemical instability. Liver scanning with sup(99m)Tc-phytate was done on 116 patients and was compared with 198 Au-colloid liver-scanning. Scans made with sup(99m)Tc were found to be superior to those made with 198 Au in the resolution of surface defects in the liver, while at increasing depths the resolution with sup(99m)Tc dropped rapidly, apparently due to absorption of its relatively low energy photon. This indicates the importance of taking multidirectional views. The degrees of splenic concentration of sup(99m)Tc-phytate were fairly close to those of 198 Au-colloid. Therefore, liver scanning with sup(99m)Tc-phytate is useful in the diagnostic evaluation of diffuse parenchymal liver disease. (auth.)

  5. Scanning tunneling microscopy of hexagonal BN grown on graphite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukumoto, H.; Hamada, T.; Endo, T.; Osaka, Y.

    1991-01-01

    The microscopic surface topography of thin BN x films grown on graphite by electron cyclotron resonance plasma chemical vapor deposition have been imaged with scanning tunneling microscopy in air. The scanning tunneling microscope has generated images of hexagonal BN with atomic resolution

  6. Small-size low-temperature scanning tunnel microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al'tfeder, I.B.; Khajkin, M.S.

    1989-01-01

    A small-size scanning tunnel microscope, designed for operation in transport helium-filled Dewar flasks is described. The microscope design contains a device moving the pin to the tested sample surface and a piezoelectric fine positioning device. High vibration protection of the microscope is provided by its suspension using silk threads. The small-size scanning tunnel microscope provides for atomic resolution

  7. Development of X-ray excitable luminescent probes for scanning X-ray microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moronne, M.M.

    1999-01-01

    Transmission soft X-ray microscopy is now capable of achieving resolutions that are typically 5 times better than the best-visible light microscopes. With expected improvements in zone plate optics, an additional factor of two may be realized within the next few years. Despite the high resolution now available with X-ray microscopes and the high X-ray contrast provided by biological molecules in the soft X-ray region (λ=2-5 nm), molecular probes for localizing specific biological targets have been lacking. To circumvent this problem, X-ray excitable molecular probes are needed that can target unique biological features. In this paper we report our initial results on the development of lanthanide-based fluorescent probes for biological labeling. Using scanning luminescence X-ray microscopy (SLXM, Jacobsen et al., J. Microscopy 172 (1993) 121-129), we show that lanthanide organo-polychelate complexes are sufficiently bright and radiation resistant to be the basis of a new class of X-ray excitable molecular probes capable of providing at least a fivefold improvement in resolution over visible light microscopy. Lanthanide probes, able to bind 80-100 metal ions per molecule, were found to give strong luminescent signals with X-ray doses exceeding 10 8 Gy, and were used to label actin stress fibers and in vitro preparations of polymerized tubulin. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

  8. High resolution scanning electron microscopy of rabbit corneal endothelium to show effects of UV-visible irradiation in the presence of chlorpromazine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lea, P.J.; Hollenberg, M.J.; Menon, I.A.; Temkin, R.J.; Persad, S.D.; Basu, P.K. (Univ. of Toronto, Ontario (Canada))

    1989-01-01

    The ultrastructure of rabbit cornea endothelial cells was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in freeze-cleaved corneas using a Hitachi S-570 scanning electron microscope in the high resolution mode (HRSEM). In order to study phototoxic effects in vitro, rabbit corneas (experimental) were cultured as organ culture in the presence of 5 micrograms/ml chlorpromazine (CPZ) and irradiated. For comparison, control 1 corneas were not irradiated but incubated in the dark without CPZ in the medium; control 2 corneas were also kept in the dark but in the presence of CPZ; control 3 corneas were irradiated with no CPZ in the medium. Cellular damage was not seen in the three types of control corneas, but in the experimental corneas the endothelial cells showed extensive disruption of the cell membrane and some deterioration of the intracellular components. Our study confirmed that HRSEM is a satisfactory new technique for visualizing damage of the intracellular organelles of corneal endothelium.

  9. High resolution scanning electron microscopy of rabbit corneal endothelium to show effects of UV-visible irradiation in the presence of chlorpromazine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lea, P.J.; Hollenberg, M.J.; Menon, I.A.; Temkin, R.J.; Persad, S.D.; Basu, P.K.

    1989-01-01

    The ultrastructure of rabbit cornea endothelial cells was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in freeze-cleaved corneas using a Hitachi S-570 scanning electron microscope in the high resolution mode (HRSEM). In order to study phototoxic effects in vitro, rabbit corneas (experimental) were cultured as organ culture in the presence of 5 micrograms/ml chlorpromazine (CPZ) and irradiated. For comparison, control 1 corneas were not irradiated but incubated in the dark without CPZ in the medium; control 2 corneas were also kept in the dark but in the presence of CPZ; control 3 corneas were irradiated with no CPZ in the medium. Cellular damage was not seen in the three types of control corneas, but in the experimental corneas the endothelial cells showed extensive disruption of the cell membrane and some deterioration of the intracellular components. Our study confirmed that HRSEM is a satisfactory new technique for visualizing damage of the intracellular organelles of corneal endothelium

  10. Comparative investigations of high resolution scanning systems for digitising X-ray films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wessel, H.; Rose, P.

    1992-01-01

    The visual or computer-aided evaluation of digitised X-ray films in non-destructive material testing requires highly sensitive scanning systems. They must be able to resolve differences in blackening and convert them into digital data without loss, if possible. Only in this way is the detection of the finest cracks in weld seams or contraction in areas of great sudden changes in blackening of cast parts guaranteed. In the context of this work, measurements were carried out which describe the reproduction properties of different scanning systems. After a short explanation of the different scanning systems, the results of the measurements are shown and evaluated. (orig.) [de

  11. 47 CFR 73.682 - TV transmission standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ..., including hum, noise, and low-frequency response, measured at both scanning synchronizing peak and blanking... field, may be used only for the transmission of the ghost-canceling reference signal described in OET...

  12. Gold nanocone probes for near-field scanning optical microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zeeb, Bastian; Schaefer, Christian; Nill, Peter; Fleischer, Monika; Kern, Dieter P. [Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tuebingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 10, 72076 Tuebingen (Germany)

    2010-07-01

    Apertureless near-field scanning optical microscopy (ANSOM) provides the possibility to collect simultaneously high-resolution topographical and sub-diffraction limited optical information from a surface. When optically excited, the scanning probes act as optical antennae with a strong near-field enhancement near the tip apex. Spatial resolution and optical near-field enhancement depend strongly on the properties and geometry of the scanning probe - in particular on very sharp tip radii. Various possibilities for fabricating good antennae have been pursued. Most commonly, scanning probes consist of electrochemically etched gold wires which are sharp but not well-defined in geometry. We present two different approaches for ultra sharp and well-defined antennae based upon fabricating gold nanocones with a tip radius smaller than 10 nm which can be used in ANSOM. A transfer process is presented that can be used to attach single gold nanocones to non-metallic probes such as sharp glass fiber tips. Alternatively, new processes are presented to fabricate cones directly on pillars of different materials such as silicon or bismuth, which can be applied to cantilever tips for ANSOM scanning applications.

  13. Classification of Multiple Types of Organic Carbon Composition in Atmospheric Particles by Scanning Transmission X-Ray Microscopy Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kilcoyne, Arthur L; Takahama, S.; Gilardoni, S.; Russell, L.M.; Kilcoyne, A.L.D.

    2007-05-16

    A scanning transmission X-ray microscope at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is used to measure organic functional group abundance and morphology of atmospheric aerosols. We present a summary of spectra, sizes, and shapes observed in 595 particles that were collected and analyzed between 2000 and 2006. These particles ranged between 0.1 and 12 mm and represent aerosols found in a large range of geographical areas, altitudes, and times. They include samples from seven different field campaigns: PELTI, ACE-ASIA, DYCOMS II, Princeton, MILAGRO (urban), MILAGRO (C-130), and INTEX-B. At least 14 different classes of organic particles show different types of spectroscopic signatures. Different particle types are found within the same region while the same particle types are also found in different geographical domains. Particles chemically resembling black carbon, humic-like aerosols, pine ultisol, and secondary or processed aerosol have been identified from functional group abundance and comparison of spectra with those published in the literature.

  14. Strain mapping under spherical indentations using transmission Kikuchi diffraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cackett, A.; Hardie, C.; Wilkinson, A.; Dicks, K.

    2015-01-01

    Due to restrictions on both the specimen volumes available and the activity levels research facilities can handle, testing techniques on the micron-scale are very attractive for the study of irradiated material. However, the results of such small tests are convoluted by plasticity size-effects. Spherical nano-indentation is increasingly used to probe irradiated material, but to characterise the area of plastic deformation surrounding indentations a method capable of providing crystallographic information at extremely high spatial resolution is required. Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction (TKD) is a novel diffraction technique that can be performed in a scanning electron microscope. Using this technique, spatial resolutions below 10 nm have been achieved. Initial results, shown here, demonstrate the use of TKD in mapping the lattice rotations caused by indentation produced with a spherical diamond tip. With the addition of strain mapping software the plastic zone size was also evaluated for the first time using diffraction patterns generated via TKD. For a tip of radius 15 μm, inserted into Fe to a strain of 0.07, the plastic zone was observed to extend 1.3 μm to either side of the incident location of indentation and the deformation depth was approximately 0.5 μm. (authors)

  15. Scanning tunneling microscope for magneto-optical imaging

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Prins, M.W.J.; Groeneveld, R.H.M.; Abraham, D.L.; Schad, R.; Kempen, van H.; Kesteren, van H.W.

    1996-01-01

    Images of magnetic bits written in a Pt/Co multilayer are presented. Using photosensitive semiconducting tips in a scanning tunneling microscope the surface topography as well as the polarization-dependent optical transmission are measured. Magnetic contrast is achieved by detection of the Faraday

  16. Imaging and elemental mapping of biological specimens with a dual-EDS dedicated scanning transmission electron microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, J.S., E-mail: jinsong-wu@northwestern.edu [Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental (NUANCE) Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Kim, A.M. [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611 (United States); Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Bleher, R. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Myers, B.D. [Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental (NUANCE) Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Marvin, R.G. [Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Inada, H.; Nakamura, K. [Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, Ibaraki 312-8504 (Japan); Zhang, X.F. [Hitachi High Technologies America, Inc., 5960 Inglewood Drive, Pleasanton, California 94588 (United States); Roth, E. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Li, S.Y. [Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental (NUANCE) Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); and others

    2013-05-15

    A dedicated analytical scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) with dual energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) detectors has been designed for complementary high performance imaging as well as high sensitivity elemental analysis and mapping of biological structures. The performance of this new design, based on a Hitachi HD-2300A model, was evaluated using a variety of biological specimens. With three imaging detectors, both the surface and internal structure of cells can be examined simultaneously. The whole-cell elemental mapping, especially of heavier metal species that have low cross-section for electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), can be faithfully obtained. Optimization of STEM imaging conditions is applied to thick sections as well as thin sections of biological cells under low-dose conditions at room and cryogenic temperatures. Such multimodal capabilities applied to soft/biological structures usher a new era for analytical studies in biological systems. - Highlights: ► Applications of STEM in characterization of biological samples are demonstrated. ► Elemental analyses are performed by dual EDS and EELS. ► Both the surface and internal structure of cells can be studied simultaneously. ► The imaging contrast in low-dose cryo-STEM has been analyzed.

  17. Imaging and elemental mapping of biological specimens with a dual-EDS dedicated scanning transmission electron microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, J.S.; Kim, A.M.; Bleher, R.; Myers, B.D.; Marvin, R.G.; Inada, H.; Nakamura, K.; Zhang, X.F.; Roth, E.; Li, S.Y.

    2013-01-01

    A dedicated analytical scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) with dual energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) detectors has been designed for complementary high performance imaging as well as high sensitivity elemental analysis and mapping of biological structures. The performance of this new design, based on a Hitachi HD-2300A model, was evaluated using a variety of biological specimens. With three imaging detectors, both the surface and internal structure of cells can be examined simultaneously. The whole-cell elemental mapping, especially of heavier metal species that have low cross-section for electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), can be faithfully obtained. Optimization of STEM imaging conditions is applied to thick sections as well as thin sections of biological cells under low-dose conditions at room and cryogenic temperatures. Such multimodal capabilities applied to soft/biological structures usher a new era for analytical studies in biological systems. - Highlights: ► Applications of STEM in characterization of biological samples are demonstrated. ► Elemental analyses are performed by dual EDS and EELS. ► Both the surface and internal structure of cells can be studied simultaneously. ► The imaging contrast in low-dose cryo-STEM has been analyzed

  18. Development of scanning holographic display using MEMS SLM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takaki, Yasuhiro

    2016-10-01

    Holography is an ideal three-dimensional (3D) display technique, because it produces 3D images that naturally satisfy human 3D perception including physiological and psychological factors. However, its electronic implementation is quite challenging because ultra-high resolution is required for display devices to provide sufficient screen size and viewing zone. We have developed holographic display techniques to enlarge the screen size and the viewing zone by use of microelectromechanical systems spatial light modulators (MEMS-SLMs). Because MEMS-SLMs can generate hologram patterns at a high frame rate, the time-multiplexing technique is utilized to virtually increase the resolution. Three kinds of scanning systems have been combined with MEMS-SLMs; the screen scanning system, the viewing-zone scanning system, and the 360-degree scanning system. The screen scanning system reduces the hologram size to enlarge the viewing zone and the reduced hologram patterns are scanned on the screen to increase the screen size: the color display system with a screen size of 6.2 in. and a viewing zone angle of 11° was demonstrated. The viewing-zone scanning system increases the screen size and the reduced viewing zone is scanned to enlarge the viewing zone: a screen size of 2.0 in. and a viewing zone angle of 40° were achieved. The two-channel system increased the screen size to 7.4 in. The 360-degree scanning increases the screen size and the reduced viewing zone is scanned circularly: the display system having a flat screen with a diameter of 100 mm was demonstrated, which generates 3D images viewed from any direction around the flat screen.

  19. Exceptionally Slow Movement of Gold Nanoparticles at a Solid/Liquid Interface Investigated by Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verch, Andreas; Pfaff, Marina; de Jonge, Niels

    2015-06-30

    Gold nanoparticles were observed to move at a liquid/solid interface 3 orders of magnitude slower than expected for the movement in a bulk liquid by Brownian motion. The nanoscale movement was studied with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) using a liquid enclosure consisting of microchips with silicon nitride windows. The experiments involved a variation of the electron dose, the coating of the nanoparticles, the surface charge of the enclosing membrane, the viscosity, and the liquid thickness. The observed slow movement was not a result of hydrodynamic hindrance near a wall but instead explained by the presence of a layer of ordered liquid exhibiting a viscosity 5 orders of magnitude larger than a bulk liquid. The increased viscosity presumably led to a dramatic slowdown of the movement. The layer was formed as a result of the surface charge of the silicon nitride windows. The exceptionally slow motion is a crucial aspect of electron microscopy of specimens in liquid, enabling a direct observation of the movement and agglomeration of nanoscale objects in liquid.

  20. Studies of x-ray localization and thickness dependence in atomic-scale elemental mapping by STEM energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy using single-frame scanning method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Ping; Moya, Jaime M; Yuan, Renliang; Zuo, Jian Min

    2018-03-01

    The delocalization of x-ray signals limits the spatial resolution in atomic-scale elemental mapping by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) using energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). In this study, using a SrTiO 3 [001] single crystal, we show that the x-ray localization to atomic columns is strongly dependent on crystal thickness, and a thin crystal is critical for improving the spatial resolution in atomic-scale EDS mapping. A single-frame scanning technique is used in this study instead of the multiple-frame technique to avoid peak broadening due to tracking error. The strong thickness dependence is realized by measuring the full width at half maxima (FWHM) as well as the peak-to-valley (P/V) ratio of the EDS profiles for Ti K and Sr K + L, obtained at several crystal thicknesses. A FWHM of about 0.16 nm and a P/V ratio of greater than 7.0 are obtained for Ti K for a crystal thickness of less than 20 nm. With increasing crystal thickness, the FWHM and P/V ratio increases and decreases, respectively, indicating the advantage of using a thin crystal for high-resolution EDS mapping. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. Resolution enhancement of pump-probe microscope with an inverse-annular filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobayashi, Takayoshi; Kawasumi, Koshi; Miyazaki, Jun; Nakata, Kazuaki

    2018-04-01

    Optical pump-probe microscopy can provide images by detecting changes in probe light intensity induced by stimulated emission, photoinduced absorbance change, or photothermal-induced refractive index change in either transmission or reflection mode. Photothermal microscopy, which is one type of optical pump-probe microscopy, has intrinsically super resolution capability due to the bilinear dependence of signal intensity of pump and probe. We introduce new techniques for further resolution enhancement and fast imaging in photothermal microscope. First, we introduce a new pupil filter, an inverse-annular pupil filter in a pump-probe photothermal microscope, which provides resolution enhancement in three dimensions. The resolutions are proved to be improved in lateral and axial directions by imaging experiment using 20-nm gold nanoparticles. The improvement in X (perpendicular to the common pump and probe polarization direction), Y (parallel to the polarization direction), and Z (axial direction) are by 15 ± 6, 8 ± 8, and 21 ± 2% from the resolution without a pupil filter. The resolution enhancement is even better than the calculation using vector field, which predicts the corresponding enhancement of 11, 8, and 6%. The discussion is made to explain the unexpected results. We also demonstrate the photothermal imaging of thick biological samples (cells from rabbit intestine and kidney) stained with hematoxylin and eosin dye with the inverse-annular filter. Second, a fast, high-sensitivity photothermal microscope is developed by implementing a spatially segmented balanced detection scheme into a laser scanning microscope using a Galvano mirror. We confirm a 4.9 times improvement in signal-to-noise ratio in the spatially segmented balanced detection compared with that of conventional detection. The system demonstrates simultaneous bi-modal photothermal and confocal fluorescence imaging of transgenic mouse brain tissue with a pixel dwell time of 20 µs. The

  2. Scanning, Multibeam, Single Photon Lidars for Rapid, Large Scale, High Resolution, Topographic and Bathymetric Mapping

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John J. Degnan

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Several scanning, single photon sensitive, 3D imaging lidars are herein described that operate at aircraft above ground levels (AGLs between 1 and 11 km, and speeds in excess of 200 knots. With 100 beamlets and laser fire rates up to 60 kHz, we, at the Sigma Space Corporation (Lanham, MD, USA, have interrogated up to 6 million ground pixels per second, all of which can record multiple returns from volumetric scatterers such as tree canopies. High range resolution has been achieved through the use of subnanosecond laser pulsewidths, detectors and timing receivers. The systems are presently being deployed on a variety of aircraft to demonstrate their utility in multiple applications including large scale surveying, bathymetry, forestry, etc. Efficient noise filters, suitable for near realtime imaging, have been shown to effectively eliminate the solar background during daytime operations. Geolocation elevation errors measured to date are at the subdecimeter level. Key differences between our Single Photon Lidars, and competing Geiger Mode lidars are also discussed.

  3. Scanning SRXF analysis and isotopes of uranium series from bottom sediments of Siberian lakes for high-resolution climate reconstructions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goldberg, E.L.; Grachev, M.A.; Chebykin, E.P.; Phedorin, M.A.; Kalugin, I.A.; Khlystov, O.M.; Zolotarev, K.V.

    2005-01-01

    High-resolution scanning X-ray Fluorescence Analysis with Synchrotron Radiation (SRXFA) was applied to investigate the downcore distribution of elements in Lake Baikal and Lake Teletskoye. Physical modeling of river runoff taking into account the chemistry of U series isotopes and their concentrations in sediments allowed a decade-scale reconstruction of Holocene (0-11 ky) river input to Lake Baikal. Holocene moisture peaks in East Siberia are synchronous with abrupt spells in the Atlantic. The multi-element data from Lake Teletskoye were used to predict the function of geochemical response to climate change in plainland Altai and to reconstruct the trends of annual (winter) air temperatures and atmospheric precipitation for the past 500 years

  4. In-situ realtime monitoring of nanoscale gold electroplating using micro-electro-mechanical systems liquid cell operating in transmission electron microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Egawa, Minoru; Fujita, Hiroyuki [Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8505 (Japan); Ishida, Tadashi, E-mail: ishida.t.ai@m.titech.ac.jp [Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8505 (Japan); Graduate School of Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa 225-8503 (Japan); Jalabert, Laurent [LIMMS/CNRS-IIS (UMI 2820), Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8505 (Japan); CNRS, LAAS, 7 Avenue du Colonel Roche, F-31400 Toulouse, France and University of Toulouse, LAAS, F-31400 Toulouse (France)

    2016-01-11

    The dynamics of nanoscale electroplating between gold electrodes was investigated using a microfabricated liquid cell mounted on a scanning transmission electron microscope. The electroplating was recorded in-situ for 10 min with a spatial resolution higher than 6 nm. At the beginning of the electroplating, gold spike-like structures of about 50 nm in size grew from an electrode, connected gold nanoclusters around them, and form three dimensional nanoscale structures. We visualized the elementary process of the gold electroplating, and believe that the results lead to the deeper understanding of electroplating at the nanoscale.

  5. In-situ realtime monitoring of nanoscale gold electroplating using micro-electro-mechanical systems liquid cell operating in transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Egawa, Minoru; Fujita, Hiroyuki; Ishida, Tadashi; Jalabert, Laurent

    2016-01-01

    The dynamics of nanoscale electroplating between gold electrodes was investigated using a microfabricated liquid cell mounted on a scanning transmission electron microscope. The electroplating was recorded in-situ for 10 min with a spatial resolution higher than 6 nm. At the beginning of the electroplating, gold spike-like structures of about 50 nm in size grew from an electrode, connected gold nanoclusters around them, and form three dimensional nanoscale structures. We visualized the elementary process of the gold electroplating, and believe that the results lead to the deeper understanding of electroplating at the nanoscale

  6. Time-resolved X-ray transmission microscopy on magnetic microstructures; Zeitaufloesende Roentgentransmissionsmikroskopie an magnetischen Mikrostrukturen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Puzic, Aleksandar

    2007-10-23

    Three excitation schemes were designed for stroboscopic imaging of magnetization dynamics with time-resolved magnetic transmission X-ray microscopy (TR-MTXM). These techniques were implemented into two types of X-ray microscopes, namely the imaging transmission X-ray microscope (ITXM) and the scanning transmission X-ray microscope (STXM), both installed at the electron storage ring of the Advanced Light Source in Berkeley, USA. Circular diffraction gratings (Fresnel zone plates) used in both microscopes as focusing and imaging elements presently allow for lateral resolution down to 30 nm. Magnetic imaging is performed by using the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) as element specific contrast mechanism. The developed methods have been successfully applied to the experimental investigation of magnetization dynamics in ferromagnetic microstructures. A temporal resolution well below 100 ps was achieved. A conventional pump-probe technique was implemented first. The dynamic response of the magnetization excited by a broadband pulsed magnetic field was imaged spatially resolved using focused X-ray flashes. As a complementary method, the spatially resolved ferromagnetic resonance (SR-FMR) technique was developed for experimental study of magnetization dynamics in the frequency domain. As a third excitation mode, the burst excitation was implemented. The performance and efficiency of the developed methods have been demonstrated by imaging the local magnetization dynamics in laterally patterned ferromagnetic thin-film elements and three-layer stacks. The existence of multiple eigenmodes in the excitation spectra of ferromagnetic microstructures has been verified by using the pump-probe technique. Magnetostatic spin waves were selectively excited and detected with a time resolution of 50 ps using the SR-FMR technique. Thorough analysis of 20 in most cases independently prepared samples has verified that vortices which exhibit a low-amplitude switching of their core

  7. High-speed X-ray phase tomography with Talbot interferometer and fringe scanning method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kibayashi, Shunsuke; Harasse, Sébastien; Yashiro, Wataru; Momose, Atsushi

    2012-01-01

    High-speed X-ray phase tomography based on the Fourier-transform method has been demonstrated with an X-ray Talbot interferometer using white synchrotron radiation. We report the experimental results of high-speed X-ray phase tomography with fringe-scanning method instead of Fourier-transform method to improve spatial resolution without a considerable increase of scan time. To apply fringe-scanning method to high speed tomography, we tested a scan that is a synchronous combination of one-way continuous movements of the sample rotation and the grating displacement. When this scanning method was combined with X-ray phase tomography, we were able to obtain a scan time of 5 s. A comparison of the image quality derived with the conventional approach and with the proposed approach using the fringe-scanning method showed that the latter had better spatial resolution.

  8. In situ electrical probing and bias-mediated manipulation of dielectric nanotubes in a high-resolution transmission electron microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Golberg, D.; Mitome, M.; Kurashima, K.; Zhi, C.Y.; Tang, C.C.; Bando, Y.; Lourie, O.

    2006-01-01

    Boron nitride nanotubes filled with magnesium oxides [MgO, MgO 2 ] and/or hydroxide [Mg(OH) 2 ] are electrically probed and delicately manipulated inside a 300 kV JEOL-3000F high-resolution transmission analytical electron microscope equipped with a side-entry 'Nanofactory Instruments' piezoholder. At a low bias the nanotubes demonstrate truly insulating behavior. At a high bias of ±30 V they show reversible breakdown current of several dozens of nA. Under 300 kV electron beam irradiation the nanotubes are positively charged that allows us to perform on-demand manipulation with them through tuning of polarity and/or value of a bias voltage on a gold counterelectrode from -140 to +140 V, owing to the prominent electrostatic nanotube-electrode interactions

  9. Catalysts under Controlled Atmospheres in the Transmission Electron Microscope

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Thomas Willum; Wagner, Jakob Birkedal

    2014-01-01

    of resolution. Using suitably clean gases, modified pumping schemes, and short pathways through dense gas regions, these issues are now circumvented. Here we provide an account of best practice using environmental transmission electron microscopy on catalytic systems illustrated using select examples from......Over time, there has been an increasing interest in observing catalysts in their operating environment at high spatial resolution and ultimately to determine the structure of a catalytically active surface. One tool with the potential to do exactly this in direct space is the transmission electron...

  10. [Transmission efficiency analysis of near-field fiber probe using FDTD simulation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Wei; Dai, Song-Tao; Wang, Huai-Yu; Zhou, Yun-Song

    2011-10-01

    A fiber probe is the key component of near-field optical technology which is widely used in high resolution imaging, spectroscopy detection and nano processing. How to improve the transmission efficiency of the fiber probe is a very important problem in the application of near-field optical technology. Based on the results of 3D-FDTD computation, the dependence of the transmission efficiency on the cone angle, the aperture diameter, the wavelength and the thickness of metal cladding is revealed. The authors have also made a comparison between naked probe and the probe with metal cladding in terms of transmission efficiency and spatial resolution. In addition, the authors have discovered the fluctuation phenomena of transmission efficiency as the wavelength of incident laser increases.

  11. Characterisation of a resolution enhancing image inversion interferometer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wicker, Kai; Sindbert, Simon; Heintzmann, Rainer

    2009-08-31

    Image inversion interferometers have the potential to significantly enhance the lateral resolution and light efficiency of scanning fluorescence microscopes. Self-interference of a point source's coherent point spread function with its inverted copy leads to a reduction in the integrated signal for off-axis sources compared to sources on the inversion axis. This can be used to enhance the resolution in a confocal laser scanning microscope. We present a simple image inversion interferometer relying solely on reflections off planar surfaces. Measurements of the detection point spread function for several types of light sources confirm the predicted performance and suggest its usability for scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy.

  12. Theory of a Quantum Scanning Microscope for Cold Atoms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, D; Laflamme, C; Vasilyev, D V; Baranov, M A; Zoller, P

    2018-03-30

    We propose and analyze a scanning microscope to monitor "live" the quantum dynamics of cold atoms in a cavity QED setup. The microscope measures the atomic density with subwavelength resolution via dispersive couplings to a cavity and homodyne detection within the framework of continuous measurement theory. We analyze two modes of operation. First, for a fixed focal point the microscope records the wave packet dynamics of atoms with time resolution set by the cavity lifetime. Second, a spatial scan of the microscope acts to map out the spatial density of stationary quantum states. Remarkably, in the latter case, for a good cavity limit, the microscope becomes an effective quantum nondemolition device, such that the spatial distribution of motional eigenstates can be measured backaction free in single scans, as an emergent quantum nondemolition measurement.

  13. Healthy and diseased striated muscle studied by analytical scanning electron microscopy with special reference to fibre type

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wroblewski, R.

    1982-01-01

    X-ray microanalytical investigations of striated muscles in the scanning electron microscope are reviewed. The main part of the studies was performed on cryosections cut with a conventional cryostat operating at -20 degrees C to -40 degrees C. The preparation procedure including different types of attachment of the sections to the specimen holder is described in detail. The elemental changes in muscle are related to the muscle fibre type as demonstrated by histochemical methods or to histochemically demonstrated inclusions in diseased muscles. This is of great importance, because muscle disorders are often characterised by selective involvement of different muscle fibre types. The preparation methods of muscle for analytical scanning electron microscopy and the obtained results are compared with studies performed on thin cryo and epoxy sections, analysed in the transmission and scanning-transmission electron microscope. It is evident that X-ray microanalysis performed on thick cryosections provide a quick survey of the elemental composition of whole cells, and should be followed in interesting cases by close examination on the organelle level studied in thin cryosections in the transmission and scanning-transmission electron microscope

  14. High-resolution CT of the lungs: Anatomic-pathologic correlation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stein, M.G.; Webb, W.R.; Finkbeiner, W.; Gamsu, G.

    1986-01-01

    The interpretation of thin-section (1.5-mm), high-resolution CT scans of the lungs has been limited by lack of direct radiologic and pathologic correlation. The author scanned fresh inflated isolated lungs from ten healthy and five diseased subjects using thin-section, high-resolution techniques. The lungs were then fixed by inflation with endobronchial Formalin. Gough sections (1 mm thick) were obtained at the same levels as the CT scans. In healthy subjects, secondary lobules were identified by the presence of visible interlobular septa and central arterioles. In some patients with disease, septal thickening was visible. In patients with honeycombing cystic areas of destroyed lung were seen, along with areas of fibrosis. Emphysema was well evaluated. Thin-section, high-resolution CT can define lung architecture and may resolve mild changes of the interstitium

  15. Analytical scanning evanescent microwave microscope and control stage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiang, Xiao-Dong; Gao, Chen; Duewer, Fred; Yang, Hai Tao; Lu, Yalin

    2009-06-23

    A scanning evanescent microwave microscope (SEMM) that uses near-field evanescent electromagnetic waves to probe sample properties is disclosed. The SEMM is capable of high resolution imaging and quantitative measurements of the electrical properties of the sample. The SEMM has the ability to map dielectric constant, loss tangent, conductivity, electrical impedance, and other electrical parameters of materials. Such properties are then used to provide distance control over a wide range, from to microns to nanometers, over dielectric and conductive samples for a scanned evanescent microwave probe, which enable quantitative non-contact and submicron spatial resolution topographic and electrical impedance profiling of dielectric, nonlinear dielectric and conductive materials. The invention also allows quantitative estimation of microwave impedance using signals obtained by the scanned evanescent microwave probe and quasistatic approximation modeling. The SEMM can be used to measure electrical properties of both dielectric and electrically conducting materials.

  16. Three-Dimensional Orientation Mapping in the Transmission Electron Microscope

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Haihua; Schmidt, Søren; Poulsen, Henning Friis

    2011-01-01

    resolution of 200 nanometers (nm). We describe here a nondestructive technique that enables 3D orientation mapping in the transmission electron microscope of mono- and multiphase nanocrystalline materials with a spatial resolution reaching 1 nm. We demonstrate the technique by an experimental study...

  17. Analytical electron microscope based on scanning transmission electron microscope with wavelength dispersive x-ray spectroscopy to realize highly sensitive elemental imaging especially for light elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koguchi, Masanari; Tsuneta, Ruriko; Anan, Yoshihiro; Nakamae, Koji

    2017-01-01

    An analytical electron microscope based on the scanning transmission electron microscope with wavelength dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (STEM-WDX) to realize highly sensitive elemental imaging especially for light elements has been developed. In this study, a large-solid-angle multi-capillary x-rays lens with a focal length of 5 mm, long-time data acquisition (e.g. longer than 26 h), and a drift-free system made it possible to visualize boron-dopant images in a Si substrate at a detection limit of 0.2 atomic percent. (paper)

  18. The use of Scanning Tunneling Microscope as a novel characterization tool for metallic alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brezenitsky, M.; Moreh, R.; Dayan, D.; Kimmel, G.

    1996-01-01

    A novel method is reported for characterizing the microstructure of metals and alloys by utilizing the surface imaging properties of a STM (Scanning Tunneling microscope). In the present work there is no need to take advantage of the high atomic resolution of the STM, instead only gross resolution is required. Twenty different samples having different grain sizes (caused by the mosaic structure) and ranging between 20 to 200 nm were prepared. These dimensions are far below the resolution limit of optical microscopes. The samples were first studied using line profile analysis of XRD spectra while focusing on two of the most characteristic properties of steel which are: grain size and the deviation from cubic symmetry. Some of the samples showed nonuniform XRD line broadening effects, which could be attributed to a tetragonal distortion. If it is true, the samples must consist of martensitic twinned structure, as a result of the typical y to a shear transformation in steels. The samples were then studied using the STM. In general, many 1000 nm x 1000 )zm STM scans were carried out on each sample. In all cases of irregular XRD line broadening, the STM identified bands and sub-bands in the images which fitted the usual twining structure in steels. In addition, the STM images were found to show individual domains, from which histograms of the grain dimensions for each sample were prepared and compared to the XRD data. An excellent agreement was observed between tile two sets of data of grain sizes. The present method is much simpler than that which employs the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) as it can be carried out in air and no special requirements on sample preparation is necessary. This work establishes the STM as a very useful characterization tool for studies in metallurgy and metal physics. (author)

  19. Immunogold scanning electron microscopy can reveal the polysaccharide architecture of xylem cell walls

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Yuliang; Juzenas, Kevin

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Immunofluorescence microscopy (IFM) and immunogold transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are the two main techniques commonly used to detect polysaccharides in plant cell walls. Both are important in localizing cell wall polysaccharides, but both have major limitations, such as low resolution in IFM and restricted sample size for immunogold TEM. In this study, we have developed a robust technique that combines immunocytochemistry with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to study cell wall polysaccharide architecture in xylem cells at high resolution over large areas of sample. Using multiple cell wall monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), this immunogold SEM technique reliably localized groups of hemicellulosic and pectic polysaccharides in the cell walls of five different xylem structures (vessel elements, fibers, axial and ray parenchyma cells, and tyloses). This demonstrates its important advantages over the other two methods for studying cell wall polysaccharide composition and distribution in these structures. In addition, it can show the three-dimensional distribution of a polysaccharide group in the vessel lateral wall and the polysaccharide components in the cell wall of developing tyloses. This technique, therefore, should be valuable for understanding the cell wall polysaccharide composition, architecture and functions of diverse cell types. PMID:28398585

  20. A Norwegian nationwide quality assurance project in nuclear medicine: total performance in bone scintigraphy measured with a new transmission phantom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skretting, A; Strandmyr, E; Lindegaard, M W

    1990-01-01

    A prototype version of a recently developed transmission phantom for simulation of radionuclide bone studies was used in a Norwegian nationwide quality assurance project. The design of the phantom made it possible to perform a receiver operation characteristic (ROC) examination with respect to the detection of radionuclide accumulation in the ribs. The participants were also asked to report accumulation in the spinal column. Images obtained by means of a uniform source and a four-quadrant bar pattern were used to judge resolution and homogeneity with the collimator used in the bone studies. The overall performance of the laboratories was satisfactory, but considerable variations were found. There was a marked correlation between the physician's performance and the resolution and homogeneity of the camera. Reports from stationary imaging were generally better than those that were based on whole-body scans.

  1. A Norwegian nationwide quality assurance project in nuclear medicine: Total performance in bone scintigraphy measured with a new transmission phantom

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Skretting, A.; Strandmyr, E.; Lindegaard, M.W.

    1990-01-01

    A prototype version of a recently developed transmission phantom for simulation of radionuclide bone studies was used in a Norwegian nationwide quality assurance project. The design of the phantom made it possible to perform a receiver operation characteristic (ROC) examination with respect to the detection of radionuclide accumulation in the ribs. The participants were also asked to report accumulation in the spinal column. Images obtained by means of a uniform source and a four-quadrant bar pattern were used to judge resolution and homogeneity with the collimator used in the bone studies. The overall performance of the laboratories was satisfactory, but considerable variations were found. There was a marked correlation between the physician's performance and the resolution and homogeneity of the camera. Reports from stationary imaging were generally better than those that were based on whole-body scans. (orig.)

  2. Apoptosis study of the macrophage via near-field scanning optical microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, D-C; Chen, K-Y; Chen, G-Y; Chen, S-H; Wun, S-J

    2008-01-01

    The cell apoptosis phenomenon was studied by traditional optical microscope with much lower resolution and also observed by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) with nano-resolution recently. They both detect the cell apoptosis through the change of cell topography. In this study, the cell apoptosis was investigated via Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscope (NSOM). The cell topography, with nano-scaled resolution, and its optical characteristics were observed by NSOM at the same measurement scanning. The macrophage was chosen as the cell investigated. To understand the cell apoptosis process is the goal set for the research. The apoptosis process was related to the variations of the optical characteristics of the cell

  3. Probing defect states in polycrystalline GaN grown on Si(111) by sub-bandgap laser-excited scanning tunneling spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsiao, F.-M.; Schnedler, M.; Portz, V.; Huang, Y.-C.; Huang, B.-C.; Shih, M.-C.; Chang, C.-W.; Tu, L.-W.; Eisele, H.; Dunin-Borkowski, R. E.; Ebert, Ph.; Chiu, Y.-P.

    2017-01-01

    We demonstrate the potential of sub-bandgap laser-excited cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy to investigate the presence of defect states in semiconductors. The characterization method is illustrated on GaN layers grown on Si(111) substrates without intentional buffer layers. According to high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy, the GaN layers consist of nanoscale wurtzite and zincblende crystallites with varying crystal orientations and hence contain high defect state densities. In order to discriminate between band-to-band excitation and defect state excitations, we use sub-bandgap laser excitation. We probe a clear increase in the tunnel current at positive sample voltages during sub-bandgap laser illumination for the GaN layer with high defect density, but no effect is found for high quality GaN epitaxial layers. This demonstrates the excitation of free charge carriers at defect states. Thus, sub-bandgap laser-excited scanning tunneling spectroscopy is a powerful complimentary characterization tool for defect states.

  4. High resolution transmission electron microscopic study of nanoporous carbon consisting of curved single graphite sheets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourgeois, L.N.; Bursill, L.A.

    1997-01-01

    A high resolution transmission electron microscopic study of a nanoporous carbon rich in curved graphite monolayers is presented. Observations of very thin regions. including the effect of tilting the specimen with respect to the electron beam, are reported. The initiation of single sheet material on an oriented graphite substrate is also observed. When combined with image simulations and independent measurements of the density (1.37g cm -3 ) and sp 3 /sp 2 +sp 2 bonding fraction (0.16), these observations suggest that this material is a two phase mixture containing a relatively low density aggregation of essentially capped single shells like squat nanotubes and polyhedra, plus a relatively dense 'amorphous' carbon structure which may be described using a random-Schwarzite model. Some negatively-curved sheets were also identified in the low density phase. Finally, some discussion is offered regarding the growth mechanisms responsible for this nanoporous carbon and its relationship with the structures of amorphous carbons across a broad range of densities, porosities and sp 3 /sp 2 +sp 3 bonding fractions

  5. A digital gigapixel large-format tile-scan camera.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben-Ezra, M

    2011-01-01

    Although the resolution of single-lens reflex (SLR) and medium-format digital cameras has increased in recent years, applications for cultural-heritage preservation and computational photography require even higher resolutions. Addressing this issue, a large-format cameras' large image planes can achieve very high resolution without compromising pixel size and thus can provide high-quality, high-resolution images.This digital large-format tile scan camera can acquire high-quality, high-resolution images of static scenes. It employs unique calibration techniques and a simple algorithm for focal-stack processing of very large images with significant magnification variations. The camera automatically collects overlapping focal stacks and processes them into a high-resolution, extended-depth-of-field image.

  6. Optimization of scanning strategy of digital Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Wenjiang; Zhao, Liping; Li, Xiang; Chen, I-Ming

    2012-01-01

    In the traditional Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing (SHWS) system, a lenslet array with a bigger configuration is desired to achieve a higher lateral resolution. However, practical implementation limits the configuration and this parameter is contradicted with the measurement range. We have proposed a digital scanning technique by making use of the high flexibility of a spatial light modulator to sample the reflected wavefront [X. Li, L. P. Zhao, Z. P. Fang, and C. S. Tan, "Improve lateral resolution in wavefront sensing with digital scanning technique," in Asia-Pacific Conference of Transducers and Micro-Nano Technology (2006)]. The lenslet array pattern is programmed to laterally scan the whole aperture. In this paper, the methodology to optimize the scanning step for the purpose of form measurement is proposed. The correctness and effectiveness are demonstrated in numerical simulation and experimental investigation. © 2012 Optical Society of America

  7. An atomic resolution scanning tunneling microscope that applies external tensile stress and strain in an ultrahigh vacuum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujita, D; Kitahara, M; Onishi, K; Sagisaka, K

    2008-01-01

    We have developed an ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope with an in situ external stress application capability in order to determine the effects of stress and strain on surface atomistic structures. It is necessary to understand these effects because controlling them will be a key technology that will very likely be used in future nanometer-scale fabrication processes. We used our microscope to demonstrate atomic resolution imaging under external tensile stress and strain on the surfaces of wafers of Si(111) and Si(001). We also successfully observed domain redistribution induced by applying uniaxial stress at an elevated temperature on the surface of a wafer of vicinal Si(100). We confirmed that domains for which an applied tensile stress is directed along the dimer bond become less stable and shrink. This suggests that it may be feasible to fabricate single domain surfaces in a process that controls surface stress and strain

  8. Metabolite localization by atmospheric pressure high-resolution scanning microprobe matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging in whole-body sections and individual organs of the rove beetle Paederus riparius.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhandari, Dhaka Ram; Schott, Matthias; Römpp, Andreas; Vilcinskas, Andreas; Spengler, Bernhard

    2015-03-01

    Mass spectrometry imaging provides for non-targeted, label-free chemical imaging. In this study, atmospheric pressure high-resolution scanning microprobe matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (AP-SMALDI MSI) was used for the first time to describe the chemical distribution of the defensive compounds pederin, pseudopederin, and pederon in tissue sections (16 μm thick) of the rove beetle Paederus riparius. The whole-insect tissue section was scanned with a 20-μm step size. Mass resolution of the orbital trapping mass spectrometer was set to 100,000 at m/z 200. Additionally, organ-specific compounds were identified for brain, nerve cord, eggs, gut, ovaries, and malpighian tubules. To confirm the distribution of the specific compounds, individual organs from the insect were dissected, and MSI experiments were performed on the dissected organs. Three ganglia of the nerve cord, with a dimension of 250-500 μm, were measured with 10-μm spatial resolution. High-quality m/z images, based on high spatial resolution and high mass accuracy were generated. These features helped to assign mass spectral peaks with high confidence. Mass accuracy of the imaging experiments was section. Without any labeling, we assigned key lipids for specific organs to describe their location in the body and to identify morphological structures with a specificity higher than with staining or immunohistology methods.

  9. Electron microscopy at atomic resolution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gronsky, R.

    1983-11-01

    The direct imaging of atomic structure in solids has become increasingly easier to accomplish with modern transmission electron microscopes, many of which have an information retrieval limit near 0.2 nm point resolution. Achieving better resolution, particularly with any useful range of specimen tilting, requires a major design effort. This presentation describes the new Atomic Resolution Microscope (ARM), recently put into operation at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Capable of 0.18 nm or better interpretable resolution over a voltage range of 400 kV to 1000 kV with +- 40/sup 0/ biaxial specimen tilting, the ARM features a number of new electron-optical and microprocessor-control designs. These are highlighted, and its atomic resolution performance demonstrated for a selection of inorganic crystals.

  10. Electron microscopy at atomic resolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gronsky, R.

    1983-11-01

    The direct imaging of atomic structure in solids has become increasingly easier to accomplish with modern transmission electron microscopes, many of which have an information retrieval limit near 0.2 nm point resolution. Achieving better resolution, particularly with any useful range of specimen tilting, requires a major design effort. This presentation describes the new Atomic Resolution Microscope (ARM), recently put into operation at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Capable of 0.18 nm or better interpretable resolution over a voltage range of 400 kV to 1000 kV with +- 40 0 biaxial specimen tilting, the ARM features a number of new electron-optical and microprocessor-control designs. These are highlighted, and its atomic resolution performance demonstrated for a selection of inorganic crystals

  11. A Control and Detecting System of Micro-Near-Infrared Spectrometer Based on a MOEMS Scanning Grating Mirror

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haitao Liu

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Based on the scanning grating mirror we developed, this paper presents a method of the precise control of a scanning grating mirror and of high-speed spectrum data detection. In addition, the system circuit of the scanning grating mirror control and spectrum signal detecting is designed and manufactured in this paper. The mirror control system includes a drive generator module, an amplitude detection module, a feedback control module, and a variable gain amplification (VGA module; the detecting system includes a field programmable gate array (FPGA main control module, a synchronous trigger module, an analog-digital conversion (ADC module, and a universal serial bus (USB interface module. The final results of the experiment show that the control system has successfully realized the precision control of the swing of the scanning grating mirror and that the detecting system has successfully realized the high-speed acquisition and transmission of the spectral signal and the angle signals. The spectrum has been reconstructed according to the mathematical relationship between the wavelength λ and the angle β of the mirror. The resolution of the spectrometer reaches 10 nm in the wavelength range of 800–1800 nm, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR of the spectrometer is 4562 at full scale, the spectrum data drift is 0.9% in 24 h, and the precision of the closed loop control is 0.06%.

  12. Fabrication of all diamond scanning probes for nanoscale magnetometry

    OpenAIRE

    Appel Patrick; Neu Elke; Ganzhorn Marc; Barfuss Arne; Batzer Marietta; Gratz Micha; Tschoepe Andreas; Maletinsky Patrick

    2016-01-01

    The electronic spin of the nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond forms an atomically sized, highly sensitive sensor for magnetic fields. To harness the full potential of individual NV centers for sensing with high sensitivity and nanoscale spatial resolution, NV centers have to be incorporated into scanning probe structures enabling controlled scanning in close proximity to the sample surface. Here, we present an optimized procedure to fabricate single-crystal, all-diamond scanning probes s...

  13. Scanning fiber microdisplay: design, implementation, and comparison to MEMS mirror-based scanning displays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khayatzadeh, Ramin; Civitci, Fehmi; Ferhanoglu, Onur; Urey, Hakan

    2018-03-05

    In this study, we propose a compact, lightweight scanning fiber microdisplay towards virtual and augmented reality applications. Our design that is tailored as a head-worn-display simply consists of a four-quadrant piezoelectric tube actuator through which a fiber optics cable is extended and actuated, and a reflective (or semi-reflective) ellipsoidal surface that relays the moving tip of the fiber onto the viewer's retina. The proposed display, offers significant advantages in terms of architectural simplicity, form-factor, fabrication complexity and cost over other fiber scanner and MEMS mirror counterparts towards practical realization. We demonstrate the display of various patterns with ∼VGA resolution and further provide analytical formulas for mechanical and optical constraints to compare the performance of the proposed scanning fiber microdisplay with that of MEMS mirror-based microdisplays. Also we discuss the road steps towards improving the performance of the proposed scanning fiber microdisplay to high-definition video formats (such as HD1440), which is beyond what has been achieved by MEMS mirror based laser scanning displays.

  14. Thin-film transducers for the detection and imaging of Brillouin oscillations in transmission on cultured cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pérez-Cota, F; Smith, R J; Clark, M; Moradi, E; Webb, K

    2016-01-01

    Mechanical imaging and characterisation of biological cells has been a subject of interest for the last twenty years. Ultrasonic imaging based on the scanning acoustic microscope (SAM) and mechanical probing have been extensively reported. Large acoustic attenuation at high frequencies and the use of conventional piezo-electric transducers limit the operational frequency of a SAM. This limitation results in lower resolution compared to an optical microscope. Direct mechanical probing in the form of applied stress by contacting probes causes stress to cells and exhibits poor depth resolution. More recently, laser ultrasound has been reported to detect ultrasound in the GHz range via Brillouin oscillations on biological cells. This technique offers a promising new high resolution acoustic cell imaging technique. In this work, we propose, design and apply a thin-film based opto-acoustic transducer for the detection in transmission of Brillouin oscillations on cells. The transducer is used to generate acoustic waves, protect the cells from laser radiation and enhance signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Experimental traces are presented in water films as well as images of the Brillouin frequency of phantom and fixed 3T3 fibroblast cells. (paper)

  15. Determination of the resonance parameters for 232Th from high resolution transmission and capture measurements at GELINA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brusegan, A.; Schillebeeckx, P.; Lobo, G.; Borella, A.; Volev, K.; Janeva, N.

    2003-01-01

    To deduce the resonance parameters for 232 Th in the resolved resonance region, high resolution transmission and capture measurements are being performed. The measurements are performed at the Time-Of-Flight facility GELINA. A comparison of experimental data resulting from capture (top) and transmission (bottom) are shown. The transmission measurements are performed at a 50 m flight path. The neutron are detected with a 0.25' thick lithium glass (NE912) placed in an Al sphere and viewed by a 5' EMI KQB photomultiplier orthogonal to the neutron beam axis. The injection of a stabilised light pulse in the detector during the measurements provided an efficient tool to control to better than 1% the gain of the entire electronics. The experimental set-up includes a sample-changer, placed at 23 m from the neutron source, which is driven by the acquisition system. The determination of the flight path length, was based on transmission of the 6.673 eV resonance of 238 U. We summarise, for the different energy regions of interest, the scheduled measurement conditions: the operation frequency of the accelerator and the target thickness. A simultaneous analysis of the data using REFIT will result in the resonance parameters from 0 to 4 keV. We show the result of a resonance shape analysis for the resonances at 21.8 and 23.5 eV. The resulting resonance parameters are important for the energy calibration and normalisation of the capture measurements in both the resolved and unresolved resonance region. The capture measurements are completed and were performed at a 60 m flight path. The sample consisted of a metallic natural thorium disc of 8 cm diameter and 1.0 mm thick, corresponding to a thickness of 3.176 10 -3 at/b. The neutron flux was measured with an ionisation chamber loaded with three back-to-back layers of about 40 μg/cm 2 10 B. The gamma rays, originating from the 232 Th(n,γ) reaction, were detected by four C 6 D 6 -based liquid scintillators (NE230) placed

  16. Diagnostic value of the coronary CT scan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiuchi, Sousuke

    1982-01-01

    Using high-resolution computed tomography, coronary scanning has been made to investigate the radiographical details of the middle and inner ear organs. Twenty patients with chronic otitis media, secondary cholesteatoma, sensorineural hearing loss, facial spasm, and suspected meningitis, were evaluated. In 26 of 40 ears in this series, the coronary scans sharply outlined almost all of the bony structures, and showed also the eardrum as a clearly defined soft tissue, but no abnormal radiographical findings were recognized. In the remaining ears with chronic otitis media, the scans were valuable in demonstration of mucosal thickening, granulation tissue, and destruction of the auditory ossicles. (author)

  17. Electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy of the high temperature crystal structures of GexSb2Te3+x (x=1,2,3) phase change material

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kooi, B.J.; de Hosson, J.T.M.

    2002-01-01

    The crystal structures of GeSb2Te4, Ge2Sb2Te5, and Ge3Sb2Te6 were determined using electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The structure determined for the former two crystals deviates from the ones proposed in the literature. These crystal structures were

  18. Development of a segmented gamma ray scanning system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Rongbao; Tan Yajun; Yuan Xiaoxin

    1994-01-01

    A segmented gamma ray scanning system is developed for the purposes of non-destructive assay of the contents of uranium, plutonium or fission products existing in packed low density or medium density nuclear residuals, scrapes or wastes. The near field three-dimensional model for computing CF(AT) is used for cylindrical sample and container, the system developed consists of a transmission source wheel, a rotatable scanning plate, a beam shutter, and annular shielding body, stepping motors and control system, HPGe detector, nuclear electronics and computer. The full scale scanning of samples, spectrum accumulation and data reduction could be fulfilled automatically according to preset standard procedures. The radioisotopes of 169 Yb and 75 Se and used as the transmission sources for assaying 235 U and potential 239 Pu respectively. The calibration experiments using 1 liter solution sample of 192 Ir and 235 U is performed. The standard deviations were obtained for 192 Ir γ rays of 295 keV, 308 keV and 316 keV are +- 0.41%, +- 0.29% and +-0.42% respectively. The standard divination for 235 U 185 keV γ ray is +- 0.62%

  19. Fabrication of thin TEM sample of ionic liquid for high-resolution ELNES measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miyata, Tomohiro, E-mail: tomo-m@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Mizoguchi, Teruyasu, E-mail: teru@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp

    2017-07-15

    Investigation of the local structure, ionic and molecular behavior, and chemical reactions at high spatial resolutions in liquids has become increasingly important. Improvements in these areas help to develop efficient batteries and improve organic syntheses. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning-TEM (STEM) have excellent spatial resolution, and the electron energy-loss near edge structure (ELNES) measured by the accompanied electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) is effective to analyze the liquid local structure owing to reflecting the electronic density of states. In this study, we fabricate a liquid-layer-only sample with thickness of single to tens nanometers using an ionic liquid. Because the liquid film has a thickness much less than the inelastic mean free path (IMFP) of the electron beam, the fine structure of the C-K edge electron energy loss near edge structure (ELNES) can be measured with sufficient resolution to allow meaningful analysis. The ELNES spectrum from the thin liquid film has been interpreted using first principles ELNES calculations. - Highlights: • A fabrication method of thin liquid film samples for STEM-EELS observations is proposed. • The thickness of the fabricated thin liquid film is about 10 nm. • An ELNES is measured from the thin liquid with a high energy resolution. • The peaks of the ELNES are interpreted using first principles calculations.

  20. Polarized differential-phase laser scanning microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chou Chien; Lyu, C.-W.; Peng, L.-C.

    2001-01-01

    A polarized differential-phase laser scanning microscope, which combines a polarized optical heterodyne Mach-Zehnder interferometer and a differential amplifier to scan the topographic image of a surface, is proposed. In the experiment the differential amplifier, which acts as a PM-AM converter, in the experiment, converting phase modulation (PM) into amplitude modulation (AM). Then a novel, to our knowledge, phase demodulator was proposed and implemented for the differential-phase laser scanning microscope. An optical grating (1800 lp/mm) was imaged. The lateral and the depth resolutions of the imaging system were 0.5 μm and 1 nm, respectively. The detection accuracy, which was limited by the reflectivity variation of the test surface, is discussed

  1. Scanning transmission x-ray microscopy of polymer nanoparticles: probing morphology on sub-10 nm length scales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burke, Kerry B; Stapleton, Andrew J; Vaughan, Ben; Zhou, Xiaojing; Kilcoyne, A L David; Belcher, Warwick J; Dastoor, Paul C

    2011-07-01

    Water-processable nanoparticle dispersions of semiconducting polymers offer an attractive approach to the fabrication of organic electronic devices since they offer: (1) control of nanoscale morphology and (2) environmentally friendly fabrication. Although the nature of phase segregation in these polymer nanoparticles is critical to device performance, to date there have been no techniques available to directly determine their intra-particle structure, which consequently has been poorly understood. Here, we present scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) compositional maps for nanoparticles fabricated from poly(9,9-dioctyl-fluorene-2,7-diyl-co-bis-N, N'-(4-butylphenyl)-bis-N, N'-phenyl-1,4-phenylenedi-amine) (PFB) and poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-2,7-diyl-co-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT) 1:1 blend mixtures. The images show distinct phase segregation within the nanoparticles. The compositional data reveals that, within these nanoparticles, PFB and F8BT segregate into a core-shell morphology, with an F8BT-rich core and a PFB-rich shell. Structural modelling demonstrates that the STXM technique is capable of quantifying morphological features on a sub-10 nm length scale; below the spot size of the incident focused x-ray beam. These results have important implications for the development of water-based 'solar paints' fabricated from microemulsions of semiconducting polymers.

  2. Scanning transmission x-ray microscopy of polymer nanoparticles: probing morphology on sub-10 nm length scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burke, Kerry B.; Stapleton, Andrew J.; Vaughan, Ben; Zhou, Xiaojing; Kilcoyne, A. L. David; Belcher, Warwick J.; Dastoor, Paul C.

    2011-07-01

    Water-processable nanoparticle dispersions of semiconducting polymers offer an attractive approach to the fabrication of organic electronic devices since they offer: (1) control of nanoscale morphology and (2) environmentally friendly fabrication. Although the nature of phase segregation in these polymer nanoparticles is critical to device performance, to date there have been no techniques available to directly determine their intra-particle structure, which consequently has been poorly understood. Here, we present scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) compositional maps for nanoparticles fabricated from poly(9,9-dioctyl-fluorene-2,7-diyl-co-bis-N, N'-(4-butylphenyl)-bis-N, N'-phenyl-1,4-phenylenedi-amine) (PFB) and poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-2,7-diyl-co-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT) 1:1 blend mixtures. The images show distinct phase segregation within the nanoparticles. The compositional data reveals that, within these nanoparticles, PFB and F8BT segregate into a core-shell morphology, with an F8BT-rich core and a PFB-rich shell. Structural modelling demonstrates that the STXM technique is capable of quantifying morphological features on a sub-10 nm length scale; below the spot size of the incident focused x-ray beam. These results have important implications for the development of water-based 'solar paints' fabricated from microemulsions of semiconducting polymers.

  3. Scanning transmission x-ray microscopy of polymer nanoparticles: probing morphology on sub-10 nm length scales

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burke, Kerry B; Stapleton, Andrew J; Vaughan, Ben; Zhou Xiaojing; Belcher, Warwick J; Dastoor, Paul C; Kilcoyne, A L David

    2011-01-01

    Water-processable nanoparticle dispersions of semiconducting polymers offer an attractive approach to the fabrication of organic electronic devices since they offer: (1) control of nanoscale morphology and (2) environmentally friendly fabrication. Although the nature of phase segregation in these polymer nanoparticles is critical to device performance, to date there have been no techniques available to directly determine their intra-particle structure, which consequently has been poorly understood. Here, we present scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) compositional maps for nanoparticles fabricated from poly(9,9-dioctyl-fluorene-2,7-diyl-co-bis-N, N ' -(4-butylphenyl)-bis-N, N ' -phenyl-1,4-phenylenedi-amine) (PFB) and poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-2,7-diyl-co-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT) 1:1 blend mixtures. The images show distinct phase segregation within the nanoparticles. The compositional data reveals that, within these nanoparticles, PFB and F8BT segregate into a core-shell morphology, with an F8BT-rich core and a PFB-rich shell. Structural modelling demonstrates that the STXM technique is capable of quantifying morphological features on a sub-10 nm length scale; below the spot size of the incident focused x-ray beam. These results have important implications for the development of water-based 'solar paints' fabricated from microemulsions of semiconducting polymers.

  4. Observation of quantized vortices by cryocooler-based scanning Hall probe microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tokunaga, Y.; Konishi, Y.; Tokunaga, M.; Tamegai, T

    2004-10-01

    We have developed a scanning Hall probe microscope (SHPM) system utilizing closed-cycle cryocooler. The Hall probe used in this system is fabricated from a GaAs/GaAlAs two-dimensional electron gas. A stepping-motor-driven XYZ translator is used with a resolution better than 0.1 {mu}m and maximum scan range of 20 x 20 mm{sup 2}. The spatial resolution of the system is about 5 {mu}m and magnetic resolution is about 100 mG. By using this system, we have successfully resolved the quantized vortices on the cleaved surface of Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8+y} single crystal.

  5. Impact of attenuation correction strategies on the quantification of High Resolution Research Tomograph PET studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Velden, Floris H P van; Kloet, Reina W; Berckel, Bart N M van; Molthoff, Carla F M; Jong, Hugo W A M de; Lammertsma, Adriaan A; Boellaard, Ronald

    2008-01-01

    In this study, the quantitative accuracy of different attenuation correction strategies presently available for the High Resolution Research Tomograph (HRRT) was investigated. These attenuation correction methods differ in reconstruction and processing (segmentation) algorithms used for generating a μ-image from measured 2D transmission scans, an intermediate step in the generation of 3D attenuation correction factors. Available methods are maximum-a-posteriori reconstruction (MAP-TR), unweighted OSEM (UW-OSEM) and NEC-TR, which transforms sinogram values back to their noise equivalent counts (NEC) to restore Poisson distribution. All methods can be applied with or without μ-image segmentation. However, for MAP-TR a μ-histogram is a prior during reconstruction. All possible strategies were evaluated using phantoms of various sizes, simulating preclinical and clinical situations. Furthermore, effects of emission contamination of the transmission scan on the accuracy of various attenuation correction strategies were studied. Finally, the accuracy of various attenuation corrections strategies and its relative impact on the reconstructed activity concentration (AC) were evaluated using small animal and human brain studies. For small structures, MAP-TR with human brain priors showed smaller differences in μ-values for transmission scans with and without emission contamination (<8%) than the other methods (<26%). In addition, it showed best agreement with true AC (deviation <4.5%). A specific prior designed to take into account the presence of small animal fixation devices only very slightly improved AC precision to 4.3%. All methods scaled μ-values of a large homogeneous phantom to within 4% of the water peak, but MAP-TR provided most accurate AC after reconstruction. However, for clinical data MAP-TR using the default prior settings overestimated the thickness of the skull, resulting in overestimations of μ-values in regions near the skull and thus in incorrect

  6. Theory and feasibility tests for a seismic scanning tunnelling macroscope

    KAUST Repository

    Schuster, Gerard T.

    2012-09-01

    We propose a seismic scanning tunnelling macroscope (SSTM) that can detect subwavelength scatterers in the near-field of either the source or the receivers. Analytic formulas for the time reverse mirror (TRM) profile associated with a single scatterer model show that the spatial resolution limit to be, unlike the Abbe limit of λ/2, independent of wavelength and linearly proportional to the source-scatterer separation as long as the scatterer is in the near-field region. This means that, as the scatterer approaches the source, imaging of the scatterer with super-resolution can be achieved. Acoustic and elastic simulations support this concept, and a seismic experiment in an Arizona tunnel shows a TRM profile with super-resolution adjacent to the fault location. The SSTM is analogous to the optical scanning tunnelling microscopes having subwavelength resolution. Scaled to seismic frequencies, it is theoretically possible to extract 100 Hz information from 20 Hz data by the imaging of near-field seismic energy.

  7. Imaging by Electrochemical Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Deconvolution Resolving More Details of Surfaces Nanomorphology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Jens Enevold Thaulov

    observed in high-resolution images of metallic nanocrystallites may be effectively deconvoluted, as to resolve more details of the crystalline morphology (see figure). Images of surface-crystalline metals indicate that more than a single atomic layer is involved in mediating the tunneling current......Upon imaging, electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (ESTM), scanning electrochemical micro-scopy (SECM) and in situ STM resolve information on electronic structures and on surface topography. At very high resolution, imaging processing is required, as to obtain information that relates...... to crystallographic-surface structures. Within the wide range of new technologies, those images surface features, the electrochemical scanning tunneling microscope (ESTM) provides means of atomic resolution where the tip participates actively in the process of imaging. Two metallic surfaces influence ions trapped...

  8. Oversampling in the computed tomography measurements applied for bone structure studies as a method of spatial resolution improvement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tatoń, Grzegorz; Rokita, Eugeniusz; Rok, Tomasz; Beckmann, Felix

    2012-01-01

    Our purpose was to check the potential ability of oversampling as a method for computed tomography axial resolution improvement. The method of achieving isotropic and fine resolution, when the scanning system is characterized by anisotropic resolutions is proposed. In case of typical clinical system the axial resolution is much lower than the planar one. The idea relies on the scanning with a wide overlapping layers and subsequent resolution recovery on the level of scanning step. Simulated three-dimensional images, as well as the real microtomographic images of rat femoral bone were used in proposed solution tests. Original high resolution images were virtually scanned with a wide beam and a small step in order to simulate the real measurements. The low resolution image series were subsequently processed in order to back to the original fine one. Original, virtually scanned and recovered images resolutions were compared with the use of modulation transfer function (MTF). A good ability of oversampling as a method for the resolution recovery was showed. It was confirmed by comparing the resolving powers after and before resolution recovery. The MTF analysis showed resolution improvement. The resolution improvement was achieved but the image noise raised considerably, which is clearly visible on image histograms. Despite this disadvantage the proposed method can be successfully used in practice, especially in the trabecular bone studies because of high contrast between trabeculae and intertrabecular spaces

  9. Crystal structure and defects of Zr4Co4Si7( V-phase) investigated by high resolution transmission electron microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mao, J.F.; Ye, H.Q.; Ning, X.G.; He, L.L.; Yang, D.Z.

    1997-01-01

    The results of high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) observation and image simulation show that Zr 4 Co 4 Si 7 possesses the same structure type of Zr 4 Co 4 Ge 7 . Adding of Fe or Ni into the Zr 4 Co 4 Si 7 compound, except that the dimensions changed slightly, does not change the lattice type and coordination in the crystal structure, maintaining the V-phase structure. Also, twins with coherent boundaries and with partially coherent at interfaces are observed. The image conditions of Zr 4 Co 4 Si 7 and the structure differences between Zr 4 Co 4 Si 7 and tetrahedral close-packed phases are also discussed. copyright 1997 Materials Research Society

  10. Activation-induced deoxycytidine deaminase (AID) co-transcriptional scanning at single-molecule resolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senavirathne, Gayan; Bertram, Jeffrey G.; Jaszczur, Malgorzata; Chaurasiya, Kathy R.; Pham, Phuong; Mak, Chi H.; Goodman, Myron F.; Rueda, David

    2015-12-01

    Activation-induced deoxycytidine deaminase (AID) generates antibody diversity in B cells by initiating somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class-switch recombination (CSR) during transcription of immunoglobulin variable (IgV) and switch region (IgS) DNA. Using single-molecule FRET, we show that AID binds to transcribed dsDNA and translocates unidirectionally in concert with RNA polymerase (RNAP) on moving transcription bubbles, while increasing the fraction of stalled bubbles. AID scans randomly when constrained in an 8 nt model bubble. When unconstrained on single-stranded (ss) DNA, AID moves in random bidirectional short slides/hops over the entire molecule while remaining bound for ~5 min. Our analysis distinguishes dynamic scanning from static ssDNA creasing. That AID alone can track along with RNAP during transcription and scan within stalled transcription bubbles suggests a mechanism by which AID can initiate SHM and CSR when properly regulated, yet when unregulated can access non-Ig genes and cause cancer.

  11. Sub-Airy Confocal Adaptive Optics Scanning Ophthalmoscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sredar, Nripun; Fagbemi, Oladipo E; Dubra, Alfredo

    2018-04-01

    To demonstrate the viability of improving transverse image resolution in reflectance scanning adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy using sub-Airy disk confocal detection. The foveal cone mosaic was imaged in five human subjects free of known eye disease using two custom adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopes (AOSLOs) in reflectance with 7.75 and 4.30 mm pupil diameters. Confocal pinholes of 0.5, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 Airy disk diameters (ADDs) were used in a retinal conjugate plane before the light detector. Average cone photoreceptor intensity profile width and power spectrum were calculated for the resulting images. Detected energy using a model eye was recorded for each pinhole size. The cone photoreceptor mosaic is better resolved with decreasing confocal pinhole size, with the high spatial frequency content of the images enhanced in both the large- and small-pupil AOSLOs. The average cone intensity profile width was reduced by ∼15% with the use of a 0.5 ADD pinhole when compared to a 1.0 ADD, with an accompanying reduction in signal greater than a factor of four. The use of sub-Airy disk confocal pinhole detection without increasing retinal light exposure results in a substantial improvement in image resolution at the cost of larger than predicted signal reduction. Improvement in transverse resolution using sub-Airy disk confocal detection is a practical and low-cost approach that is applicable to all point- and line-scanning ophthalmoscopes, including optical coherence tomographers.

  12. Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dušan Vobornik

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available An average human eye can see details down to 0,07 mm in size. The ability to see smaller details of the matter is correlated with the development of the science and the comprehension of the nature. Today’s science needs eyes for the nano-world. Examples are easily found in biology and medical sciences. There is a great need to determine shape, size, chemical composition, molecular structure and dynamic properties of nano-structures. To do this, microscopes with high spatial, spectral and temporal resolution are required. Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy (SNOM is a new step in the evolution of microscopy. The conventional, lens-based microscopes have their resolution limited by diffraction. SNOM is not subject to this limitation and can offer up to 70 times better resolution.

  13. Scanning near-field optical microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vobornik, Dusan; Vobornik, Slavenka

    2008-02-01

    An average human eye can see details down to 0,07 mm in size. The ability to see smaller details of the matter is correlated with the development of the science and the comprehension of the nature. Today's science needs eyes for the nano-world. Examples are easily found in biology and medical sciences. There is a great need to determine shape, size, chemical composition, molecular structure and dynamic properties of nano-structures. To do this, microscopes with high spatial, spectral and temporal resolution are required. Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy (SNOM) is a new step in the evolution of microscopy. The conventional, lens-based microscopes have their resolution limited by diffraction. SNOM is not subject to this limitation and can offer up to 70 times better resolution.

  14. Interpretation of the two-components observed in high resolution X-ray diffraction {omega} scan peaks for mosaic ZnO thin films grown on c-sapphire substrates using pulsed laser deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Durand, O., E-mail: olivier.durand@insa-rennes.fr [Universite Europeenne de Bretagne, INSA, FOTON, UMR 6082, 20 avenue des Buttes de Coesmes, F-35708 RENNES (France); Letoublon, A. [Universite Europeenne de Bretagne, INSA, FOTON, UMR 6082, 20 avenue des Buttes de Coesmes, F-35708 RENNES (France); Rogers, D.J. [Nanovation SARL, 103 bis rue de Versailles, 91400 Orsay (France); SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 9SS (United Kingdom); Hosseini Teherani, F. [Nanovation SARL, 103 bis rue de Versailles, 91400 Orsay (France)

    2011-07-29

    X-ray scattering methods were applied to the study of thin mosaic ZnO layers deposited on c-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrates using Pulsed Laser Deposition. High Resolution (HR) studies revealed two components in the {omega} scans (transverse scans) which were not resolved in conventional 'open-detector' {omega} rocking curves: a narrow, resolution-limited, peak, characteristic of long-range correlation, and a broad peak, attributed to defect-related diffuse-scattering inducing a limited transverse structural correlation length. Thus, for such mosaic films, the conventional {omega} rocking curve Full Width at Half Maximum linewidth was found to be ill-adapted as an overall figure-of-merit for the structural quality, in that the different contributions were not meaningfully represented. A 'Williamson-Hall like' integral breadth (IB) metric for the HR (00.l) transverse-scans was thus developed as a reliable, fast, accurate and robust alternative to the rocking curve linewidth for routine non-destructive testing of such mosaic thin films. For a typical ZnO/c-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} film, the IB method gave a limited structural correlation length of 110 nm {+-} 9 nm. The results are coherent with a thin film containing misfit dislocations at the film-substrate interface.

  15. Development of a transmission positron microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matsuya, M., E-mail: matsuya@jeol.co.jp [JEOL Ltd., 1-2 Musashino, 3-Chome, Akishima, Tokyo 196-8558 (Japan); Jinno, S. [Department of Applied Chemistry, Chiba University, Yayoi, Inage, Chiba, Chiba 263-8552 (Japan); Ootsuka, T.; Inoue, M. [JEOL Ltd., 1-2 Musashino, 3-Chome, Akishima, Tokyo 196-8558 (Japan); Kurihara, T. [High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Oho, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan); Doyama, M.; Inoue, M. [Teikyo University of Science and Technology, Uenohara, Yamanashi 409-0913 (Japan); Fujinami, M. [Department of Applied Chemistry, Chiba University, Yayoi, Inage, Chiba, Chiba 263-8552 (Japan)

    2011-07-21

    A practical transmission positron microscope (TPM) JEM-1011B has been developed to survey differences in the interaction of positron and electron beams with materials, and is installed in the Slow Positron Facility of High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK). The TPM can share positron and electron beams, and can also be used as a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Positron transmission images up to magnification 10,000x (resolution: 50 nm) and positron diffraction patterns up to 044 family were successfully obtained by the TPM comparing them with those of electrons. The differences in material transmittances for both beams have been measured, and can be explained by the calculated results of the Monte Carlo simulation code PENELOPE-2008.

  16. Nanometer-resolution electron microscopy through micrometers-thick water layers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jonge, Niels de, E-mail: niels.de.jonge@vanderbilt.edu [Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Nashville, TN 37232-0615 (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6064 (United States); Poirier-Demers, Nicolas; Demers, Hendrix [Universite de Sherbrooke, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1K 2R1 (Canada); Peckys, Diana B. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6064 (United States); University of Tennessee, Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Knoxville, TN 37996-1605 (United States); Drouin, Dominique [Universite de Sherbrooke, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1K 2R1 (Canada)

    2010-08-15

    Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) was used to image gold nanoparticles on top of and below saline water layers of several micrometers thickness. The smallest gold nanoparticles studied had diameters of 1.4 nm and were visible for a liquid thickness of up to 3.3 {mu}m. The imaging of gold nanoparticles below several micrometers of liquid was limited by broadening of the electron probe caused by scattering of the electron beam in the liquid. The experimental data corresponded to analytical models of the resolution and of the electron probe broadening as function of the liquid thickness. The results were also compared with Monte Carlo simulations of the STEM imaging on modeled specimens of similar geometry and composition as used for the experiments. Applications of STEM imaging in liquid can be found in cell biology, e.g., to study tagged proteins in whole eukaryotic cells in liquid and in materials science to study the interaction of solid:liquid interfaces at the nanoscale.

  17. Bone scan in pediatrics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gordon, I.; Peters, A.M.

    1987-01-01

    In 1984, a survey carried out in 21 countries in Europe showed that bone scintigraphy comprised 16% of all paediatric radioisotope scans. Although the value of bone scans in paediatrics is potentially great, their quality varies greatly, and poor-quality images are giving this valuable technique a bad reputation. The handling of children requires a sensitive staff and the provision of a few simple inexpensive items of distraction. Attempting simply to scan a child between two adult patients in a busy general department is a recipe for an unhappy, uncooperative child with the probable result of poor images. The intravenous injection of isotope should be given adjacent to the gamma camera room, unless dynamic scans are required, so that the child does not associate the camera with the injection. This injection is best carried out by someone competent in paediatric venipunture; the entire procedure should be explained to the child and parent, who should remain with child throughout. It is naive to think that silence makes for a cooperative child. The sensitivity of bone-seeking radioisotope tracers and the marked improvement in gamma camera resolution has allowed the bone scanning to become an integrated technique in the assessment of children suspected of suffering from pathological bone conditions. The tracer most commonly used for routine bone scanning is 99m Tc diphosphonate (MDP); other isotopes used include 99m Tc colloid for bone marrow scans and 67 Ga citrate and 111 In white blood cells ( 111 In WBC) for investigation of inflammatory/infective lesions

  18. Scanning-beam digital x-ray (SBDX) technology for interventional and diagnostic cardiac angiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Speidel, Michael A.; Wilfley, Brian P.; Star-Lack, Josh M.; Heanue, Joseph A.; Van Lysel, Michael S.

    2006-01-01

    The scanning-beam digital x-ray (SBDX) system is designed for x-ray dose reduction in cardiac angiographic applications. Scatter reduction, efficient detection of primary x-rays, and an inverse beam geometry are the main components of the entrance dose reduction strategy. This paper reports the construction of an SBDX prototype, image reconstruction techniques, and measurements of spatial resolution and x-ray output. The x-ray source has a focal spot that is electronically scanned across a large-area transmission target. A multihole collimator beyond the target defines a series of x-ray beams directed at a distant small-area detector array. The prototype has a 23 cmx23 cm target, 100x100 focal spot positions, and a 5 cmx5 cm CdTe detector positioned 150 cm from the target. With this nonmechanical method of beam scanning, patient images with low detected scatter are generated at up to 30 frame/s. SBDX data acquisition is tomosynthetic. The prototype simultaneously reconstructs 16 planes spaced throughout the cardiac volume using shift-and-add backprojection. Image frames analogous to conventional projection images are generated with a multiplane compositing algorithm. Single-plane versus multiplane reconstruction of contrast-filled coronary arteries is demonstrated with images of the porcine heart. Phantom and porcine imaging studies show multiplane reconstruction is practicable under clinically realistic levels of patient attenuation and cardiac motion. The modulation transfer function for an in-plane slit at mechanical isocenter measured 0.41-0.56 at 1 cycle/mm, depending on the detector element to image pixel interpolation technique. Modeling indicates that desired gains in spatial resolution are achievable by halving the detector element width. The x-ray exposure rate 15 cm below isocenter, without table or patient in the beam, measured 11.5 R/min at 120 kVp, 24.3 kWp and 3.42 R/min at 70 kVp, 14.2 kWp

  19. Direct observation of dislocation dissociation and Suzuki segregation in a Mg–Zn–Y alloy by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Zhiqing; Chisholm, Matthew F.; Duscher, Gerd; Ma Xiuliang; Pennycook, Stephen J.

    2013-01-01

    Crystal defects in a plastically deformed Mg–Zn–Y alloy have been studied on the atomic scale using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, providing important structural data for understanding the material’s deformation behavior and strengthening mechanisms. Atomic scale structures of deformation stacking faults resulting from dissociation of different types of dislocations have been characterized experimentally, and modeled. Suzuki segregation of Zn and Y along stacking faults formed through dislocation dissociation during plastic deformation at 300 °C is confirmed experimentally on the atomic level. The stacking fault energy of the Mg–Zn–Y alloy is evaluated to be in the range of 4.0–10.3 mJ m −2 . The newly formed nanometer-wide stacking faults with their Zn/Y segregation in Mg grains play an important role in the superior strength of this alloy at elevated temperatures.

  20. Determination of aberration center of Ronchigram for automated aberration correctors in scanning transmission electron microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sannomiya, Takumi, E-mail: sannomiya@mtl.titech.ac.jp [Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ookayama, Tokyo (Japan); Sawada, Hidetaka; Nakamichi, Tomohiro; Hosokawa, Fumio [JEOL Limited, Akishima, Tokyo (Japan); Nakamura, Yoshio; Tanishiro, Yasumasa; Takayanagi, Kunio [Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ookayama, Tokyo (Japan)

    2013-12-15

    A generic method to determine the aberration center is established, which can be utilized for aberration calculation and axis alignment for aberration corrected electron microscopes. In this method, decentering induced secondary aberrations from inherent primary aberrations are minimized to find the appropriate axis center. The fitness function to find the optimal decentering vector for the axis was defined as a sum of decentering induced secondary aberrations with properly distributed weight values according to the aberration order. Since the appropriate decentering vector is determined from the aberration values calculated at an arbitrary center axis, only one aberration measurement is in principle required to find the center, resulting in /very fast center search. This approach was tested for the Ronchigram based aberration calculation method for aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. Both in simulation and in experiments, the center search was confirmed to work well although the convergence to find the best axis becomes slower with larger primary aberrations. Such aberration center determination is expected to fully automatize the aberration correction procedures, which used to require pre-alignment of experienced users. This approach is also applicable to automated aperture positioning. - Highlights: • A generic method to determine the aberration center is established for (S)TEM. • Decentering induced secondary aberrations are utilized to find the center. • The method is tested on Ronchigrams both in simulation and experiment. • Proper weighting of the aberration gives a good convergence. • Larger primary aberration results in a slower convergence.

  1. Micromotor endoscope catheter for in vivo, ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herz, P. R.; Chen, Y.; Aguirre, A. D.; Schneider, K.; Hsiung, P.; Fujimoto, J. G.; Madden, K.; Schmitt, J.; Goodnow, J.; Petersen, C.

    2004-10-01

    A distally actuated, rotational-scanning micromotor endoscope catheter probe is demonstrated for ultrahigh-resolution in vivo endoscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. The probe permits focus adjustment for visualization of tissue morphology at varying depths with improved transverse resolution compared with standard OCT imaging probes. The distal actuation avoids nonuniform scanning motion artifacts that are present with other probe designs and can permit a wider range of imaging speeds. Ultrahigh-resolution endoscopic imaging is demonstrated in a rabbit with micromotor endoscope catheter probe promises to improve OCT imaging performance in future endoscopic imaging applications.

  2. Linear versus non-linear structural information limit in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Aert, S.; Chen, J.H.; Van Dyck, D.

    2010-01-01

    A widely used performance criterion in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) is the information limit. It corresponds to the inverse of the maximum spatial object frequency that is linearly transmitted with sufficient intensity from the exit plane of the object to the image plane and is limited due to partial temporal coherence. In practice, the information limit is often measured from a diffractogram or from Young's fringes assuming a weak phase object scattering beyond the inverse of the information limit. However, for an aberration corrected electron microscope, with an information limit in the sub-angstrom range, weak phase objects are no longer applicable since they do not scatter sufficiently in this range. Therefore, one relies on more strongly scattering objects such as crystals of heavy atoms observed along a low index zone axis. In that case, dynamical scattering becomes important such that the non-linear and linear interaction may be equally important. The non-linear interaction may then set the experimental cut-off frequency observed in a diffractogram. The goal of this paper is to quantify both the linear and the non-linear information transfer in terms of closed form analytical expressions. Whereas the cut-off frequency set by the linear transfer can be directly related with the attainable resolution, information from the non-linear transfer can only be extracted using quantitative, model-based methods. In contrast to the historic definition of the information limit depending on microscope parameters only, the expressions derived in this paper explicitly incorporate their dependence on the structure parameters as well. In order to emphasize this dependence and to distinguish from the usual information limit, the expressions derived for the inverse cut-off frequencies will be referred to as the linear and non-linear structural information limit. The present findings confirm the well-known result that partial temporal coherence has

  3. FEI Titan 80-300 STEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marc Heggen

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The FEI Titan 80-300 STEM is a scanning transmission electron microscope equipped with a field emission electron gun, a three-condenser lens system, a monochromator unit, and a Cs probe corrector (CEOS, a post-column energy filter system (Gatan Tridiem 865 ER as well as a Gatan 2k slow scan CCD system. Characterised by a STEM resolution of 80 pm at 300 kV, the instrument was one of the first of a small number of sub-ångström resolution scanning transmission electron microscopes in the world when commissioned in 2006.

  4. Direct observation of atoms on surfaces by scanning tunnelling microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baldeschwieler, J.D.

    1989-01-01

    The scanning tunnelling microscope is a non-destructive means of achieving atomic level resolution of crystal surfaces in real space to elucidate surface structures, electronic properties and chemical composition. Scanning tunnelling microscope is a powerful, real space surface structure probe complementary to other techniques such as x-ray diffraction. 21 refs., 8 figs

  5. Regimes of data output from an automated scanning system into a computer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ovsov, Yu.V.; Shaislamov, P.T.

    1984-01-01

    A method is described for accomplishment of rather a complex algorithm of various coordinate and service data transmission from different automated scanning system devices into a monitoring computer in the automated system for processing images from bubble chambers. The accepted data output algorithm and the developed appropriate equipment enable data transmission both in separate words and word arrays

  6. A scanning probe microscope for magnetoresistive cantilevers utilizing a nested scanner design for large-area scans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tobias Meier

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available We describe an atomic force microscope (AFM for the characterization of self-sensing tunneling magnetoresistive (TMR cantilevers. Furthermore, we achieve a large scan-range with a nested scanner design of two independent piezo scanners: a small high resolution scanner with a scan range of 5 × 5 × 5 μm3 is mounted on a large-area scanner with a scan range of 800 × 800 × 35 μm3. In order to characterize TMR sensors on AFM cantilevers as deflection sensors, the AFM is equipped with a laser beam deflection setup to measure the deflection of the cantilevers independently. The instrument is based on a commercial AFM controller and capable to perform large-area scanning directly without stitching of images. Images obtained on different samples such as calibration standard, optical grating, EPROM chip, self-assembled monolayers and atomic step-edges of gold demonstrate the high stability of the nested scanner design and the performance of self-sensing TMR cantilevers.

  7. Application of two-dimensional crystallography and image processing to atomic resolution Z-contrast images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, David G; Ramasse, Quentin M; Browning, Nigel D

    2009-06-01

    Zone axis images recorded using high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM or Z-contrast imaging) reveal the atomic structure with a resolution that is defined by the probe size of the microscope. In most cases, the full images contain many sub-images of the crystal unit cell and/or interface structure. Thanks to the repetitive nature of these images, it is possible to apply standard image processing techniques that have been developed for the electron crystallography of biological macromolecules and have been used widely in other fields of electron microscopy for both organic and inorganic materials. These methods can be used to enhance the signal-to-noise present in the original images, to remove distortions in the images that arise from either the instrumentation or the specimen itself and to quantify properties of the material in ways that are difficult without such data processing. In this paper, we describe briefly the theory behind these image processing techniques and demonstrate them for aberration-corrected, high-resolution HAADF-STEM images of Si(46) clathrates developed for hydrogen storage.

  8. Development of an ultra wide band microwave radar based footwear scanning system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rezgui, Nacer Ddine; Bowring, Nicholas J.; Andrews, David A.; Harmer, Stuart W.; Southgate, Matthew J.; O'Reilly, Dean

    2013-10-01

    At airports, security screening can cause long delays. In order to speed up screening a solution to avoid passengers removing their shoes to have them X-ray scanned is required. To detect threats or contraband items hidden within the shoe, a method of screening using frequency swept signals between 15 to 40 GHz has been developed, where the scan is carried out whilst the shoes are being worn. Most footwear is transparent to microwaves to some extent in this band. The scans, data processing and interpretation of the 2D image of the cross section of the shoe are completed in a few seconds. Using safe low power UWB radar, scattered signals from the shoe can be observed which are caused by changes in material properties such as cavities, dielectric or metal objects concealed within the shoe. By moving the transmission horn along the length of the shoe a 2D image corresponding to a cross section through the footwear is built up, which can be interpreted by the user, or automatically, to reveal the presence of concealed threat within the shoe. A prototype system with a resolution of 6 mm or less has been developed and results obtained for a wide range of commonly worn footwear, some modified by the inclusion of concealed material. Clear differences between the measured images of modified and unmodified shoes are seen. Procedures for enhancing the image through electronic image synthesis techniques and image processing methods are discussed and preliminary performance data presented.

  9. Analysis of retarding field energy analyzer transmission by simulation of ion trajectories

    Science.gov (United States)

    van de Ven, T. H. M.; de Meijere, C. A.; van der Horst, R. M.; van Kampen, M.; Banine, V. Y.; Beckers, J.

    2018-04-01

    Retarding field energy analyzers (RFEAs) are used routinely for the measurement of ion energy distribution functions. By contrast, their ability to measure ion flux densities has been considered unreliable because of lack of knowledge about the effective transmission of the RFEA grids. In this work, we simulate the ion trajectories through a three-gridded RFEA using the simulation software SIMION. Using idealized test cases, it is shown that at high ion energy (i.e., >100 eV) the transmission is equal to the optical transmission rather than the product of the individual grid transparencies. Below 20 eV, ion trajectories are strongly influenced by the electric fields in between the grids. In this region, grid alignment and ion focusing effects contribute to fluctuations in transmission with ion energy. Subsequently the model has been used to simulate the transmission and energy resolution of an experimental RFEA probe. Grid misalignments reduce the transmission fluctuations at low energy. The model predicts the minimum energy resolution, which has been confirmed experimentally by irradiating the probe with a beam of ions with a small energy bandwidth.

  10. Improving the scanning speed of atomic force microscopy at the scanning range of several tens of micrometers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Yanyan; Hu, Xiaodong; Xu, Linyan; Hu, Xiaotang

    2013-01-01

    The atomic force microscope (AFM) is a powerful instrument which can measure the surface of samples at the nanoscale. The resonance of the scanner in xy directions, and the feedback control in the z direction are two major sources of image distortion at high scan speed. In order to improve the scanning speed of the AFM, a low-cost and easy method, which includes sinusoidal scans in the fast scan direction, and an intelligent fuzzy controller in the z direction, is proposed in this paper. The use of a single-frequency driving signal in the fast scan direction allows the scanner to move at a higher speed without exciting its mechanical resonance. The intelligent fuzzy controller automatically selects appropriate PI parameters through the analysis of the tracking errors, thus improving the dynamic tracking performance of the z scanner. The development and functioning of the sinusoidal fast scans and the intelligent fuzzy controller are demonstrated, as well as how this approach significantly achieves faster scans and a higher resolution AFM imaging. -- Highlights: ► The sinusoidal scan and the intelligent controller are used to improve AFM's rate. ► A new method is raised to overcome the nonlinearity caused by the sinusoidal scan. ► A new controller is proposed to improve the performance of the vertical direction.

  11. Depth sectioning using electron energy loss spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D'Alfonso, A J; Findlay, S D; Allen, L J; Cosgriff, E C; Kirkland, A I; Nellist, P D; Oxley, M P

    2008-01-01

    The continued development of electron probe aberration correctors for scanning transmission electron microscopy has enabled finer electron probes, allowing atomic resolution column-by-column electron energy loss spectroscopy. Finer electron probes have also led to a decrease in the probe depth of focus, facilitating optical slicing or depth sectioning of samples. The inclusion of post specimen aberration corrected image forming lenses allows for scanning confocal electron microscopy with further improved depth resolution and selectivity. We show that in both scanning transmission electron microscopy and scanning confocal electron microscopy geometries, by performing a three dimensional raster scan through a specimen and detecting electrons scattered with a characteristic energy loss, it will be possible to determine the location of isolated impurities embedded within the bulk.

  12. Improvement of chirped pulse contrast using electro-optic birefringence scanning filter method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zeng Shuguang; Wang Xianglin; Wang Qishan; Zhang Bin; Sun Nianchun; Wang Fei

    2013-01-01

    A method using scanning filter to improve the contrast of chirped pulse is proposed, and the principle of this method is analyzed. The scanning filter is compared with the existing pulse-picking technique and nonlinear filtering technique. The scanning filter is a temporal gate that is independent on the intensity of the pulses, but on the instantaneous wavelengths of light. Taking the electro-optic birefringence scanning filter as an example, the application of scanning filter methods is illustrated. Based on numerical simulation and experimental research, it is found that the electro-optic birefringence scanning filter can eliminate a prepulse which is several hundred picoseconds before the main pulse, and the main pulse can maintain a high transmissivity. (authors)

  13. Interfacial scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) of chalcogenide/metal hybrid nanostructure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saad, Mahmoud M.; Abdallah, Tamer [Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, Cairo (Egypt); Easawi, Khalid; Negm, Sohair [Department of Physics and Mathematics, Faculty of Engineering (Shoubra), Benha University (Egypt); Talaat, Hassan, E-mail: hassantalaat@hotmail.com [Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, Cairo (Egypt)

    2015-05-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Comparing band gaps values obtained optically with STS. • Comparing direct imaging with calculated dimensions. • STS determination of the interfacial band bending of metal/chalcogenide. - Abstract: The electronic structure at the interface of chalcogenide/metal hybrid nanostructure (CdSe–Au tipped) had been studied by UHV scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) technique at room temperature. This nanostructure was synthesized by a phase transfer chemical method. The optical absorption of this hybrid nanostructure was recorded, and the application of the effective mass approximation (EMA) model gave dimensions that were confirmed by the direct measurements using the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) as well as the high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). The energy band gap obtained by STS agrees with the values obtained from the optical absorption. Moreover, the STS at the interface of CdSe–Au tipped hybrid nanostructure between CdSe of size about 4.1 ± 0.19 nm and Au tip of size about 3.5 ± 0.29 nm shows a band bending about 0.18 ± 0.03 eV in CdSe down in the direction of the interface. Such a result gives a direct observation of the electron accumulation at the interface of CdSe–Au tipped hybrid nanostructure, consistent with its energy band diagram. The presence of the electron accumulation at the interface of chalcogenides with metals has an important implication for hybrid nanoelectronic devices and the newly developed plasmon/chalcogenide photovoltaic solar energy conversion.

  14. Scanning transmission x-ray microscopy of polymer nanoparticles: probing morphology on sub-10 nm length scales

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burke, Kerry B; Stapleton, Andrew J; Vaughan, Ben; Zhou Xiaojing; Belcher, Warwick J; Dastoor, Paul C [Centre for Organic Electronics, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308 (Australia); Kilcoyne, A L David, E-mail: Paul.Dastoor@newcastle.edu.au [Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)

    2011-07-01

    Water-processable nanoparticle dispersions of semiconducting polymers offer an attractive approach to the fabrication of organic electronic devices since they offer: (1) control of nanoscale morphology and (2) environmentally friendly fabrication. Although the nature of phase segregation in these polymer nanoparticles is critical to device performance, to date there have been no techniques available to directly determine their intra-particle structure, which consequently has been poorly understood. Here, we present scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) compositional maps for nanoparticles fabricated from poly(9,9-dioctyl-fluorene-2,7-diyl-co-bis-N, N{sup '}-(4-butylphenyl)-bis-N, N{sup '}-phenyl-1,4-phenylenedi-amine) (PFB) and poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-2,7-diyl-co-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT) 1:1 blend mixtures. The images show distinct phase segregation within the nanoparticles. The compositional data reveals that, within these nanoparticles, PFB and F8BT segregate into a core-shell morphology, with an F8BT-rich core and a PFB-rich shell. Structural modelling demonstrates that the STXM technique is capable of quantifying morphological features on a sub-10 nm length scale; below the spot size of the incident focused x-ray beam. These results have important implications for the development of water-based 'solar paints' fabricated from microemulsions of semiconducting polymers.

  15. Analysis of the dopant distribution in Co-deposited organic thin films by scanning transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paredes, Yolanda A.; Campos, Andrea P.C.; Achete, Carlos A.; Cremona, Marco

    2015-01-01

    Organic light-emitting diodes using phosphorescent dyes (PHOLEDs) have excellent performance, with internal quantum efficiencies approaching 100%. To maximize their performance, PHOLED devices use a conductive organic host material with a sufficiently dispersed phosphorescent guest to avoid concentration quenching. Fac-tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium, [Ir(ppy)_3] is one of the most widely used green phosphorescent organic compounds. In this work, we used scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) equipped with HAADF (high-angle annular dark-field) and EDS (energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) detectors to analyze the distribution of the [Ir(ppy)_3] concentration in the host material. This analysis technique, employed for the first time in co-deposited organic thin films, can simultaneously obtain an image and its respective chemical information, allowing for definitive characterization of the distribution and morphology of [Ir(ppy)_3]. The technique was also used to analyze the effect of the vibration of the substrate during thermal co-deposition of the [Ir(ppy)_3] molecules into an organic matrix. - Highlights: • We present a methodology to analyze the dopant distribution in organic thin films. • The method combines HAADF-STEM imaging and EDS X-ray spectroscopy. • Ir(ppy)_3 dopant was co-deposited into Spiro2-CBP organic matrix. • The dopant was co-deposited with and without substrate vibration. • Images and chemical information of the dopant were simultaneously obtained.

  16. Evaluation of crystallographic strain, rotation and defects in functional oxides by the moiré effect in scanning transmission electron microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naden, A. B.; O'Shea, K. J.; MacLaren, D. A.

    2018-04-01

    Moiré patterns in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images of epitaxial perovskite oxides are used to assess strain and defect densities over fields of view extending over several hundred nanometers. The patterns arise from the geometric overlap of the rastered STEM electron beam and the samples’ crystal periodicities and we explore the emergence and application of these moiré fringes for rapid strain analysis. Using the epitaxial functional oxide perovskites BiFeO3 and Pr1-x Ca x MnO3, we discuss the impact of large degrees of strain on the quantification of STEM moiré patterns, identify defects in the fringe patterns and quantify strain and lattice rotation. Such a wide-area analysis of crystallographic strain and defects is crucial for developing structure-function relations of functional oxides and we find the STEM moiré technique to be an attractive means of structural assessment that can be readily applied to low dose studies of damage sensitive crystalline materials.

  17. Standard test method for nondestructive assay of special nuclear material in low density scrap and waste by segmented passive gamma-Ray scanning

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    2010-01-01

    1.1 This test method covers the transmission-corrected nondestructive assay (NDA) of gamma-ray emitting special nuclear materials (SNMs), most commonly 235U, 239Pu, and 241Am, in low-density scrap or waste, packaged in cylindrical containers. The method can also be applied to NDA of other gamma-emitting nuclides including fission products. High-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy is used to detect and measure the nuclides of interest and to measure and correct for gamma-ray attenuation in a series of horizontal segments (collimated gamma detector views) of the container. Corrections are also made for counting losses occasioned by signal processing limitations (1-3). 1.2 There are currently several systems in use or under development for determining the attenuation corrections for NDA of radioisotopic materials (4-8). A related technique, tomographic gamma-ray scanning (TGS), is not included in this test method (9, 10, 11). 1.2.1 This test method will cover two implementations of the Segmented Gamma Scanning ...

  18. Imaging collagen type I fibrillogenesis with high spatiotemporal resolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stamov, Dimitar R; Stock, Erik; Franz, Clemens M; Jähnke, Torsten; Haschke, Heiko

    2015-01-01

    Fibrillar collagens, such as collagen type I, belong to the most abundant extracellular matrix proteins and they have received much attention over the last five decades due to their large interactome, complex hierarchical structure and high mechanical stability. Nevertheless, the collagen self-assembly process is still incompletely understood. Determining the real-time kinetics of collagen type I formation is therefore pivotal for better understanding of collagen type I structure and function, but visualising the dynamic self-assembly process of collagen I on the molecular scale requires imaging techniques offering high spatiotemporal resolution. Fast and high-speed scanning atomic force microscopes (AFM) provide the means to study such processes on the timescale of seconds under near-physiological conditions. In this study we have applied fast AFM tip scanning to study the assembly kinetics of fibrillar collagen type I nanomatrices with a temporal resolution reaching eight seconds for a frame size of 500 nm. By modifying the buffer composition and pH value, the kinetics of collagen fibrillogenesis can be adjusted for optimal analysis by fast AFM scanning. We furthermore show that amplitude-modulation imaging can be successfully applied to extract additional structural information from collagen samples even at high scan rates. Fast AFM scanning with controlled amplitude modulation therefore provides a versatile platform for studying dynamic collagen self-assembly processes at high resolution. - Highlights: • Continuous non-invasive time-lapse investigation of collagen I fibrillogenesis in situ. • Imaging of collagen I self-assembly with high spatiotemporal resolution. • Application of setpoint modulation to study the hierarchical structure of collagen I. • Observing real-time formation of the D-banding pattern in collagen I

  19. Imaging collagen type I fibrillogenesis with high spatiotemporal resolution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stamov, Dimitar R, E-mail: stamov@jpk.com [JPK Instruments AG, Bouchéstrasse 12, 12435 Berlin (Germany); Stock, Erik [JPK Instruments AG, Bouchéstrasse 12, 12435 Berlin (Germany); Franz, Clemens M [DFG-Center for Functional Nanostructures (CFN), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Wolfgang-Gaede-Strasse 1a, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Jähnke, Torsten; Haschke, Heiko [JPK Instruments AG, Bouchéstrasse 12, 12435 Berlin (Germany)

    2015-02-15

    Fibrillar collagens, such as collagen type I, belong to the most abundant extracellular matrix proteins and they have received much attention over the last five decades due to their large interactome, complex hierarchical structure and high mechanical stability. Nevertheless, the collagen self-assembly process is still incompletely understood. Determining the real-time kinetics of collagen type I formation is therefore pivotal for better understanding of collagen type I structure and function, but visualising the dynamic self-assembly process of collagen I on the molecular scale requires imaging techniques offering high spatiotemporal resolution. Fast and high-speed scanning atomic force microscopes (AFM) provide the means to study such processes on the timescale of seconds under near-physiological conditions. In this study we have applied fast AFM tip scanning to study the assembly kinetics of fibrillar collagen type I nanomatrices with a temporal resolution reaching eight seconds for a frame size of 500 nm. By modifying the buffer composition and pH value, the kinetics of collagen fibrillogenesis can be adjusted for optimal analysis by fast AFM scanning. We furthermore show that amplitude-modulation imaging can be successfully applied to extract additional structural information from collagen samples even at high scan rates. Fast AFM scanning with controlled amplitude modulation therefore provides a versatile platform for studying dynamic collagen self-assembly processes at high resolution. - Highlights: • Continuous non-invasive time-lapse investigation of collagen I fibrillogenesis in situ. • Imaging of collagen I self-assembly with high spatiotemporal resolution. • Application of setpoint modulation to study the hierarchical structure of collagen I. • Observing real-time formation of the D-banding pattern in collagen I.

  20. An ultrahigh vacuum fast-scanning and variable temperature scanning tunneling microscope for large scale imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diaconescu, Bogdan; Nenchev, Georgi; de la Figuera, Juan; Pohl, Karsten

    2007-10-01

    We describe the design and performance of a fast-scanning, variable temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM) operating from 80 to 700 K in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV), which routinely achieves large scale atomically resolved imaging of compact metallic surfaces. An efficient in-vacuum vibration isolation and cryogenic system allows for no external vibration isolation of the UHV chamber. The design of the sample holder and STM head permits imaging of the same nanometer-size area of the sample before and after sample preparation outside the STM base. Refractory metal samples are frequently annealed up to 2000 K and their cooldown time from room temperature to 80 K is 15 min. The vertical resolution of the instrument was found to be about 2 pm at room temperature. The coarse motor design allows both translation and rotation of the scanner tube. The total scanning area is about 8 x 8 microm(2). The sample temperature can be adjusted by a few tens of degrees while scanning over the same sample area.