Characterizing Nanometer-Scale Materials Using a Low-Angle Backscattered Electron Detector (American Laboratory)
Characterizing Nanometer-Scale Materials Using a Low-Angle Backscattered Electron Detector
Craig S. Schwandt, PhD, McCrone Associates, Inc., Westmont, Illinois
American Laboratory – November 15, 2010
Understanding the properties of new materials prior to fabrication can be challenging. Often, the structure of a material at very small scales is critical to its properties and performance. Visualization technologies continue to improve, allowing scientists to investigate solid materials at scales closer and closer to the scale of individual atoms. One of the most exceptional aspects of scanning electron microscopy is the ability to investigate relatively large samples, such as those that can be held in the hand, with nanometer-scale resolution. Enhancements in electron optics over the past decade have produced phenomenal improvements in secondary electron imaging, which is vital for imaging of surface morphology. More recently, developments in backscattered electron detectors have produced similar improvements in qualitative compositional imaging.