title: Radiation damage in the TEM and SEM.
abstract: We review the various ways in which an electron beam can adversely affect an organic or inorganic sample during examination in an electron microscope. The effects considered are: heating, electrostatic charging, ionization damage (radiolysis), displacement damage, sputtering and hydrocarbon contamination. In each case, strategies to minimise the damage are identified. In the light of recent experimental evidence, we re-examine two common assumptions: that the amount of radiation damage is proportional to the electron dose and is independent of beam diameter; and that the extent of the damage is proportional to the amount of energy deposited in the specimen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Faculty of Science, 412 Avadh Bhatia Phy, Edmonton T6G 2J1, Canada. regerton@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Egerton
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malac
mesh_terms: D008854:Microscopy, Electron / Q000592:standards*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / Q000592:standards*; D011871:Radiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055672:Static Electricity