title: Enhanced contrast separation in scanning electron microscopes via a suspended-thin sample approach.
abstract: A suspended-thin-sample (STS) approach for signal selection and contrast separation is developed in scanning electron microscopes with commonly used primary beam energies and traditional detectors. Topography contrast, electron channeling contrast and composition contrast are separated and largely enhanced from suspended thin samples of several hundred nanometers in thickness, which is less than the escape depth of backscattered electrons. This imaging technique enables to detect relatively pure secondary electron and elastic backscattered electron singles, whereas suppress multiple inelastic scattering effects. The provided contrast features are different from those of bulk samples, which are largely mixed with inelastic scattering effects. The STS imaging concept and method could be expected to have more applications in distinguishing materials of nanostructures, multilayers, compounds and composites, as well as in SEM-based electron backscatter diffraction, cathodoluminesence, and x-ray microanalysis.
authors.affiliation: Beijing University of Technology, Institute of Microstructure and Property of Advanced Materials, Beijing 100124, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Beijing University of Technology, Institute of Microstructure and Property of Advanced Materials, Beijing 100124, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Beijing University of Technology, Institute of Microstructure and Property of Advanced Materials, Beijing 100124, China.
authors.forename: Zhenxi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Beijing University of Technology, Institute of Microstructure and Property of Advanced Materials, Beijing 100124, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Beijing University of Technology, Institute of Microstructure and Property of Advanced Materials, Beijing 100124, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Beijing University of Technology, Institute of Microstructure and Property of Advanced Materials, Beijing 100124, China.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Beijing University of Technology, Institute of Microstructure and Property of Advanced Materials, Beijing 100124, China.
authors.forename: Yinqi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Beijing University of Technology, Institute of Microstructure and Property of Advanced Materials, Beijing 100124, China.
authors.forename: Manling
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sui
authors.affiliation: Beijing University of Technology, Institute of Microstructure and Property of Advanced Materials, Beijing 100124, China.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Han
keywords: Backscattered electron; Imaging contrast; Scanning electron microscopy; Secondary electron; Suspended-thin-sample