Angle selective backscattered electron contrast in the low-voltage scanning electron microscope: Simulation and experiment for polymers.
Recently developed detectors can deliver high resolution and high contrast images of nanostructured carbon based materials in low voltage scanning electron microscopes (LVSEM) with beam deceleration. Monte Carlo Simulations are also used to predict under which exact imaging conditions purely compositional contrast can be obtained and optimised. This allows the prediction of the electron signal intensity in angle selective conditions for back-scattered electron (BSE) imaging in LVSEM and compares it to experimental signals. Angle selective detection with a concentric back scattered (CBS) detector is considered in the model in the absence and presence of a deceleration field, respectively. The validity of the model prediction for both cases was tested experimentally for amorphous C and Cu and applied to complex nanostructured carbon based materials, namely a Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)/Poly(ethylene glycol) Diacrylate (PNIPAM/PEGDA) semi-interpenetration network (IPN) and a Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) film, to map nano-scale composition and crystallinity distribution by avoiding experimental imaging conditions that lead to a mixed topographical and compositional contrast.
Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK. Electronic address: qwan2@sheffield.ac.uk.
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Q
Wan
Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
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RC
Masters
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
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Lidzey
Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
K J
KJ
Abrams
European Centre for Theoretical Studies in Nuclear Physics and Related Areas (ECT⁎-FBK) and Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications (TIFPA-INFN), via Sommarive 18, I-38123 Trento, Italy.
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M
Dapor
Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
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Plenderleith
Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
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Rimmer
Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
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F
Claeyssens
Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
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C
Rodenburg
Angle selective SEM; Concentric back scattered detector; Low-voltage scanning electron microscopy; Polymer; Quantitative back-scattered imaging