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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Electron Channeling Contrast Imaging for Rapid III-V Heteroepitaxial Characterization
Published on: July 17, 2015
Electron beam confinement and image contrast enhancement in near field emission scanning electron microscopy
T L Kirk1, L G De Pietro, D Pescia
1Laboratorium für Festkörperphysik, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH), CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland. tkirk@phys.ethz.ch
Abstract:
In conventional scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the lateral resolution is limited by the electron beam diameter impinging on the specimen surface. Near field emission scanning electron microscopy (NFESEM) provides a simple means of overcoming this limit; however, the most suitable field emitter remains to be determined. NFESEM has been used in this work to investigate the W (110) surface with single-crystal tungsten tips of (310), (111), and (100)-orientations. The topographic images generated from both the electron intensity variations and the field emission current indicate higher resolution capabilities with decreasing tip work function than with polycrystalline tungsten tips. The confinement of the electron beam transcends the resolution limitations of the geometrical models, which are determined by the minimum beam width.
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