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Intrinsic instability of aberration-corrected electron microscopes
S M Schramm1, S J van der Molen, R M Tromp
1Leiden University, Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratorium, P.O. Box 9504, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
Physical Review Letters
|December 11, 2012
Summary
Aberration-corrected electron microscopes offer subatomic resolution but face a fundamental challenge: the corrected state is intrinsically unstable. Achieving higher resolution requires managing this instability to avoid limiting practical applications.
Area of Science:
- Electron microscopy
- Materials science
- Physics
Background:
- Aberration-corrected electron microscopes achieve subatomic resolution, impacting diverse scientific fields.
- The practical utility of these advanced microscopes is currently limited by the short experimental lifetime of the corrected state (minutes).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the intrinsic stability of the aberration-corrected state in electron microscopy.
- To establish a framework for balancing resolution and stability in high-performance electron microscopes.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of the contrast transfer function near optimal correction conditions.
- Development of a quantitative 'instability budget' concept.
Main Results:
- The corrected state's quality is inversely proportional to its stability; higher resolution correlates with greater instability.
- An 'instability budget' provides a rational basis for trading off resolution against stability.
Conclusions:
- Intrinsic instability fundamentally limits the practically achievable resolution in electron microscopy.
- Development of advanced control systems is crucial to overcome these limitations and enhance microscope performance.
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