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Published on: March 12, 2017
Validities of three multislice algorithms for quantitative low-energy transmission electron microscopy.
1Center for High-Resolution Electron Microscopy, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.
Ultramicroscopy
|June 6, 2013
Summary
Transmission electron microscopy algorithms show differences at lower accelerating voltages. Conventional multislice (CMS) algorithms introduce errors below 100kV, while propagator-corrected multislice (PCMS) algorithms deviate below 20kV.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Physics
- Electron Microscopy
Background:
- Multislice algorithms are crucial for simulating electron scattering in transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
- The accuracy of these simulations can be affected by the accelerating voltage of the electron beam.
- Understanding algorithm performance across different voltages is essential for reliable material analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the accuracy of three multislice algorithms: conventional multislice (CMS), propagator-corrected multislice (PCMS), and fully-corrected multislice (FCMS).
- To evaluate the impact of accelerating voltage on the performance of these algorithms in TEM.
- To identify voltage thresholds where algorithm discrepancies become significant.
Main Methods:
- Numerical calculations were performed to assess the validity of CMS, PCMS, and FCMS algorithms.
- Simulations were conducted across a range of accelerating voltages, with a focus on lower voltage regimes (below 100kV).
- The algorithms' outputs were compared, paying attention to differences in higher-order Laue zone (HOLZ) and zero-order Laue zone (ZOLZ) reflections.
Main Results:
- All three algorithms (CMS, PCMS, FCMS) are equivalent at accelerating voltages above 100kV.
- Below 100kV, the CMS algorithm shows significant errors for both HOLZ and ZOLZ reflections.
- The PCMS and FCMS algorithms exhibit negligible differences above 20kV, but PCMS deviates from FCMS at 20kV and below.
- At very low voltages (10kV), algorithm accuracy depends on specimen scattering power due to complex wave propagation effects.
Conclusions:
- The choice of multislice algorithm is critical for accurate TEM simulations at lower accelerating voltages.
- CMS algorithms are unreliable below 100kV, and PCMS algorithms become less accurate below 20kV.
- Further research into advanced algorithms is needed for precise electron microscopy at low voltages, considering specimen properties.
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