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Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Precision Milling of Carbon Nanotube Forests Using Low Pressure Scanning Electron Microscopy
Published on: February 5, 2017
Direct Measurement of the Electron Beam Spatial Intensity Profile via Carbon Nanotube Tomography
Matthew D Zotta1, Sharadh Jois1, Prathamesh Dhakras1
1Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering , SUNY-Polytechnic Institute , Albany , New York 12203 , United States.
Abstract:
Electron microscopes are ubiquitous across the scientific landscape and have been improved to achieve ever smaller beam spots, a key parameter that determines the instrument's resolution. However, the traditional techniques to characterize the electron beam have limited effectiveness for today's instruments. Consequently, there is an ongoing need to develop detection technologies that can potentially measure the smallest electron beam, which is valuable for the continual advancement of microscope performance. We report on a new electron beam detector based on a single-wall carbon nanotube. The nanotubes are atomically smooth, have a well-defined diameter that is similar in size to the finest electron probes, and can be used to directly measure the beam profile. Additionally, by rotating the nanotube in a plane perpendicular to the beam path and scanning the beam at different angles, we can apply tomographic reconstruction techniques to determine the spatial intensity profile of an electron beam accurately.
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