Peltier cooling for the reduction of carbon contamination in scanning electron microscopy

We used a novel Peltier anticontamination device (PAC) to reduce carbon contamination upon electron beam irradiation in scanning electron microscopy through a reduction of hydrocarbon molecules in the specimen chamber. Unlike liquid-nitrogen based cold traps, the PAC operates free of user maintenance and is suitable for lengthy imaging sessions without degradation of the anticontamination performance. Its performance as an alternative cold trap method provides considerable reduction of electron beam-assisted carbon build-up. We compared the thickness of carbon contamination deposited upon prolonged electron beam scans with the PAC system on and off. Topographical structures of the carbon build-up were characterized using atomic force microscopy. We report that under identical beam parameters, thickness of the carbon contamination was reduced by over 79 % for area scans (1.2 × 1.2 µm²), and by two orders of magnitude for stationary point scans when the PAC cooling mode is engaged.