Electron beam current loss at the high-vacuum-high-pressure boundary in the environmental scanning electron microscope

Danilatos, GD; Phillips, MR; Nailon, JV

Electron beam current loss at the high-vacuum-high-pressure boundary in the environmental scanning electron microscope

Danilatos, GD Phillips, MR

Nailon, JV

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Microscopy and Microanalysis, 2001, 7 (5), pp. 397 - 406
Issue Date:: 2001-09-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Danilatos, GD	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Phillips, MR https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1522-9281	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Nailon, JV	en_US
dc.date.issued	2001-09-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Microscopy and Microanalysis, 2001, 7 (5), pp. 397 - 406	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1431-9276	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/3276
dc.description.abstract	A significant loss in electron probe current can occur before the electron beam enters the specimen chamber of an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM). This loss results from electron scattering in a gaseous jet formed inside and downstream (above) the pressure-limiting aperture (PLA), which separates the high-pressure and high-vacuum regions of the microscope. The electron beam loss above the PLA has been calculated for three different ESEMs, each with a different PLA geometry: an ElectroScan E3, a Philips XL30 ESEM, and a prototype instrument. The mass thickness of gas above the PLA in each case has been determined by Monte Carlo simulation of the gas density variation in the gas jet. It has been found that the PLA configurations used in the commercial instruments produce considerable loss in the electron probe current that dramatically degrades their performance at high chamber pressure and low accelerating voltage. These detrimental effects are minimized in the prototype instrument, which has an optimized thin-foil PLA design.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Microscopy and Microanalysis	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Microscopy	en_US
dc.title	Electron beam current loss at the high-vacuum-high-pressure boundary in the environmental scanning electron microscope	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	5	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	7	en_US
utslib.for	0912 Materials Engineering	en_US
utslib.for	0204 Condensed Matter Physics	en_US
utslib.for	0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CCET - Centre for Clean Energy Technology
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.issue	5	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	7	en_US

Abstract:

A significant loss in electron probe current can occur before the electron beam enters the specimen chamber of an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM). This loss results from electron scattering in a gaseous jet formed inside and downstream (above) the pressure-limiting aperture (PLA), which separates the high-pressure and high-vacuum regions of the microscope. The electron beam loss above the PLA has been calculated for three different ESEMs, each with a different PLA geometry: an ElectroScan E3, a Philips XL30 ESEM, and a prototype instrument. The mass thickness of gas above the PLA in each case has been determined by Monte Carlo simulation of the gas density variation in the gas jet. It has been found that the PLA configurations used in the commercial instruments produce considerable loss in the electron probe current that dramatically degrades their performance at high chamber pressure and low accelerating voltage. These detrimental effects are minimized in the prototype instrument, which has an optimized thin-foil PLA design.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/3276