Real-World Electron Detector Performance in Scanning Electron Microscopes

Healy, Owen; Mott, Richard B.

doi:10.1017/s1431927616003834

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…In many publications, when studying the performance of a scintillation electron detector in S(T)EM, much more space is devoted to the energy conversion in the scintillator than the utilization of the light signal generated (Everhart & Thornley, 2004; Frank, 2002; Healy & Mott, 2016; Nedela, Tihlarikova, Runstuk, & Hudec, 2018). The detection of the photons from the scintillator centers is indeed an extremely fast process, so it does not degrade the MTF of the detector.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overview of S(T)EMelectron detectors with garnet scintillators: Some potentials and limits

Schauer

Lalinský

Kučera

2020

Microscopy Res & Technique

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The paper is focused on a complete configuration and design of a scintillation electron detector in scanning electron and/or scanning transmission electron microscopes (S(T)EM) with garnet scintillators. All processes related to the scintillator and light guide were analyzed. In more detail, excitation electron trajectories and absorbed energy distributions, efficiencies and kinetics of scintillators, as well as the influence of their anti-charging coatings and their substrates, assigned optical properties, and light guide efficiencies of different configurations were presented and discussed. The results indicate problems with low-energy detection below 1 keV when the scandium conductive coating with a thickness of only 3 nm must be used to allow electron penetration without significant losses. It was shown that the short rise and decay time and low afterglow of LuGdGaAG:Ce liquid-phase epitaxy garnet film scintillators guarantee a strong modulation transfer function of the entire imaging system resulting in a contrast transfer ability up to 0.6 lp/pixel. Small film scintillator thicknesses were found to be an advantage due to the low signal self-absorption. The optical absorption coefficients, refractive indices, and the mirror optical reflectance of materials involved in the light transport to the photomultiplier tube photocathode were investigated. The computer-optimized design SCIUNI application was used to configure the optimized light guide system. It was shown that nonoptimized edgeguided systems possess very poor light guiding efficiency as low as 1%, while even very complex optimized ones can achieve more than 20%.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overview of S(T)EMelectron detectors with garnet scintillators: Some potentials and limits

Schauer

Lalinský

Kučera

2020

Microscopy Res & Technique

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“…However, most studies of SEM electron detector performance ignore this fact. Much more space is mostly devoted to the energy conversion in the scintillator than the utilization of the converted light signal (Everhart & Thornley, 2004; Frank, 2002; Healy & Mott, 2016; Nedela et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unfortunately, the efficiency of the scintillation electron detector is often simplified and is referred to as the electron‐photon energy conversion efficiency in scintillator cathodoluminescence (CL) centers, and the utilization of generated signal photons is abandoned (Everhart & Thornley, 2004; Frank, 2002; Healy & Mott, 2016; Nedela et al, 2018). However, the process of photon collection can be greatly inefficient.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of photon transport efficiency in simple scintillation electron detector configurations for scanning electron microscope

Schauer

2022

Microscopy Res & Technique

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The purpose of this paper is to find some general rules for the design of robust scintillation electron detectors for a scanning electron microscope (SEM) that possesses an efficient light-guiding (LG) system. The paper offers some general instructions on how to avoid the improper design of highly inefficient LG configurations of the detectors. Attention was paid to the relevant optical properties of the scintillator, light guide, and other components used in the LG part of the scintillation detector.

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Real-World Electron Detector Performance in Scanning Electron Microscopes

Cited by 2 publications

References 2 publications

Overview of S(T)EMelectron detectors with garnet scintillators: Some potentials and limits

Overview of S(T)EMelectron detectors with garnet scintillators: Some potentials and limits

Comparison of photon transport efficiency in simple scintillation electron detector configurations for scanning electron microscope

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