The inelastic contribution to high resolution images of defects

• Published in: Ultramicroscopy Vol. 33; no. 3; pp. 177 - 185
• Main Authors: Krivanek, O.L., Ahn, C.C., Wood, G.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.09.1990; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Electron diffraction and scattering; Exact sciences and technology; Physics; Structure of solids and liquids; crystallography; Semiconductor materials; Computer simulation; Experimental study; Electron microscopy; Thin film; Grain boundary; Thickness; Gallium Arsenides; Electron energy loss spectrum; Transmission electron microscopy; Inelastic scattering; Plasmon; Imaging; Defect; Models; Multislice; Corrections
• ISSN: 0304-3991; 1879-2723
• DOI: 10.1016/0304-3991(90)90110-8

The importance of the contribution due to inelastically scattered electrons to unfiltered HREM images is examined, with emphasis on imaging of defects in semiconductors. Whenever the low energy loss spectrum contains sharp peaks, the contribution is not featureless. At specimen thickness of a few tens of nm, it may change the image appearance in a major way. The strongest effect occurs in high resolution, medium voltage (200 to 500 kV) electron microscope images of defects at focus values minimizing the contrast of the elastic image in low Z materials such as Al and Si. In higher Z materials or those with no sharp “plasmons”, the contribution is small.