Scanning transmission electron microscope

• Main Authors: ANDREGG, MICHAEL, ANDREGG, WILLIAM, OWN, CHRISTOPHER SU-YAN
• Format: Patent
• Language: Chinese; English
• Published: 16.08.2013
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL ORENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES; ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS; ELECTRICITY; ENZYMOLOGY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEICACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; SPIRITS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ARTCOLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; VINEGAR; WINE

A scanning transmission electron microscope includes an electron beam source to generate an electron beam. Beam optics are provided to converge the electron beam to a probe, such as for example a longitudinally stretched probe. A stage is provided to hold a specimen in the path of the electron beam. The specimen may include one or more elongated objects, such as for example polymers to be sequenced. A beam scanner scans the electron beam across the specimen. A controller may define one or more scanning areas corresponding to the locations of the elongated objects, and control one or more of the beam scanner and stage to selectively scan the electron beam probe in the scanning areas. The controller may also tune the beam optics during imaging. One or more detectors are provided to detect electrons transmitted through the specimen to generate an image for each of the scanning areas. The controller may also analyze the one or more images to determine information regarding the specimen, such as for example to seq