Metrology in a scanning electron microscope: theoretical developments and experimental validation

TLDR

A novel approach for correcting both spatial and drift distortions in scanning electron microscope images is described. Spatial distortion is removed via in‑plane rigid body motions and a warping function, while drift distortion is corrected by analyzing time‑spaced images to derive a time‑varying displacement field. Numerical simulations and experiments demonstrate that the correction removes spatial and drift distortions with errors around ±0.01 pixels, yielding unbiased strain fields with ~60 µε variability and ~25‑pixel resolution, confirming the SEM method’s suitability for micro‑ and nanomaterial characterization.

Abstract

A novel approach for correcting both spatial and drift distortions that are present in scanning electron microscope (SEM) images is described. Spatial distortion removal is performed using a methodology that employs a series of in-plane rigid body motions and a generated warping function. Drift distortion removal is performed using multiple, time-spaced images to extract the time-varying relative displacement field throughout the experiment. Results from numerical simulations clearly demonstrate that the correction procedures successfully remove both spatial and drift distortions. Specifically, in the absence of intensity noise the distortion removal methods consistently give excellent results with errors on the order of ±0.01 pixels. Results from the rigid body motion and tensile loading experiments at 200× indicate that, after correction for distortions, (a) the displacements have nearly random variability with a standard deviation of 0.02 pixels; (b) the measured strain fields are unbiased and in excellent agreement with previous full-field experimental data obtained with optical illumination; (c) the strain field variability is on the order of 60 microstrain in all components with a spatial resolution on the order of 25 pixels. Taken together, the analytical, computational and experimental studies clearly show that the correction procedures successfully remove both spatial and drift distortions while retaining excellent spatial resolution, confirming that the SEM-based method can be used for both micromaterial and nanomaterial characterization in either the elastic or elastic–plastic deformation regimes.