A third‐generation Auger microscope using parallel multispectral data acquisition and analysis

Abstract

Abstract The Design and construction of an ultrahigh vacuum multi‐imaging scanning electron microscope is described. The microscope is designed to contain two field electron emission columns and can acquire simultaneous digital images from a 16‐channel electron spectrometer, a four‐quadrant back‐scattered electron (BSE) detector, an Si(Li) x‐ray detector, a SEM detector and the current flowing to ground through the sample. Because there is exact spatial registration between corresponding pixels in each of the images, it is possible to use the image set to make quantitative interpretations of the surface and subsurface chemistry. This is done using mathematical manipulations of the image set, together with models for the SEM, BSE and Auger signals. Techniques are described for setting up the alignment and characterizing the field of view and transmission function of the microscope and its spectrometer. Examples of multi‐imaging from simple samples are given. The close coupling between the microscope and its control and interpretation computers provides considerable power for the analysis of inhomogeneous surfaces.