Contrast mechanism at landing energy near 0 eV in super low-energy scanning electron microscopy

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68081731%3A_____%2F24%3A00579320" target="_blank" >RIV/68081731:_____/24:00579320 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmicro/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jmicro/dfad042/7250156" target="_blank" >https://academic.oup.com/jmicro/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jmicro/dfad042/7250156</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jmicro/dfad042" target="_blank" >10.1093/jmicro/dfad042</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Contrast mechanism at landing energy near 0 eV in super low-energy scanning electron microscopy

Original language description

In recent years, the technique of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation with low landing energy of a few keV or less has become common. We have especially focused on the drastic contrast change at near 0 eV. Using a patterned sample consisting of Si, Ni and Pt, threshold energies where the total reflection of incident electrons occurs were investigated by SEM at near 0 eV. In both the cases of in-situ and ex-situ sample cleaning, drastic changes in the brightness of each material were observed at near 0 eV, with threshold energies in the order Si < Ni < Pt. This order agreed with the order of the literature values of the work functions and the surface potentials measured by Kelvin force probe microscopy. This result suggests that the difference of the threshold energy is caused by the difference in surface potential due to the work function difference of each material. Although the order of the threshold energies also agreed with those of work functions reported in the literature, the work functions of air-exposed surfaces should be rather considered as 'modified work functions', since they could be significantly altered by the adsorbates, etc. Nevertheless, the difference of the threshold energy for each material was observed with commercial SEM at landing energy near 0 eV, which opens a new possibility to distinguish materials, although the difference should be rather recognized as 'fingerprints', since surface potentials are sensitive to conditions of surface treatments and atmospheric exposure.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

20501 - Materials engineering

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2024

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Microscopy

ISSN

2050-5698

e-ISSN

2050-5701

Volume of the periodical

73

Issue of the periodical within the volume

3

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

8

Pages from-to

243-250

UT code for WoS article

001060233900001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85195435906