Apparatus and methods for controlling electron microscope stages

US9103769B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The Regents of the University of California · US

Inventor

• Thomas Duden · Bielefeld, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 14, 2010
• Grant date: Aug 11, 2015
• Expiry date: Jun 11, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01J2237/20285
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for generating an image of a specimen with a microscope (e.g., TEM) are disclosed. In one aspect, the microscope may generally include a beam generator, a stage, a detector, and an image generator. A plurality of crystal parameters, which describe a plurality of properties of a crystal sample, are received. In a display associated with the microscope, an interactive control sphere based at least in part on the received crystal parameters and that is rotatable by a user to different sphere orientations is presented. The sphere includes a plurality of stage coordinates that correspond to a plurality of positions of the stage and a plurality of crystallographic pole coordinates that correspond to a plurality of polar orientations of the crystal sample. Movement of the sphere causes movement of the stage, wherein the stage coordinates move in conjunction with the crystallographic coordinates represented by pole positions so as to show a relationship between stage positions and the pole positions.