There is provided a scanning transmission electron microscope capable of producing plural types of STEM (scanning transmission electron microscopy) images using a single detector. The electron microscope (100) has an electron source (10) emitting an electron beam, a scanning deflector (13) for scanning the beam over a sample (S), an objective lens (14) for focusing the beam, an imager (22) placed at a back focal plane of the objective lens (14) or at a plane conjugate with the back focal plane, and a scanned image generator (40) for generating scanned images on the basis of images captured by the imager. The scanned image generator (40) operates to form electron diffraction patterns from the electron beam passing through positions on the sample by the scanning of the electron beam, to capture the electron diffraction patterns by the imager so that plural images are produced, to integrate the intensity of each pixel over an integration region that is set based on the size of an image of a transmitted wave in a respective one of the produced images for each of the produced images such that the signal intensity at each position on the sample is found, and to generate the scanned images on the basis of the signal intensities at the positions on the sample.

In a method of detecting a defect, a region of a substrate may be primarily scanned using a first electron beam to detect a first defect. A remaining region of the substrate, which may be defined by excluding a portion in which the first defect may be positioned from the region of the substrate, may be secondarily scanned using a second electron beam to detect a second defect. Thus, the portion with the defect may not be scanned in a following scan process so that a scanning time may be remarkably decreased.

An x-ray tomography system which can generate a qualitative 3D image of a region of interest using a an x-ray source, the x-ray source configured to emit x-ray radiation at the region of interest. The x-ray radiation or the x-ray source or the relative position of the x ray source configured to be moved in a two dimensional plane. An x-ray detector including a plurality of detector elements arranged in a two dimensional plane opposite the x-ray source, the x-ray detector configured to detect x-ray radiation after attenuation by the subject and provide an indication of the detected x-rays. And a processor configured to receive the indication of the detected x-rays and resolve the detected x-ray radiation into a three dimensional image. The three dimensional image is qualitative in nature.

There is described a method for forming an inspection image of an object from radiographic imaging. The method has: forming the inspection image including scaling a feature of the object in one or more digital images to a common scale, the digital images including first and second digital images of the object, the first digital image having the feature at a first scale, the first digital image having a first grain diffraction pattern at the first scale, the second digital image having the feature at a second scale different from the first scale, the second digital image having a second grain diffraction pattern at the second scale, the second grain diffraction pattern different from the first grain diffraction pattern, the common scale common to both the first and second digital images after said scaling, and removing grain differences between the first and second grain diffraction patterns at the common scale.

There is provided a scanning transmission electron microscope capable of producing plural types of STEM (scanning transmission electron microscopy) images using a single detector. The electron microscope (100) has an electron source (10) emitting an electron beam, a scanning deflector (13) for scanning the beam over a sample (S), an objective lens (14) for focusing the beam, an imager (22) placed at a back focal plane of the objective lens (14) or at a plane conjugate with the back focal plane, and a scanned image generator (40) for generating scanned images on the basis of images captured by the imager. The scanned image generator (40) operates to form electron diffraction patterns from the electron beam passing through positions on the sample by the scanning of the electron beam, to capture the electron diffraction patterns by the imager so that plural images are produced, to integrate the intensity of each pixel over an integration region that is set based on the size of an image of a transmitted wave in a respective one of the produced images for each of the produced images such that the signal intensity at each position on the sample is found, and to generate the scanned images on the basis of the signal intensities at the positions on the sample.

A x-ray tube mounting assembly, including a mounting bracket, a first x-ray tube support configured for supporting a first x-ray tube, a second x-ray tube support configured for supporting a second x-ray tube, and a control assembly for moving the first and second x-ray tube supports substantially simultaneously between a first position, wherein the first x-ray tube support is in an operating position and the second x-ray tube support is in a first stowed position not for operation of a second x-ray tube operably supported thereby, and a second position, wherein the second x-ray tube support is in the operating position and the first x-ray tube support is in a second stowed position not for operation of a first x-ray tube operably supported thereby. The first x-ray tube may be of different focus source magnitude than the second x-ray tube.

A x-ray tube mounting assembly, including a mounting bracket, a first x-ray tube support configured for supporting a first x-ray tube, a second x-ray tube support configured for supporting a second x-ray tube, and a control assembly for moving the first and second x-ray tube supports substantially simultaneously between a first position, wherein the first x-ray tube support is in an operating position and the second x-ray tube support is in a first stowed position not for operation of a second x-ray tube operably supported thereby, and a second position, wherein the second x-ray tube support is in the operating position and the first x-ray tube support is in a second stowed position not for operation of a first x-ray tube operably supported thereby. The first x-ray tube may be of different focus source magnitude than the second x-ray tube.

An imaging apparatus that includes a scanning mirror arrangement, optics, and a detector arrangement comprising a plurality of detectors. The plurality of detectors are capable for detecting submillimeter-/millimeter-range electromagnetic radiation and arranged within a region defined by an outer periphery and an inner periphery of the detector arrangement. The outer and inner peripheries are substantially circular in shape.

A geological sample is provided to analysis equipment including a first X-ray emitter and a digital X-ray detector. The actions of activating the first X-ray emitter, located in a first position; activating a second X-ray emitter, located in a different position to the first X-ray emitter, or moving the first X-ray emitter to a different position and activating it; repeating the imaging step as required to analyse the core, each time using a different X-ray emitter, or the first X-ray emitter located in a different position; wherein the location of the digital detector, relative to the sample, remains stationary during the imaging steps; processing the digital signals provided by the digital detector to create digital X-ray images; processing the digital signals to determine compounds within, and porosity of, the sample by means of relative absorption at different X-ray energy levels; and processing the digital X-ray images are performed.