A method of performing x-ray spectroscopy surface material analysis of a region of interest of a sample with an evaluation system that includes a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column, an x-ray detector and an x-ray polarizer, comprising: positioning a sample within a field of view of the scanning electron microscope; generating an electron beam having a landing energy about equal to an ionization energy of the materials within the region of interest of the sample; scanning the region of interest with the electron beam set to collide with the sample thereby generating x-rays emitted from near a surface of the sample, the x-rays including characteristic x-rays and Bremsstrahlung radiation; and detecting x-rays generated while the region of interest is scanned by the electron after the x-rays pass through the x-ray polarizer that blocks a higher percentage of the Bremsstrahlung radiation than the characteristic x-rays.

Provided are a radiation detector and a radiation detection apparatus in which the efficiency of detecting radiation is enhanced by increasing a portion capable of detecting radiation. A radiation detector includes a semiconductor part having a plate-like shape, the semiconductor part being provided with a through hole penetrating the semiconductor part, one surface of the semiconductor part being an incident surface for radiation. The semiconductor part has a sensitive portion capable of detecting incident radiation, the sensitive portion including an inner edge of the incident surface.

A method of performing x-ray spectroscopy surface material analysis of a region of interest of a sample with an evaluation system that includes a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column and an x-ray detector, the method comprising: identifying an element expected to be within the region of interest; selecting a landing energy for a charged particle beam generated by the SEM column based on the identified element; scanning the region of interest with a charged particle beam set to the selected landing energy; detecting x-rays generated while the region of interest is scanned by the charged particle beam; and generating a two-dimensional image of the scanned region of interest based on the detected x-rays.

A method of performing x-ray spectroscopy surface material analysis of a region of interest of a sample with an evaluation system that includes a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column and an x-ray detector, the method comprising: identifying an element expected to be within the region of interest; selecting a landing energy for a charged particle beam generated by the SEM column based on the identified element; scanning the region of interest with a charged particle beam set to the selected landing energy; detecting x-rays generated while the region of interest is scanned by the charged particle beam; and generating a two-dimensional image of the scanned region of interest based on the detected x-rays.

Aspects of the present disclosure involve applying a Multi-Objective Autonomous Dynamic Sampling algorithm in an electron or other radiation/charged-particle microscope for the characterization of elemental, chemical, and crystallographic information with over an order of magnitude improvement in time and exposure.

Disclosed herein are methods of making a plurality of carbon nanotubes, the methods comprising applying a current across a catalytically passive anode and a catalytic cathode; wherein the catalytic cathode comprises a catalyst and the catalyst comprises Fe, Co, Mo, Cr, Cu, or a combination thereof; wherein the catalytically passive anode and the catalytic cathode are in electrochemical contact with a molten carbonate electrolyte and a source of CO2; thereby forming a plurality of carbon nanotubes on the catalytic cathode.

The disclosure relates to a method of examining a sample using a charged particle microscope. The method comprises the steps of detecting using a first detector emissions of a first type from the sample in response to the beam scanned over the area of the sample. Then, using spectral information of detected emissions of the first type, at least a part of the scanned area of the sample is divided into multiple segments. According to the disclosure, emissions of the first type at different positions along the scan in at least one of said multiple segments may be combined to produce a combined spectrum of the sample in said one of said multiple segments. In an embodiment, a second detector is used to detect emissions of a second type, and this is used to divide the area of the sample into multiple regions. The first detector may be an EDS, and the second detector may be based on EM. This way, EDS data and EM data can be effectively combined for producing colored images.

An electron microscope includes: an electron detector which detects electrons emitted from a specimen upon irradiation of the specimen with an electron beam; an X-ray detector which detects X-rays emitted from the specimen upon irradiation of the specimen with the electron beam; and a processor which generates a three-dimensional element map based on output signals from the electron detector and the X-ray detector. The processor performs processing for generating a electron microscopic image based on the output signal from the electron detector, processing for generating a three-dimensional image of the specimen based on the electron microscopic image, processing for generating a two-dimensional element map based on the output signal from the X-ray detector, and processing for generating the three-dimensional element map by projecting the two-dimensional element map on the three-dimensional image.

The disclosed technology relates to an apparatus for tomographic analysis of a specimen based on STEM images of the specimen, as well as for tomographic analysis of the chemical composition of the specimen based on X-ray detection by EDS detectors. In one aspect, the apparatus comprises an elongated specimen holder that is rotatable about a longitudinal axis and is configured to hold a pillar-shaped specimen at the end of the holder. The longitudinal axis is positioned in a sample plane which is perpendicular to the beam direction of an electron beam produced by an electron gun. The apparatus also comprises at least two EDS detectors, each EDS detector having a detecting surface oriented perpendicularly to the sample plane and intersecting with the sample plane, wherein the two EDS detectors are positioned on opposite lateral sides of the specimen.

The invention relates to a method of examining a sample using a charged particle microscope, comprising the steps of providing a charged particle beam, as well as a sample, and scanning said charged particle beam over at least part of said sample. A first detector is used for obtaining measured detector signals corresponding to emissions of a first type from the sample at a plurality of sample positions. According to the method, a set of data class elements is provided, wherein each data class element relates an expected detector signal to a corresponding sample information value. The measured detector signals are processed, and processing comprises comparing said measured detector signals to said set of data class elements; determining at least one probability that said measured detector signals belong to a certain one of said set of data class elements; and assigning at least one sample information value and said at least one probability to each of the plurality of sample positions. Finally, sample information values and corresponding probability can be represented in data.