Methods for using electron diffraction holography to investigate a sample, according to the present disclosure include the initial steps of emitting a plurality of electrons toward the sample, forming the plurality of electrons into a first electron beam and a second electron beam, and modifying the focal properties of at least one of the two beams such that the two beams have different focal planes. Once the two beams have different focal planes, the methods include focusing the first electron beam such that it has a focal plane at or near the sample, and focusing the second electron beam so that it is incident on the sample, and has a focal plane in the diffraction plane. An interference pattern of the first electron beam and the diffracted second electron beam is then detected in the diffraction plane, and then used to generate a diffraction holograph.

An observation apparatus and method that avoids drawbacks of a Lorentz method and observes a weak scatterer or a phase object with in-focus, high resolution, and no azimuth dependency, by a Foucault method observation using a hollow-cone illumination that orbits and illuminates an incident electron beam having a predetermined inclination angle, an electron wave is converged at a position (height) of an aperture plate downstream of a sample, and a bright field condition in which a direct transmitted electron wave of the sample passes through the aperture plate, a dark field condition in which the transmitted electron wave is shielded, and a Schlieren condition in which approximately half of the transmitted wave is shielded as a boundary condition of both of the above conditions are controlled, and a spatial resolution of the observation image is controlled by selecting multiple diameters and shapes of the opening of the aperture plate.

An electron microscope includes an electron source for emitting an electron beam, an illumination lens for focusing the beam, an aberration corrector for correcting aberrations, an illumination deflector assembly disposed between the illumination lens and the aberration corrector and operating to deflect the beam and to vary its tilt relative to a sample, a scanning deflector for scanning the sample with the beam, an objective lens, a detector for detecting electrons transmitted through the sample and producing an image signal, a control section for controlling the illumination deflector assembly, and an image generating section for receiving the image signal and generating a differential phase contrast (DPC) image. The tilt of the beam is varied by the illumination deflector assembly such that the image generating section generates a plurality of DPC images at different tilt angles of the beam and creates a final image based on the DPC images.

A ponderomotive phase plate, also called a laser phase plate or standing wave optical phase plate, has a first minor and a second minor that define an optical cavity. An electron beam passes through a focal spot of the optical cavity. A laser with variable polarization angle of laser light is coupled to the optical cavity. A standing wave of polarized laser light, with an anti-node at the focal spot of the optical cavity, causes variable modulation of the electron beam. The variable modulation of the electron beam is controllable by the variable polarization angle of the laser light. In a transmission electron microscope, an image plane receives the electron beam modulated by the standing wave optical phase plate. An image formed at the image plane is based on the variable polarization angle of the polarized laser light.

The present invention is to generate a spatially phase modulated electron wave. A laser radiating apparatus, a spatial light phase modulator, and a photocathode are provided. The photocathode has a semiconductor film having an NEA film formed on a surface thereof, and a thickness of the semiconductor film is smaller than a value obtained by multiplying a coherent relaxation time of electrons in the semiconductor film by a moving speed of the electrons in the semiconductor film. According to the configuration, a spatial distribution of phase and a spatial distribution of intensity of spatial phase modulated light are transferred to an electron wave, and the electron wave emitted from an NEA film is modulated into the spatial distribution of phase and the spatial distribution of intensity of the light. Since the spatial distribution of phase of the light can be modulated as intended by a spatial phase modulation technique for light, it is possible to generate an electron wave having a spatial distribution of phase modulated as intended.

An interference scanning transmission electron microscope includes an electron source configured to emit an electron beam, a lens configured to irradiate a sample with a converged electron beam, an electron beam bi-prism configured to divide an electron wave through the sample and to superimpose a first electron wave and a second electron wave divided to form an interference fringe, a camera which is a detector configured to detect the interference fringe, and a computer configured to calculate a phase difference between the first electron wave and the second electron wave based on the interference fringe, wherein the electron beam bi-prism is provided between the sample and the detector.

An automatic method is provided to align a semiconductor crystalline substrate for electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) in regions where an electron channeling pattern cannot be reliably obtained but crystalline defects need to be imaged. The automatic semiconductor crystalline substrate alignment method is more reproducible and faster than the current operator intensive process for ECCI alignment routines. Also, the automatic semiconductor crystalline substrate alignment method increases the throughput of ECCI.

A path of a spin-polarized electron beam is split into two by a splitter. A spin direction of the spin-polarized electron beam is rotated by a spin direction rotator disposed on a first path, and delayed by a first delay device. On a second path, the electron beam passes through a sample stage. The spin-polarized electron beams split into the first path and the second path are superposed by a biprism, and its intensity distribution is measured. Coherence is measured from a relation between a spin direction rotation angle, a delay time, and a visibility of an interference fringe.

A phase plate capable of suppressing electrification and a method of fabricating the plate are provided. The phase plate is for use in an electron microscope and includes a phase control layer provided with a through-hole and at least one conductive layer covering and closing off the through-hole. The conductive layer is formed on at least one of a first surface and a second surface of the phase control layer, the second surface being on the opposite side of the first surface. The phase control layer produces a given phase difference between electron waves transmitted through the phase control layer and electron waves transmitted through the through-hole.

A non-contact angle measuring apparatus includes a matter-wave and energy (MWE) particle source and a detector. The MWE particle source is used for generating boson or fermion particles. The detector is used for detecting a plurality peaks or valleys of an interference pattern generated by 1) the boson or fermion particles corresponding to a slit, a bump, or a hole of a first plane and 2) matter waves' wavefront-split associated with the boson or fermion particles reflected by a second plane, wherein angular locations of the plurality peaks or valleys of the interference pattern, a first distance between a joint region of the first plane and the second plane, and a second distance between the detector and the slit are used for deciding an angle between the first plane and the second plane.