The invention relates to an electron source comprising a conductive substrate, a conductor disposed facing the substrate, the electron source emitting an electron beam when the conductor is positively biased with respect to the substrate, and an electrically insulating crystal arranged on the substrate, facing the conductor, the substrate defining with the crystal a void including at least one peak located at a distance from the crystal, the crystal having, in a plane parallel to the substrate, dimensions of less than 100 nm and a thickness of less than 50 nm.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a grid structure. The grid structure includes a carrier and a support column; wherein the support column is located on the carrier, the support column has a top surface for supporting a sample; and the support column has a groove, the groove extends along a direction from the top surface to the carrier, and a groove wall of the groove is connected to the top surface.

Apparatuses for collection of upstream and downstream transmission electron microscopy (TEM) cathodoluminescence (CL) emitted from a sample exposed to an electron beam are described. A first fiber optic cable carries first CL light emitted from a first TEM sample surface, into a spectrograph. A second fiber optic cable carries second CL light emitted from a second TEM sample surface into the spectrograph. The first and second fiber optic cables are positioned such that the spectrograph produces a first light spectrum for the first fiber optic cable and a separate light spectrum for the second fiber optic cable. The described embodiments allow collection of TEM CL data in a manner that allows analyzing upstream and downstream TEM CL signals separately and simultaneously with an imaging spectrograph.

In some embodiments, a system for measuring magnetic fields produced within a microscope comprising an electromagnetic lens includes a sensor support element configured to be mounted to a distal end of an elongated support member that is configured to be inserted into the microscope, and a magnetic field sensor supported by the sensor support element, the magnetic field sensor being configured to sense magnetic fields at a position within the electron microscope at which specimens are imaged during operation of the microscope.

A double-tilt sample holder for TEM, comprising: it comprise the main body of sample holder body, front-end tilt stage, drive rod, linkage, tilt axis, rotation axis, fixed axis of drive rod and sample loading stage. The axis hole is arranged at the front-end tilt stage, which is connected to the main body of the sample holder body by the tilt axis. The linkage, the boss slot and the drive rod slot are connected by the rotation axis. Two through movement guide grooves are designed symmetrically at both sides of the front-end of sample holder body, and the drive rod is fixed by the fixed axis of the drive rod, which restricts the drive rod to move reciprocally in a straight line driven by the linear stepping motor at the back-end of the main body of the holder body, further leading the tilt stage to rotate around the tilt axis. The tilt angle of the sample loading stage can be precisely controlled by the high precision linear stepping motor in the apparatus. The maximum tilt angle of the sample stage can be adjusted by the included angle between the boss at the bottom surface of the front-end tilt stage and the horizontal direction and the length of the movement guide groove in the apparatus. The apparatus can be used coordinately with TEM and its universality is wide.

A method for preparing a sample for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) comprises providing a substrate having a patterned area on its surface that is defined by a particular topography. A conformal layer of contrasting material is deposited on the topography by depositing a layer of the contrasting material on a local target area of the substrate, spaced apart from the patterned area via Electron Beam Induced Deposition (EBID). The deposition parameters, the thickness of the layer deposited in the target area, and the distance of the target area to the patterned area are selected so that a conformal layer of the contrasting material is formed on the topography of the patterned area. A protective layer is subsequently deposited. The protective layer does not damage the topography in the patterned area because the patterned area is protected by the conformal layer.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a grid structure. The grid structure includes a carrier and a support column; wherein the support column is located on the carrier, the support column has a top surface for supporting a sample; and the support column has a groove, the groove extends along a direction from the top surface to the carrier, and a groove wall of the groove is connected to the top surface.

A method for preparing a sample for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) comprises providing a substrate having a patterned area on its surface that is defined by a particular topography. A conformal layer of contrasting material is deposited on the topography by depositing a layer of the contrasting material on a local target area of the substrate, spaced apart from the patterned area via Electron Beam Induced Deposition (EBID). The deposition parameters, the thickness of the layer deposited in the target area, and the distance of the target area to the patterned area are selected so that a conformal layer of the contrasting material is formed on the topography of the patterned area. A protective layer is subsequently deposited. The protective layer does not damage the topography in the patterned area because the patterned area is protected by the conformal layer.

Apparatuses for collection of upstream and downstream transmission electron microscopy (TEM) cathodoluminescence (CL) emitted from a sample exposed to an electron beam are described. A first fiber optic cable carries first CL light emitted from a first TEM sample surface, into a spectrograph. A second fiber optic cable carries second CL light emitted from a second TEM sample surface into the spectrograph. The first and second fiber optic cables are positioned such that the spectrograph produces a first light spectrum for the first fiber optic cable and a separate light spectrum for the second fiber optic cable. The described embodiments allow collection of TEM CL data in a manner that allows analyzing upstream and downstream TEM CL signals separately and simultaneously with an imaging spectrograph.

Charged particle microscopes having an optimized performance across multiple modes of operation are disclosed herein. More specifically, the disclosure includes improved charged particle microscopes that increase and/or optimize the performance of the microscope in both a standard mode of operation and a Lorentz mode of operation. The charged particle microscopes include an extra transfer lens between a corrector and the traditional transfer lens which allows for the flexibility to optimize performance in both the standard mode of operation and the Lorentz mode of operation. For example, in a Lorentz mode of operation, improved charged particle microscope according to the present disclosure can be used to tune the C.sub.5 aberration, while hardly affecting defocus and/or C.sub.S aberrations. Additionally, the inclusion of the extra transfer lens provides the charged particle microscopes disclosed herein with an extra degree of freedom with which to zero defocus and total C.sub.S and C.sub.5.