The microanalysis of nonconductive specimen in a scanning electron microscope is limited by charging effects. Using a charge density model for the electric field buildup in a nonconductive specimen irradiated by electrons, a Monte Carlo simulation method has been applied to alumina (Al2O3). The results show a change in the depth distribution for characteristic and bremsstrahlung X-ray, φ(ρz) curves, and ψ(ρz) curves (with absorption) for both elements' Kα lines. The influence of the electric field on the measured X-ray intensity is shown. The dependency of this influence by the three parameters, electron energy, X-ray energy, and charge density, is clarified.

Following is a list of microscopy-related meetings and courses. The editors would greatly appreciate input to this list via the electronic submission form found in the MSA World-Wide Web page at http://www.msa.microscopy.com. We will gladly add hypertext links to the notice on the web and insert a listing of the meeting in the next issue of the Journal. Send comments and questions to JoAn Hudson, hudson@uoneuro.uoregon.edu or Nestor Zaluzec, zaluzec@aaem.amc.anl.gov.

Impurity atom cluster and nanocrystal formation in Er-implanted hexagonal SiC were studied using TEM and HAADF-STEM. Short interstitial loops were initially observed to form in the as-implanted layers. After annealing at 1600°C extended matrix defects (wide interstitial loops and voids), Er atom clusters and nanocrystals grew. The wide interstitial loops act as strong sinks capturing diffusing dopants that gather first in lines, then planes, and finally in three-dimensional ErSi2 nanocrystals. The unstrained nanocrystals have a hill-like shape and only two polarity-dependent orientations with respect to the matrix. One-, two-, and three-dimensional Er atom clusters were also identified. For the case of Ge implantation, again the wide interstitial loops act as sinks for the implanted Ge, representing the seeds of the nanocrystal.

Monday, August 2, 2004: Platform Sessions (Monday AM)

Monday, August 2, 2004: MSA Presidential Happenings

Monday, August 2, 2004: Platform Sessions (Monday PM)

Monday, August 2, 2004: Poster Presentations (Monday 4:00–6:00 PM) Exhibit Hall

Tuesday, August 3, 2004: Platform Sessions (Tuesday AM)

Tuesday, August 3, 2004: MSA Presidential Happenings

Tuesday, August 3, 2004: Platform Sessions (Tuesday PM)

Tuesday, August 3, 2004: Poster Presentations (Tuesday 4:00–6:00 PM) Exhibit Hall

Wednesday, August 4, 2004: Platform Sessions (Wednesday AM)

Wednesday, August 4, 2004: Platform Sessions (Wednesday PM)

Wednesday, August 4, 2004: Poster Presentations (Wednesday 4:00–6:00 PM) Exhibit Hall

Thursday, August 5, 2004: Platform Sessions (Thursday AM)

Thursday, August 5, 2004: Platform Sessions (Thursday 1:00–3:00 PM)

This work describes the application and usefulness of the focused ion beam (FIB) technique for the preparation of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) samples from metal matrix composite materials. Results on an Al/diamond composite, manufactured by the squeeze casting infiltration process, were chosen for demonstration. It is almost impossible to prepare TEM specimens of this material by any other conventional method owing to the presence of highly inhomogeneous phases and reinforcement diamond particles. The present article gives a detailed account of the salient features of the FIB technique and its operation. One of the big advantages is the possibility to prepare site-specific TEM specimens with high spatial resolution. The artifacts occurring during the specimen preparation, for example, Ga-ion implantation, curtain effects, amorphous layers, bending of the lamella, or different milling behaviors of the materials have been discussed. Furthermore, TEM examination of the specimens prepared revealed an ultrafine amorphous layer of graphite formed at the interface between the Al and diamond particles that may affect the interfacial properties of the composite materials. This may not have been feasible without the successful application of the FIB technique for production of good quality site-specific TEM specimens.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2004 in Savannah, Georgia, USA, August 1–5, 2004.

Specimen charging may be one of the most significant factors that contribute to the high variability and generally low quality of images in cryo-electron microscopy. Understanding the nature of specimen charging can help in devising methods to reduce or even avoid its effects and thus improve the rate of data collection as well as the quality of the data. We describe a series of experiments that help to characterize the charging phenomenon, which has been termed the Berriman effect. The pattern of buildup and disappearance of the charge pattern has led to several suggestions for how to alleviate the effect. Experiments are described that demonstrate the feasibility of such charge mitigation.

It is shown that room-temperature diffraction pattern spots and diffuse scatter can appear to change their size and appearance relative to reciprocal-space sublattice reflections when the scattering material corresponds in structure to a critical phase. Under such a condition, the material is considered to be continually on the verge of a phase transition and the diffraction spot will have no definite width, its apparent size in reciprocal space dependent on the strength of the scattering into the diffracted beam. It is thought that the materials described in the experiments—niobia-zirconia ceramic alloys—are capable of entering such a critical phase because of their recently suggested planar XY spin character. After first describing how the seemingly crystalline ceramic alloy can display XY-like behavior, we analyze the intensity dependence of the critical scattering from the alloy's oxygen superlattice using information-theoretic methods.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at the Pre-Meeting Congress: Materials Research in an Aberration-Free Environment, at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2004 in Savannah, Georgia, USA, July 31 and August 1, 2004.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at the Pre-Meeting Congress: Materials Research in an Aberration-Free Environment, at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2004 in Savannah, Georgia, USA, July 31 and August 1, 2004.

Monday, August 2, 2004

Tuesday, August 3, 2004

Wednesday, August 4, 2004

Thursday, August 5, 2004

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2004 in Savannah, Georgia, USA, August 1–5, 2004.

Although the most familiar consequences of specimen charging in transmission electron microscopy can be eliminated by evaporating a thin conducting film (such as a carbon film) onto an insulating specimen or by preparing samples directly on such a conducting film to begin with, a more subtle charging effect still remains. We argue here that specimen charging is in this case likely to produce a dipole sheet rather than a layer of positive charge at the surface of the specimen. A simple model of the factors that control the kinetics of specimen charging, and its neutralization, is discussed as a guide for experiments that attempt to minimize the amount of specimen charging. Believable estimates of the electrostatic forces and the electron optical disturbances that are likely to occur suggest that specimen bending and warping may have the biggest impact on degrading the image quality at high resolution. Electron optical effects are likely to be negligible except in the case of a specimen that is tilted to high angle. A model is proposed to explain how both the mechanical and electron-optical effects of forming a dipole layer would have much greater impact on the image resolution in a direction perpendicular to the tilt axis, a well-known effect in electron microscopy of two-dimensional crystals.

The microstructure and magnetic domain structure of a Co-CoO obliquely evaporated tape for magnetic recording are studied by analytical electron microscopy and electron holography, respectively. While the existence of Co and CoO crystallites is confirmed by energy-filtered electron diffraction, columnar structure of the Co crystallites surrounded by the densely packed CoO crystallites is visualized by an elemental mapping method with electron energy loss spectroscopy, and the crystal orientation relation among the Co crystallites is clarified by high-resolution electron microscopy. It is found that the neighboring Co crystallites have close crystal orientations. On the other hand, electron holography reveals the magnetic flux distribution in a thin section of the tape. Although there exists the background resulting from the effect of inner potential with thickness variation, the distribution of lines of magnetic flux is found to correspond well to the recorded pattern.

Following is a list of microscopy-related meetings and courses.

The structure of Xe precipitates with sizes in several nanometers embedded in Al is known to be stable and its structure is well confirmed. But knowledge about the structure of Xe precipitates with nanometer sizes is very limited. There are difficulties in observing such small structures embedded in a crystalline matrix. An off-Bragg condition is used to observe diffraction patterns, dark-field, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images. The structure of Xe precipitates with sizes of about 2 nm and smaller is observed and confirmed. They are in an fcc structure and their orientation relationship with the Al matrix is similar to that of larger crystalline Xe precipitates or in an undefined structure. The lattice spacing or atomic distance in such nanometer-sized Xe precipitates is smaller than those of larger Xe precipitates embedded in Al matrix. There is a trend that as the size becomes smaller, the precipitates are more likely to have an undefined structure.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at the Pre-Meeting Congress: Materials Research in an Aberration-Free Environment, at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2004 in Savannah, Georgia, USA, July 31 and August 1, 2004.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2004 in Savannah, Georgia, USA, August 1–5, 2004.

Kelvin probe microscopy (KPM) is a specialized atomic force microscopy technique in which long-range Coulomb forces between a conductive atomic force probe and a specimen enable the electrical potential at the surface of a specimen to be characterized with high spatial resolution. KPM has been used to characterize nonconductive materials following their exposure to stationary electron beam irradiation in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Charged beam irradiation of poorly conducting materials results in the trapping of charge at either preexisting or irradiation-induced defects. The reproducible characteristic surface potentials associated with the trapped charge have been mapped using KPM. Potential profiles are calculated and compared with observed potential profiles giving insight into the charging processes and residual trapped charge distributions.

Exhibiting companies, booth numbers, and map.