Can a Programmable Phase Plate Serve as an Aberration Corrector in the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)?

Abstract

Abstract Current progress in programmable electrostatic phase plates raises questions about their usefulness for specific applications. Here, we explore different designs for such phase plates with the specific goal of correcting spherical aberration in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). We numerically investigate whether a phase plate could provide down to 1 Ångström spatial resolution on a conventional uncorrected TEM. Different design aspects (fill factor, pixel pattern, symmetry) were evaluated to understand their effect on the electron probe size and current density. Some proposed designs show a probe size (d50) down to 0.66 Å, proving that it should be possible to correct spherical aberration well past the 1 Å limit using a programmable phase plate consisting of an array of electrostatic phase-shifting elements.