Measurement of Scanning Electron Microscope resolution

Abstract

The resolution performance of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a primary specification of the instrument. For a high-resolution SEM (HRSEM) equipped with a field emission gun (FEG), image resolutions of less than 2 nm are commonly claimed. Generally, both manufacturers and customers identify image resolution as the single most important performance criterion. It is traditionally determined with specimens such as gold islands on bulk carbon supports, where the minimum apparent separation of two islands is claimed as the resolution. This procedure is highly subjective since the spacings are not known independently. Dodson and Joy have pointed out the paradox implicit in this approach-that “the resolution of a given instrument can be verified only after a better instrument is available to characterize the structure spacing.” By analogy to the now standard approach for high-resolution transmission electron microscopes (TEMs), Dodson and Joy investigated the use of Fourier Transforms (FT) of high-resolution SEM images for measuring resolution.