Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Jeol Ltd.

Tohoku University

Kyoto Institute of Technology

Tetsuo Oikawa

Nobufumi Mori

Junji Miyahara

Yoshiyasu Harada

Katsuaki Muraishi

Masahiro Ohnishi

Takayuki Katoh

Hiromi Nunome

Masao Inoue

Terumi Matsuda

Daisuke Shindo

Masato Achihara

Yasukazu Murakami

Katsushige Tsuno

Tadao Koyama

Hisamitsu Endoh

Masahiro Onishi

An object of the present invention is to provide an electron microscope that employs a hologram of a diffraction pattern to reconstruct a microscopic image involving no imaging aberration due to image forming lenses, as well as a combined illumination lens used for such an electron microscope. The electron microscope according to the present invention has an electron source (), a condenser lens (), a biprism () to split an electron beam supplied from the condenser lens () into coherent first and second electron beams (L, L) that are parallel to each other, a combined illumination lens () to make the first electron beam (L) into a parallel wave and the second electron beam (L) into a converging wave that converges at a predetermined distance, a sample stage () to hold a sample illuminated with the first electron beam (L), a detector () to detect a hologram of a diffraction pattern formed by interference of the first electron beam (L) with the second electron beam (L), a computing unit () to conduct a predetermined Fourier transform on the hologram supplied from the detector () and reconstruct a microscopic image of the sample, and a display () to display the reconstructed microscopic image.

Electron microscope and combined illumination lens

There is disclosed an electron microscope equipped with a magnetic microprobe. The microscope can apply a strong electric field to a local area on a specimen made of a magnetic material. The magnetic flux density per unit area of the microprobe is high. The microscope includes a biprism for producing interference between an electron beam transmitted through the specimen and an electron beam passing through a vacuum. The specimen is held to a holder. The microprobe is made of a magnetic material and has a needle-like tip. The microscope further includes a moving mechanism capable of moving the microprobe toward and away from the specimen.

Electron microscope equipped with magnetic microprobe

An apparatus for successively removing stacked sheets, such as stimulable phosphor sheets used in electron microscopy, from a housing. The stack consists of alternate layers of a first kind and a second kind of sheets. Each sheet of the first kind has a first notch in a first position. Each sheet of the second kind has a second notch in a second position. One edge of the lowermost sheet of the stack is supported on a projection which can be moved along the edge. Thus, the stack is inclined in the housing. The projection is movable from its home position, first and second stop positions aligned with the notches. When the projection is moved to a position registering with the notch on the lowermost sheet, that sheet only is dropped to a position from which it is ejected from the apparatus.

Dispenser for dispensing sheets of an alternating first and second kind

Each of two-dimensional sensors is exposed to an electron beam, which has passed through a sample, in a vacuum in order to store the energy from the electron beam on the two-dimensional sensor, and is then exposed to light or heat in order to release the stored energy as emitted light. The emitted light is photoelectrically detected and an image signal is thereby obtained which represents an electron microscope image of the sample. Read-out conditions which are to be used when the emitted light is detected are determined from an electron beam exposure amount which was set when the energy from the electron beam was stored on each two-dimensional sensor. Signals representing the read-out conditions determined for the two-dimensional sensors are stored in a storage device so that it is clear which read-out conditions correspond to which two-dimensional sensor. When light emitted by a two-dimensional sensor is to be detected, a signal which represents the read-out conditions corresponding to the two-dimensional sensor is read from the storage device, and the read-out conditions are set.

Electron microscope image recording and read-out method

An exposed two-dimensional sensor and an exposed two-dimensional sensor in the camera compartment of an electron microscope are shielded against X-rays by respective covers. When a two-dimensional sensor is outside the protective covers during recording, the electron beam from the electron gun of the electron microscope is deflected and blocked by the diaphragm, thereby preventing generation of X-rays due to scattered electrons in the camera compartment. Such an arrangement makes a mechanical shutter unnecessary so that it is possible to prevent exposure of the two-dimentional sensors due to X-rays generated at the shutter and exposure of the two-dimensional sensors due to X-rays generated by scattered electrons in the camera compartment.

Electron microscope which prevents undesired X-ray exposure

A rack for housing recording media for an electron microscope includes a vertically movable rack for accommodating the recording media and composed of a plurality of shelves, and a unit for pushing out the recording media as well as a unit for entrance and exit of the recording media are provided at a predetermined height position. Two-dimensional sensors or cassettes for photographic films are accommodated within the rack. For photography, the rack is moved up and down to extract the desired two-dimensional sensors or cassettes for photographic films by the recording media pushing unit and the exit unit. After photography, the recording media are returned by the recording media entrance unit to the original position in the rack, so that a single magazine suffices for the receiving magazine and the feed magazine.

Magazine for accommodating recording medium for electron microscope

In a system for outputting an electron microscope image, a two-dimensional sensor for storing electron beam energy thereon is exposed to an electron beam passing through a specimen in a vacuum to have the electron beam energy stored on the two-dimensional sensor, and is then exposed to light or heat to release the stored energy as light emission. The emitted light is photoelectrically detected to obtain image signals, and an electron beam image of the specimen is output on the basis of the image signals. The specimen is divided into a plurality of divisions, and the storage of the electron beam energy is carried out for each of the divisions. The image signals obtained at the divisions are combined to form composite image signals that represent an overall specimen image formed by a group of the divisions, and the image signals at the divisions are corrected so that signal values of the boundary areas of adjacent divisions become approximately equal to each other.

Electron microscope image output method and apparatus

A transmission-type electron microscope using a sensitive two-dimensional sensor in its micrograph-taking section acts as a recording medium for an electron beam. When the sensor is illuminated with an electron beam, it stores the energy of the beam. When the sensor is subsequently illuminated with light, it releases the stored energy as light. In accordance with the invention, at least a portion of the micrograph-taking section includes a member for reducing the amount of x-rays produced or a member for absorbing x-rays to shield the sensor from x-rays.

Electron microscope

A transmission-type electron microscope comprises a lens system including an electron gun for producing an electron beam that is focused and directed to a specimen. The lens system forms a magnified electron optical image of the specimen from the electron beam transmitted through the specimen. A two-dimensional sensor is mounted in the plane in which the magnified image is formed, the sensor acting to store the energy of the electron beam impinging on it and to release the stored energy as light when illuminated with light or heated. An electron beam-deflecting means is mounted in the lens system and acting to tilt the focal plane in which the magnified lens image is formed, in such a way that a straight line extending from the main optical axis of the electron beam between the electron gun and the specimen does not interset the two-dimensional sensor.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Tetsuo Oikawa