Demonstration of a 2 × 2 programmable phase plate for electrons

Jo Verbeeck; Armand Béché; Knut Müller-Caspary; Giulio Guzzinati; Minh Anh Luong; Martien Den Hertog

doi:10.1016/j.ultramic.2018.03.017

Demonstration of a 2 × 2 programmable phase plate for electrons

Ultramicroscopy. 2018 Jul:190:58-65. doi: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2018.03.017. Epub 2018 Apr 18.

Authors

Jo Verbeeck¹, Armand Béché², Knut Müller-Caspary², Giulio Guzzinati², Minh Anh Luong³, Martien Den Hertog⁴

Affiliations

¹ EMAT, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp 2020, Belgium. Electronic address: jo.verbeeck@uantwerp.be.
² EMAT, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp 2020, Belgium.
³ Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, INAC, MEM, LEMMA Group, Grenoble F-38000, France.
⁴ Institut Neel, 25 avenue des Martyrs BP 166, Grenoble Cedex 9 38042, France.

PMID: 29689445
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2018.03.017

Abstract

First results on the experimental realisation of a 2 × 2 programmable phase plate for electrons are presented. The design consists of an array of electrostatic elements that influence the phase of electron waves passing through 4 separately controllable aperture holes. This functionality is demonstrated in a conventional transmission electron microscope operating at 300 kV and results are in very close agreement with theoretical predictions. The dynamic creation of a set of electron probes with different phase symmetry is demonstrated, thereby bringing adaptive optics in TEM one step closer to reality. The limitations of the current design and how to overcome these in the future are discussed. Simulations show how further evolved versions of the current proof of concept might open new and exciting application prospects for beam shaping and aberration correction.

Keywords: Adaptive optics; Beam forming; Electron optics; Electrostatic lens; Phase plate.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't