Development of Cs and Cc correctors for transmission electron microscopy

Abstract

Novel spherical aberration (Cs) and chromatic aberration (Cc) correctors, which correct aberrations using a new principle, were developed. The asymmetric Cs correctors were designed for use in the probe- and image-forming systems at 300 kV to diminish undesired parasitic aberrations. The correctors composed of non-equivalent multipoles connecting with a demagnifying transfer doublet in the system. The axial aberrations were corrected well up to the fifth order except 6-fold astigmatism (A6) experimentally. Next, we developed superior Cs correctors for probe- and image-forming systems of low voltage microscope that uses triple dodecapoles to correct 6-fold astigmatism (A6). An important feature of this system is the rotation of the 3-fold astigmatism azimuth at the second dodecapole. The optimum rotation of the three hexapole fields for the compensation of A6 was derived from theoretical calculations. The experimental results confirmed the compensation of A 6 and the third-order Cs. Finally, a unique Cc corrector, which utilized the concave lens effect formed by a long quadrupole field, was designed. The performance of the Cc corrector was investigated using a 30-kV transmission electron microscope. The results confirmed that Cc correction was achieved. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press [on behalf of The Japanese Society of Microscopy]. All rights reserved.