No Arabic abstract
Hybrid pixel sensor technology such as the Medipix3 represents a unique tool for electron imaging. We have investigated its performance as a direct imaging detector using a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) which incorporated a Medipix3 detector with a 300 micrometre thick silicon layer compromising of 256x256 pixels at 55 micrometre pixel pitch. We present results taken with the Medipix3 in Single Pixel Mode (SPM) with electron beam energies in the range, 60 to 200 keV. Measurements of the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) and the Detective Quantum Efficiency (DQE) were investigated. At a given beam energy, the MTF data was acquired by deploying the established knife edge technique. Similarly, the experimental data required to DQE was obtained by acquiring a stack of images of a focused beam and of free space (flatfield) to determine the Noise Power Spectrum (NPS).
Detector developments are currently enabling new capabilities in the field of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We have investigated the limits of a hybrid pixel detector, Medipix3, to record dynamic, time varying, electron signals. Operating with an energy of 60keV, we have utilised electrostatic deflection to oscillate electron beam position on the detector. Adopting a pump-probe imaging strategy we have demonstrated that temporal resolutions three orders of magnitude smaller than are available for typically used TEM imaging detectors are possible. Our experiments have shown that energy deposition of the primary electrons in the hybrid pixel detector limits the overall temporal resolution. Through adjustment of user specifiable thresholds or the use of charge summing mode, we have obtained images composed from summing 10,000s frames containing single electron events to achieve temporal resolution less than 100ns. We propose that this capability can be directly applied to studying repeatable material dynamic processes but also to implement low-dose imaging schemes in scanning transmission electron microscopy.
We describe a hybrid pixel array detector (EMPAD - electron microscope pixel array detector) adapted for use in electron microscope applications, especially as a universal detector for scanning transmission electron microscopy. The 128 x 128 pixel detector consists of a 500 um thick silicon diode array bump-bonded pixel-by-pixel to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The in-pixel circuitry provides a 1,000,000:1 dynamic range within a single frame, allowing the direct electron beam to be imaged while still maintaining single electron sensitivity. A 1.1 kHz framing rate enables rapid data collection and minimizes sample drift distortions while scanning. By capturing the entire unsaturated diffraction pattern in scanning mode, one can simultaneously capture bright field, dark field, and phase contrast information, as well as being able to analyze the full scattering distribution, allowing true center of mass imaging. The scattering is recorded on an absolute scale, so that information such as local sample thickness can be directly determined. This paper describes the detector architecture, data acquisition (DAQ) system, and preliminary results from experiments with 80 to 200 keV electron beams.
A prototype Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detector is under construction for medical imaging purposes. A single thick GEM of size 10x10 cm^2 is assembled inside a square shaped air-tight box which is made of Perspex glass. In order to ionize gas inside the drift field two types of voltage supplier circuits were fabricated, and array of 2x4 pads of each size 4x8 mm^2 were utilized for collecting avalanche charges. Preliminary testing results show that the circuit which produces high voltage and low current is better than that of low voltage and high current supplier circuit in terms of x-ray signal counting rates.
We develop an algorithm capable of imaging a three-dimensional object given a collection of two-dimensional images of that object that are significantly influenced by the curvature of the Ewald sphere. These two-dimensional images cannot be approximated as projections of the object. Such an algorithm is useful in cryo-electron microscopy where larger samples, higher resolution, or lower energy electron beams are desired, all of which contribute to the significance of Ewald curvature.
GRETA, the Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array, is an array of highly-segmented HPGe detectors designed to track gamma-rays emitted in beam-physics experiments. Its high detection efficiency and state-of-the-art position resolution make it well-suited for imaging applications. In this paper, we use simulated imaging data to illustrate how imaging can be applied to nuclear lifetime measurments. This approach can offer multiple benefits over traditional lifetime techniques such as RDM.