J.B. Hannon, R.M. Tromp
Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology, Part A: Vacuum, Surfaces and Films
Aberration-corrected microscopes with subatomic resolution will impact broad areas of science and technology. However, the experimentally observed lifetime of the corrected state is just a few minutes. Here we show that the corrected state is intrinsically unstable; the higher its quality, the more unstable it is. Analyzing the contrast transfer function near optimum correction, we define an "instability budget" which allows a rational trade-off between resolution and stability. Unless control systems are developed to overcome these challenges, intrinsic instability poses a fundamental limit to the resolution practically achievable in the electron microscope. © 2012 American Physical Society.
J.B. Hannon, R.M. Tromp
Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology, Part A: Vacuum, Surfaces and Films
R.J. Hamers, R.M. Tromp, et al.
Surface Science
J. Sun, J.B. Hannon, et al.
IBM J. Res. Dev
M. Copel, R.M. Tromp
Applied Physics Letters