Patent ID: 9165743
Filing Date: 2015-10-20
Classification: H01J

Abstract:
1. An electron microscope comprising: a laser-driven photocathode; an arbitrary waveform generation (AWG) laser system for producing a train of temporally-shaped laser pulses of a predefined pulse duration and waveform, and arranged to direct the laser pulses to the laser-driven photocathode for producing a train of electron pulses; a first lens stack arranged to focus the train of electron pulses to a sample; a second lens stack producing a magnified image or diffraction pattern of the sample on an image sensor; a deflector subsystem having electrostatic deflector plates arranged downstream of the sample and upstream of the image sensor, the deflector plates comprising a first pair of plates and a second pair of plates arranged perpendicular to the first pair of plates; and a control system in communication with both the AWG laser system and the deflector subsystem, the control system communicating with a plurality of switching components and synchronized with the AWG laser system for rapidly and reversibly switching voltage signals applied to each one of the deflector plates to independently control excitation of each one of the deflector plates to synch operation of the deflector subsystem with the train of laser pulses, so as to direct each said electron pulse to a different portion of the image sensor to capture a high-speed sequence of images or diffraction patterns of the sample, and to provide each said electron pulse with an independently set and programmable duration controlled by the control system, and to provide spacings between sequentially generated ones of the electron pulses that are variable, programmable and independently controlled by the control system.