# Development of a pixelated STEM-in-SEM detector for microstructural features characterization

Julien Aubourg, Emmanuel Bouzy, Antoine Guitton, Jean-Jacques Fundenberger, Yudong Zhang, Julien Guyon, Luc Morhain

## ► To cite this version:

Julien Aubourg, Emmanuel Bouzy, Antoine Guitton, Jean-Jacques Fundenberger, Yudong Zhang, et al.. Development of a pixelated STEM-in-SEM detector for microstructural features characterization. The 17th European Microscopy Congress (EMC 2024), Aug 2024, Copenhagen, Denmark. pp.05014, 10.1051/bioconf/202412905014. hal-04805924

HAL Id: hal-04805924

https://hal.univ-lorraine.fr/hal-04805924v1

Submitted on 2 Dec 2024

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# Development of a pixelated STEM-in-SEM detector for microstructural features characterization

**Julien Aubourg**¹,², Mr. Emmanuel Bouzy²,³, Mr. Antoine Guitton²,³, Mr. Jean-Jacques Fundenberger²,³, Mrs. Yudong Zhang²,³, Mr. Julien Guyon²,³, Mr. Luc Morhain²,³

¹JEOL (Europe) SAS, 1 All. de Giverny, 78290 Croissy, France, ²Laboratoire d'Etude des Microstructures et de Mécanique des Matériaux (LEM3), Université de Lorraine, CNRS UMR 7239, Arts et Métiers, F-57070 Metz, France, ³Laboratory of Excellence on Design of Alloy Metals for low-mAss Structures (DAMAS), University of Lorraine, 57073 Metz, France

**Background incl. aims:**

Microstructural investigations provide engineers with information to computationally predict the performance of components and electron microscopy is a well-versed technique for analyzing micro/nanostructural features. Two types of electron microscopes are commonly used and provide complementary information: Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) at the micro/nanoscale and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) at the macro/mesoscale. Historically, Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy in Scanning Electron Microscope (STEM-in-SEM) techniques were predominantly used by biologists due to their user-friendly nature and their ability to analyze specimens at low accelerating voltages (30 kV or below). This made STEM-in-SEM techniques complementary to conventional TEM ones as the latter generally use high accelerating voltages (~200 kV). Recent advances in electron guns and electromagnetic lenses have sparked growing interest in STEM-in-SEM techniques across various scientific disciplines. However, researchers often face challenges in establishing the precise imaging conditions required to obtain comprehensive micrographs, thus limiting their interpretation and analysis.

**Methods:**

In this study, we propose a novel STEM-in-SEM approach, which aims to overcome the practical limitations of traditional techniques for microstructural characterization in thin foils. The technique leverages an advanced detector designed to replicate TEM-like characterizations while minimizing the presence of artifacts that commonly hinder comprehensive analyses. In addition, this STEM-in-SEM technique benefits from On-Axis Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction (On-Axis TKD), thus allowing diffraction pattern acquisition with a high signal-to-noise ratio.
**Results:**

First results already show the possibility to acquire diffraction patterns and to image dislocations under modulable bright-field and dark-field conditions.

**Conclusion:**

By implementing this pixelated STEM-in-SEM technique, we anticipate significant advancements in the field of microstructural characterization by obtaining TEM-like and TEM-complementary information. Ultimately, the developed technique should facilitate studies to obtain detailed information about thin foil specimens, thereby contributing to a broader range of scientific applications.

**Keywords:**

Electron microscopy, STEM-in-SEM, On-Axis TKD, Microstructures characterization

**Reference:**

Brodu, E., Bouzy, E., Fundenberger, J.-J., Guyon, J., Guitton, A., & Zhang, Y. (2017). On-axis TKD for orientation mapping of nanocrystalline materials in SEM. Materials Characterization, 130, 92-96.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchar.2017.05.036