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2
of
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Last edited: 14 August 2020
•
Check the
‘
Save with automatic numbering
’ to avoid saving the image one by one manually
after every capture
o
Note:
Ensure to reset
auto increment
to 1 so that numbering will begin at 0001
•
Check the
‘
Embed the data display into image
’
o
Note
: You may customise the data display under
Menu > Save condition settings >
Data display
Finding the Desired Area
•
Select
START
at the top left corner to begin the observation
o
Note
: You may check the electron beam settings, vacuum mode settings, and
detector settings under
Menu
•
Use a low magnification setting (100
–
500x) to identify the area of interest on sample, and
using the
COARSE
and
FINE
knob, adjust the image just enough to bring the identified area
into focus
o
Note
: You may use either the controller or camera view to navigate the electron
beam to the area of interest
o
AUTO
focus button on the controller may be used to bring the sample into focus as
well
•
Activate
Scan 1
to find the area of interest on the sample
•
Activate
Scan 2
to scan through the area that you have chosen
o
Note:
Scan speed can be adjusted at the top right side of the interface, beside
Menu.
At this scanning stage, it is recommended to use
Slow2
or
Slow3
•
Activate
Scan 3
to zoom in and adjust the focus to increase fidelity of the image
Adjusting the Beam Alignment
•
On controller, press
MODE
to toggle between
Stigmator
and
Alignment
mode. Pressing it
again would switch between
Stigmator Align. X, Stigmator Align. Y, AFC Align
or
Off
.
Alternatively, you may select
Align
on the interface and select the functions individually
•
At exaggerated magnification (15,000x
–
20,000x), switch to
Scan 3
mode. If the image is
shifting up and down, or side to side, adjust to keep the image as still as possible using
X
and
Y
knobs on the controller, followed by
FINE
focus knob
•
Repeat the same process for
Aperture align, Stigmator Align. X
and
Stigmator Align. Y
•
Ensure the alignment mode is
Off
after all the adjustments have been made. Correct
astigmatism next if necessary
Correcting the Stigmatism
•
Once the image does not appear to get any sharper with repeated
FINE
focus adjustments,
or directionality (or streaking) is observed, it may be necessary to correct the stigmatism
•
At exaggerated magnification (15,000x
–
20,000x), switch to
Scan 3
mode
•
Over and under focus the image until you can find the midpoint, then adjust the
X
and
Y
knobs on the controller (one axis at a time)
o
Note:
Several repetitions of this step is required before acquiring the best results
•
Once the alignment and stigmatism have been corrected and the image is as crisp as
desired, proceed with adjusting the exposure of the image
o
Note
:
AUTO
exposure button on the controller may be used
•
Lastly, zoom out to the desired magnification and press
CAPT
on the controller, or the
Capture
button on the interface to take an image of the field of view on the screen
