Open AccessRead‐out of soft x‐ray contact microscopy microradiographs by focused ion beam/scanning electron microscope
Author(s) -
Milani Marziale,
Drobne Damjana,
Tatti Francesco,
Batani Dimitri,
Poletti Giulio,
Orsini Francesco,
Zullini Aldo,
Zrimec Alexis
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
scanning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.359
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1932-8745
pISSN - 0161-0457
DOI - 10.1002/sca.4950270505
Subject(s) - scanning electron microscope , focused ion beam , materials science , microscopy , ion beam , electron beam induced deposition , nanotechnology , ion , optics , beam (structure) , scanning transmission electron microscopy , chemistry , physics , composite material , organic chemistry
A novel focused ion beam‐based technique is presented for the read‐out of microradiographs of Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes generated by soft x‐ray contact microscopy (SXCM). In previous studies, the read‐out was performed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), but in our work SXCM microradiographs were imaged by scanning ion microscopy (SIM) in a focused ion beam/scanning electron microscope (FIB/SEM). It allows an ad libitum selection of a sample region for gross morphologic to nanometric investigations, with a sequence of imaging and cutting. The FIB/SEM is less sensitive to height variation of the relief, and sectioning makes it possible to analyse the sample further. The SXCM can be coupled to SIM in a more efficient and faster way than to AFM. Scanning ion microscopy is the method of choice for the read‐out of microradiographs of small multicellular organisms.