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Investigation of quantitative secondary electron imaging of semiconducting polymer materials using environmental scanning electron microscopy
Author(s) -
WILLIAMS S. J.,
DONALD A. M.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of microscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2818
pISSN - 0022-2720
DOI - 10.1111/j.0022-2720.2004.01417.x
Subject(s) - scanning electron microscope , secondary electrons , environmental scanning electron microscope , materials science , electron microscope , electron , nanotechnology , electron beam induced deposition , polymer , energy filtered transmission electron microscopy , electron tomography , signal (programming language) , scanning transmission electron microscopy , optics , composite material , computer science , physics , quantum mechanics , programming language
Summary The development of environmental scanning electron microscopy has opened the way for the examination of a wide variety of new sample types that were previously inaccessible to conventional scanning electron microscope techniques. With the advent of such a new methodology comes also the potential for new contrast mechanisms. We investigated the use of environmental scanning electron microscopy on semiconducting organic polymer materials. We observed contrast from these materials in secondary electron images, this contrast being attributed to differences in electron yield due to the polymer's electronic structure. Further study of these materials, and specifically the influence of film thickness on signal, has indicated a significant effect as the secondary electrons move through the sample. Systematic studies such as these are needed for a full understanding of the relationship between electronic properties and signal and, hence, the ability to probe structure–property relationships in greater depth.