EXTENDED ELECTRON TOMOGRAPHY

• US 20090283676A1
• Filed: 04/04/2007
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University
• Original Assignee: Sidec Technologies AB
• Inventors: Skoglund, Ulf
• Granted Patent: US 7,880,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/307
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/419 computed tomograph
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/046 using tomography, e.g. computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/693 Acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/122 Computational image acquisition in electron microscopy

Abstract

A method for improving image resolution of a three dimensional structure of at least one molecule conformation includes: determining a three dimensional structure of at least one conformation of a molecule in a sample from a first data set obtained from a series of 2D measurements of different geometrical projections of the molecule at a low electron beam dose in an electron microscope; producing a second data set including calculated two dimensional projections of the determined three dimensional structure of the at least one conformation of the same molecule; correlating data from a third data set obtained from at least one measurement of the same molecule using a higher electron beam dose with the second data set; and using the correlated data to improve the resolution of the three dimensional structure of the at least one conformation of the molecule by increasing the first data set with the correlated data and re-determining a three dimensional structure.

Claims

1. A method for improving image resolution of a three dimensional structure of at least one molecule conformation comprising the steps of:

determining a three dimensional structure of at least one conformation of a molecule in a sample from a first data set obtained from a series of 2D measurements of different geometrical projections of the molecule at a low electron beam dose in an electron microscope;

producing a second data set comprising calculated two dimensional projections of the determined three dimensional structure of the at least one conformation of the same molecule;

correlating data from a third data set obtained from at least one measurement of the same molecule in an electron microscope using a higher electron beam dose with the second data set; and

using the correlated data to improve the resolution of the three dimensional structure of the at least one conformation of the molecule by increasing the first data set with the correlated data and re-determining a three dimensional structure.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said low dose electron beam is below a damaging level for said molecule conformation.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said low dose electron beam is below 1 e⁻

/Å

² per image.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said higher dose electron beam is higher than 1 e⁻

/Å

² per image.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of determining a three dimensional structure comprise a step of using a non-iterative method such as filtered back projection.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of determining a three dimensional structure comprise a step of using an iterative method such as constrained maximum entropy tomography method.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of determining a three dimensional structure comprise a step of using a combination of a non-iterative method and an iterative method.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of producing a new second data set by simulating two dimensional projections of said improved three dimensional structure.

9. A machine with a memory containing data representing a three dimensional structure obtained from the method according to claim 1.

13. A propagated signal comprising a data structure representing a three dimensional structure obtained from a method according to claim 1.

14. A computer readable data medium containing a data structure representing a three dimensional structure obtained from a method according to claim 1.

15. The computer readable data medium according to claim 14, wherein said data medium is at least one of a hard disk, diskette, CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), DVD (Digital Video Disk), flash or similar removable memory media (e.g. compactflash, SD secure digital, memorystick, miniSD, MMC multimediacard, smartmedia, transflash, XD), HD-DVD (High Definition DVD), or Bluray DVD, USB (Universal Serial Bus) based removable memory media, magnetic tape media, optical storage media, magneto-optical media, and bubble memory.

16. An image stored as a data structure in a computer readable medium representing a three dimensional structure obtained from a method according to claim 1.

10. A computer program for improving image resolution of a three dimensional structure of at least one molecule conformation comprising instruction sets for:

determining a three dimensional structure of at least one conformation of a molecule in a sample from a first data set obtained from a series of 2D measurements of different geometrical projections of the molecule at a low electron beam dose in an electron microscope;

producing a second data set comprising calculated two dimensional projections of the determined three dimensional structure of the at least one conformation of the same molecule;

correlating data from a third data set obtained from at least one measurement of the same molecule in an electron microscope using a higher electron beam dose with the second data set; and

using the correlated data to improve the resolution of the three dimensional structure of the at least one conformation of the molecule by increasing the first data set with the correlated data and re-determining a three dimensional structure.

11. The computer program according to claim 10, further comprising an instruction set for producing a new second data set by simulating two dimensional views of said improved three dimensional structure.

12. An electron microscope system arranged with image analysis software for improving image resolution of a three dimensional structure of at least one molecule conformation comprising instruction sets for:

determining a three dimensional structure of at least one conformation of a molecule in a sample from a first data set obtained from a series of 2D measurements of different geometrical projections of the molecule at a low electron beam dose in an electron microscope;

producing a second data set comprising calculated two dimensional projections of the determined three dimensional structure of the at least one conformation of the same molecule;

correlating data from a third data set obtained from at least one measurement of the same molecule in an electron microscope using a higher electron beam dose with the second data set; and

using the correlated data to improve the resolution of the three dimensional structure of the at least one conformation of the molecule by increasing the first data set with the correlated data and re-determining a three dimensional structure.