Method and apparatus for evaluating strains in crystals
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of evaluating the strains in crystals comprising the steps of:
- irradiating beams of electrons on the surface of a specimen of a crystalline substance, the surface of the specimen being scanned with the electron beams whose angle of incidence ranges from an angle smaller than the Bragg angle to a larger one;
determining the intensity of secondary or back-scattered electrons discharged from the surface of the specimen;
forming an electron channeling pattern containing several pseudo-Kikuchi lines by recording the intensity of the secondary or back-scattered electrons in synchronism with the scanning signals of the electron beams;
determining the sharpness of the electron channeling pattern; and
evaluating the strain in the crystalline substance on the basis of a change in the sharpness of the electron channeling pattern.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The strains in crystals are evaluated by quantifying the sharpness of an electron channeling pattern and determining changes in the quantified sharpness of the electron channeling pattern. There is such a close correlation between the sharpness of the electron channeling pattern and the strains in crystals that the latter can be evaluated in terms of changes in the former. An apparatus for evaluating strains in crystals comprises a scanning electron microscope having a function to form an electron channeling pattern and an image analyzer having a function to quantify the sharpness of an electron channeling pattern.
-
Citations
8 Claims
-
1. A method of evaluating the strains in crystals comprising the steps of:
-
irradiating beams of electrons on the surface of a specimen of a crystalline substance, the surface of the specimen being scanned with the electron beams whose angle of incidence ranges from an angle smaller than the Bragg angle to a larger one; determining the intensity of secondary or back-scattered electrons discharged from the surface of the specimen; forming an electron channeling pattern containing several pseudo-Kikuchi lines by recording the intensity of the secondary or back-scattered electrons in synchronism with the scanning signals of the electron beams; determining the sharpness of the electron channeling pattern; and evaluating the strain in the crystalline substance on the basis of a change in the sharpness of the electron channeling pattern. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. An apparatus for evaluating strains in crystals comprising:
-
a scanning electron microscope forming an electron channeling pattern containing several pseudo-Kikuchi lines which comprises means for scanning the surface of a specimen with beams of electrons whose angle of incidence with respect to the crystal plane is varied from an angle smaller than the Bragg angle to a larger one, means for detecting secondary or back-scattered electrons and means for recording the intensity of secondary or back-scattered electrons in synchronism with the scanning signals of the electron beams; an image analyzer having means for quantifying the sharpness of said electron channeling pattern formed by the scanning electron microscope; and means for evaluating strain in the crystal based on change in the sharpness of said electron channeling pattern.
-
Specification