Some Quantification Problems in Parallel EELS Images

The recently developed parallel electron energy loss spectrometers (PEELS) have led to a significant reduction in spectrum acquisition time making EELS more useful in many applications in material science. Dwell times as short as 50 msec per spectrum with a PEELS coupled to a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), can make quantitative EEL images accessible. These images would present distribution of elements with the high spatial resolution inherent to EELS. The aim of this paper is to briefly investigate the effect of acquisition time per pixel on the signal to noise ratio (SNR), the effect of thickness variation and crystallography and finally the energy stability of spectra when acquired in the scanning mode during long periods of time. The configuration of the imaging system is the following: a Gatan PEELS is coupled to a CM30 (TEM/STEM) electron microscope, the control of the spectrometer and microscope is performed through a LINK AN10-85S MCA which is interfaced to a IBM RT 125 (running under AIX) via a DR11W line.