Advanced method for the accurate measurement of tilt angle in a transmission electron microscopy goniometer

Abstract

Abstract Background In order to improve the reliability of the electron tomography (ET) technique, which reveals three-dimensional information of nanostructured materials from a series of tilted two-dimensional images, it is essential that the mechanical tilt angle be accurately measured by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) goniometer. Findings In this study, a calibration specimen was fabricated by nanohole patterning using a focused ion beam in order to determine mechanical tilt angles. The TEM goniometer tilt-angle accuracies were directly confirmed by measuring the changing areas of the projected nanosized hole. New calibration equations were developed and applied for the accurate determination of tilt angle. Conclusion We expect that the calibration specimen will effectively determine and correct the mechanical tilt angles in TEM goniometers leading to improvements in the ET technique.

Keywords

• Electron tomography
• Calibration specimen
• Goniometer
• Nanohole patterning
• Focused ion beam