High-sensitivity lens-coupled slow-scan CCD camera for transmission electron microscopy

Ultramicroscopy. 1993 Sep;52(1):21-9. doi: 10.1016/0304-3991(93)90019-t.

Abstract

A lens-coupled slow-scan CCD camera has been built for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) applications. In this design, a leaded glass window, which is coated with a 20 microns layer of red P20 phosphor, is mounted on the bottom of the microscope. A lens assembly and mirror prism, located outside the microscope vacuum below the leaded glass, relays the image onto a back-thinned 1kx1k charge-coupled device (CCD) detector. This CCD is electronically cooled to below -30 degrees C during operation. It is found that X-ray irradiation, generally found to be annoying in fiber-optically coupled CCD cameras, is completely eliminated by this configuration. The collection efficiency of this system, although not as high as some of the fiber-optically coupled CCD cameras, is high enough to achieve single-electron sensitivity under a high-gain mode.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Equipment Design
  • Microscopy, Electron / instrumentation*
  • Photography / instrumentation*