Quantitative comparison of image contrast and pattern between experimental and simulated high-resolution transmission electron micrographs

Aiming to determine the contrast mismatch factor i.e. the Stobbs factor between the experimental and simulated high-resolution transmission electron micrographs, we have systematically compared the experimental images and simulations of a cleaved silicon sample for a series of focal settings and specimen thicknesses. For zero-loss energy filtered images, a mismatch factor of about 1.5–2.3 is measured for the image contrast, where the mismatch factor is focal dependent and higher mismatch appears around the focus value of 10 nm. Attention is also given to the effects of the sample vibration and drift to the image contrast and pattern of the high-resolution micrographs.