A radial mirror analyzer for scanning electron/ion microscopes

This paper presents a high-resolution transmittance electron energy analyzer suitable for use as an attachment inside the specimen chambers of scanning electron/ion microscopes. The analyzer uses a rotationally symmetric electric field distribution to transport electrons/ions emitted from a central point source in a radial direction on to a ring-shaped collection/detection area. The analyzer is designed to fit around a conical shaped objective lens pole-piece/electrode, allowing for a relatively short minimum working distance, 5 mm or less. Simulation results for the analyzer design predict that it will have a relative energy resolution of 0.025% for an entrance angular spread of ±6°, around an order of magnitude better then the well-known Cylindrical Mirror Analyzer (CMA). The analyzer design allows for a parallel mode of operation in which the energy bandwidth on a conical shaped detection plane is predicted to be as high as 32% (±16%) of the central-band energy. On a flat ring-shaped detection plane, the energy bandwidth is predicted to be around 12% (±6%) of the central-band energy, over which the simulated relative energy resolution remains below 0.06% for angular spreads of ±6°.