Angular spreading measurements using MeV ion microscopes

Abstract

The sharpness of MeV ion microscope images is governed by small-angle scattering and associated lateral spreading of the ion beam in the sample. We have investigated measurement of the half-angle of the angular spreading distribution by characterising the image blurring in direct-Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy (direct-STIM). In these tests Mylar™ foils of 0.5-6 μm were used to induce angular spreading. Images were taken of an electron microscope grid using 2 MeV protons with, and without, the foils in the beam path. The blurring was measured by fitting the width of a circular Gaussian point spread function to the images with and without the foil in position. The results show the half-angle width of the spreading has a square root dependence on foil thickness that lies intermediate between SRIM predictions and the theoretical estimates (Bird and Williams fits to the Sigmund and Winterbon data and Amsel et al.). © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.