Cluster imaging with a direct detection CMOS pixel sensor in Transmission Electron Microscopy

A cluster imaging technique for Transmission Electron Microscopy with a direct detection CMOS pixel sensor is presented. Charge centre-of-gravity reconstruction for individual electron clusters improves the spatial resolution and thus the point spread function. Data collected with a CIVICS sensor with 9.5 x 9.5 mu m(2) pixels show an improvement of a factor of two in point spread function to 2.7 mu m at 300 keV and of a factor of three in the image contrast, compared to traditional bright field illumination. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.