Can a Programmable Phase Plate Serve as an Aberration Corrector in the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)?

TL;DR

This study investigates the potential of programmable electrostatic phase plates to correct spherical aberration in TEM, demonstrating that such devices could achieve sub-1 Å resolution.

Contribution

It explores various design parameters of programmable phase plates and shows their capability to significantly improve TEM resolution beyond current limits.

Findings

Probe size down to 0.66 Å achieved in simulations

Programmable phase plates can correct spherical aberration effectively

Design factors influence electron probe size and current density

Abstract

Current progress in programmable electrostatic phase plates raises questions about their usefulness for specific applications. Here, we explore different designs for such phase plates with the specific goal of correcting spherical aberration in the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). We numerically investigate whether a phase plate could provide down to 1 $\r{A}$ngstr\"om spatial resolution on a conventional uncorrected TEM. Different design aspects (fill-factor, pixel pattern, symmetry) were evaluated to understand their effect on the electron probe size and current density. Some proposed designs show a probe size ($d_{50}$) down to 0.66$\r{A}$, proving that it should be possible to correct spherical aberration well past the 1\AA~ limit using a programmable phase plate consisting of an array of electrostatic phase shifting elements.