Single-shot, coherent, pop-out 3D metrology

TL;DR

This paper introduces a rapid, non-destructive 3D imaging method using a single bright-field image in electron microscopy, enabling nanometer resolution for thin specimens without tomography.

Contribution

The authors present a novel single-shot coherent imaging technique for 3D nanometrology, filling a gap in rapid, accessible 3D imaging methods.

Findings

Successfully recovered 3D volume from a single image

Applicable to various coherent imaging modalities

Fills a gap in rapid 3D nanometrology

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) imaging of thin, extended specimens at nanometer resolution is critical for applications in biology, materials science, advanced synthesis, and manufacturing. One route to 3D imaging is tomography, which requires a tilt series of a local region. Here we describe a coherent imaging alternative that recovers the 3D volume of a thin, homogeneously amorphous specimen with only a single, energy-filtered, bright-field image. We demonstrated this technique with a transmission electron microscope to fill a glaring gap for rapid, accessible, non-destructive 3D nanometrology. This technique is applicable, in general, to any coherent bright field imaging with electrons, photons, or any other wavelike particles.