# Low-Energy Single-Electron Detector with Submicron Resolution

## TL;DR

A new single-electron detector with high resolution and efficiency is developed for electron microscopy and diffraction studies.

## Contribution

A scintillator-based single-electron detector with submicron resolution and high detection efficiency is introduced.

## Key findings

- The detector achieves a spatial resolution of 0.9 μm at 17 keV.
- Detection efficiency and purity exceed 0.8 at 17 keV and reach 0.96 at 30 keV.
- The detector enables electron diffraction studies at distances comparable to electron mean free paths in air.

## Abstract

Single-electron detectors are a key component of electron
microscopes
and advanced electron optics experiments. We present a scintillator-based
single-electron detector with an estimated spatial resolution of 0.9
μm at an electron energy of 17 keV. Single-electron detection
events are identified with an efficiency and purity larger than 0.8
at an electron energy of 17 keV, reaching 0.96 at 30 keV. We show
that the detector enables electron diffraction studies with a sample–detector
distance comparable to the mean free path of electrons at atmospheric
pressure, potentially enabling atmospheric electron diffraction studies.