Single Electron Detection
Single Electron Detection
Due to its extremely high signal-to-noise ratio of 300:1 at 80 keV, the pnCCD (S)TEM camera can detect single electrons. Each pattern in image (a) shows the signal of a single primary electron (80 keV). The single electron events can be pro-cessed to receive images with a spatial resolution better than the physical pixel size. This proces-sing, which is called subpixel imaging, is based on advanced center of gravity methods. It works by taking into account the track and the distribution of the signal electrons in the detector that have been created by the primary electron. The example (b) below shows an electron hologram before (top) and after sub-pixel processing (bot-tom). Comparing the line proles (red and blue curves in the graph underneath) demonstrates the improved resolution of the interference pattern.