Cathode lens mode of the SEM in materials science applications

The cathode lens (CL) mode of the SEM, employing sample as a cathode of the beam-decelerating electrostatic lens, enables one to preserve the image resolution down to lowest electron energies and in the same time secures an excellent collection efficiency of signal species. In the range of tens and units of eV, new image contrasts become available, based on the quantum mechanical character of scattering and the electron wavelength comparable with inter-atomic distances. However, already in the low keV and hundreds of eV ranges the CL mode has proven itself very efficient in many materials science applications, overcoming some weak points the conventional SEM modes suffer from. Selected material structures are presented as demonstration examples.