A Preliminary Study of Oxygen Environmental SEM: Application on Oxides

Abstract

A scanning electron microscope (SEM), in an oxygen environment, was set‐up to study the charging phenomena and charge compensation of oxides. Under an O₂ pressure between 2.9 × 10⁻³ and 2 × 10⁻² Pa, the charging of an amorphous SiO₂ with Cu stripes and a polycrystalline Al₂O₃ were reduced. The charging effect and charge compensation of oxides may be due to the formation of surface anion vacancies under primary electron bombardment and the replenishment of oxygen ions under an oxygen atmosphere. The Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) of Al₂O₃ proved that the charging effect of the Al₂O₃ was completely compensated in the environment of O₂ at pressures down to 5 × 10⁻⁶ Pa.

Keywords:

• SEM
• Oxygen environment
• Charging effect
• Oxides

Acknowledgment

The financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 60171024) is gratefully acknowledged.