Issue 9, 2010

Imaging surface analysis: Lateral resolution and its relation to contrast and noise

Abstract

Lateral resolution, also called image resolution, is the most relevant quality parameter of maps and line scans. Therefore well defined procedures for the determination of lateral resolution are required. In the surface analysis community different definitions of lateral resolution are in use and there is no generally accepted method for the determination of lateral resolution which meets the demands of the state-of-the-art in surface analysis. We propose the determination of lateral resolution by imaging of well defined square-wave gratings with finely graded periods. This method enables the real time estimation of lateral resolution and the adjustment of instrument settings with respect to lateral resolution. The effect of noise and contrast on lateral resolution has been analysed by numerically simulated images of square-wave gratings. A new resolution criterion has been developed which is based on the dip-to-noise ratio and takes into account the sampling step width by introducing a “reduced noise”. The contrast transfer function has been introduced and its relation to lateral resolution in the presence of noise was analysed. For that reason an “effective cut-off frequency” was defined which is the reciprocal of the lateral resolution. Normalized values of lateral resolution and their relation to signal-to-noise ratio and sampling step width were given for Gaussian and Lorentzian line spread functions. These values enable the calculation of experimental parameters which are necessary to get a required value of lateral resolution. Finally the successful application of the proposed approach to determine lateral resolution has been demonstrated by ToF-SIMS element mapping of the certified reference material BAM-L200.

Graphical abstract: Imaging surface analysis: Lateral resolution and its relation to contrast and noise

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 Mar 2010
Accepted
13 May 2010
First published
10 Jun 2010

J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2010,25, 1440-1452

Imaging surface analysis: Lateral resolution and its relation to contrast and noise

M. Senoner, T. Wirth and W. E. S. Unger, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2010, 25, 1440 DOI: 10.1039/C004323K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements