ELECTRON-BEAM INDUCED DAMAGE OF ORGANIC-SOLIDS - IMPLICATIONS FOR ANALYTICAL ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY

A summary of experimental observations of radiation damage of organic materials within the electron microscopy is presented. Consequences of this damage are discussed and the magnitude of the doses which produce such damage are compared to the doses necessary for detection and identification of small quantities of material. In general, it is found that the doses which produce damage are less than the doses necessary for detection of 1000 atoms. Methods which have been proposed to reduce the effects of radiation are thus considered in the context of reducing the detectable quantity of material. © 1979 North-Holland Publishing Company.