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Access through your institution Buy or subscribe _APL Photon._ 1, 021301 (2016) Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is a useful and well-established tool for characterizing nanoscale samples,

but comes with limitations. For example, the size of the electron beam varies with the beam current and surface charging issues can occur when imaging samples that are electrical

insulators. Now, Gediminas Seniutinas and co-workers have shown that light from an ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diode can be used to improve material contrast and resolution during SEM

experiments. The UV light from the diode generates electrons from the sample surface via the photoelectric effect and these usefully contribute to the imaging, enabling a faster acquisition

rate. The authors state that UV illumination also reduces distortions related to surface charging, to the extent that metal coating may not be required. In this work, the authors used a

diode emitting light at 260 nm, which corresponds to a photon energy close to the work function of materials such as Ti, Au and Al. The authors thus demonstrated material-dependent contrast

not only via secondary electron generation, but also due to differences in work function or photoelectric-generated charges. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your

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article * Purchase on SpringerLink * Instant access to full article PDF Buy now Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in

* Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support Authors * David Pile View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Pile, D. UV-enhanced SEM. _Nature Photon_ 10, 431 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2016.131

Download citation * Published: 28 June 2016 * Issue Date: July 2016 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2016.131 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able

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