A compact parallel‐recording detector for EELS

We designed and constructed the prototype of a parallel‐recording system for a Gatan 607 electron energy‐loss spectrometer attached to a conventional transmission electron microscope. Quadrupole lenses were used to project a magnified energy‐loss spectrum onto a 65 μm thick screen of single‐crystal yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG), where the electrons are converted to photons which are transferred by coherent fibre optics to a 1024‐channel photodiode array. When used in conjunction with a tungsten‐filament electron source, the system achieves an energy resolution close to 2eV and can record inner‐shell ionization edges with good signal/noise ratio in exposure times not exceeding 5 s. 1987 Blackwell Science Ltd