Electron Holography of Charging Effect in ZrO₂ Sintered Body

Abstract

The effects of charging on a ZrO₂ sintered body due to electron irradiation were investigated by means of electron holography. The charging effects were quantitatively evaluated as a function of the incident electron density. The ZrO₂ sintered body was positively charged within a transmission electron microscope. By means of simulations taking into account reference wave modulation due to a long-range electric field, we were able to obtain the amount of charge on the ZrO₂ sintered body. Further, fluctuation in the amount of charge on ZrO₂ during electron irradiation was found through the presence of an irregular contrast in the reconstructed phase image.