Does a monochromator improve the precision in quantitative HRTEM?

This paper addresses the question as to what extent the incorporation of a monochromator in an electron microscope can enhance the performance of high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The monochromator will reduce the chromatic aberration, and hence the information limit, at the expense of beam current, leading to a decrease in signal intensity and a corresponding decrease in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Both aspects, information limit and SNR, have been included in a quantitative evaluation based on the statistical precision with which the position of an atom column can be estimated, It is shown that the effect of a monochromator on the attainable precision depends on the microscope and monochromator parameters, as well as on the characteristics of the object. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science BN. All rights reserved.