The effect of dynamical scattering in off-axis holographic mean inner potential and inelastic mean free path measurements

A detailed analysis of the influence of dynamical scattering in medium-resolution off-axis electron holography yields a systematic underestimation of mean inner potentials derived by means of the phase grating approximation. The deviations are categorized with respect to the specimen thickness and the scattering potential. Approximate and easy to use correction formulas valid for arbitrary materials of very small (several atomic layers) or large thicknesses are derived. It is additionally found that incorporation of thermal motion in elastic scattering theory leads to damping terms in the reconstructed amplitude, which have to be added to the previously considered damping due to inelastic scattering. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.