Object wave reconstruction by phase-plate transmission electron microscopy

A method is described for the reconstruction of the amplitude and phase of the object exit wave function by phase-plate transmission electron microscopy. The proposed method can be considered as in-line holography and requires three images, taken with different phase shifts between undiffracted and diffracted electrons induced by a suitable phase-shifting device. The proposed method is applicable for arbitrary object exit wave functions and non-linear image formation. Verification of the method is performed for examples of a simulated crystalline object wave function and a wave function acquired with off-axis holography. The impact of noise on the reconstruction of the wave function is investigated. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.