The use of electron mirrors in aberration correction and surface-sensitive microscopy techniques such as low-energy electron microscopy has been established. However, in this work, by implementing an easy to construct, fully electrostatic electron mirror system under a sample in a conventional scanning electron microscope (SEM), we present a new imaging scheme which allows us to form scanned images of the top and bottom surfaces of the sample simultaneously. We believe that this imaging scheme could be of great value to the field of in-situ SEM which has been limited to observation of dynamic changes such as crack propagation and other surface phenomena on one side of samples at a time. We analyze the image properties when using a flat versus a concave electron mirror system and discuss two different regimes of operation. In addition to in-situ SEM, we foresee that our imaging scheme could open up avenues towards spherical aberration correction by the use of electron mirrors in SEMs without the need for complex beam separators.

Quantum electron microscopy (QEM) is a measurement approach that could reduce sample radiation damage, which represents the main obstacle to sub-nanometer direct imaging of molecules in conventional electron microscopes. This method is based on the exploitation of interaction-free measurements in an electron resonator. In this work, we present the design of a linear resonant electron cavity, which is at the core of QEM. We assess its stability and optical properties during resonance using ray-tracing electron optical simulations. Moreover, we analyze the issue of spherical aberrations inside the cavity and we propose and verify through simulation two possible approaches to the problem. Finally, we discuss some of the important design parameters and constraints, such as conservation of temporal coherence and effect of alignment fields.

Semitransparent mirrors are standard elements in light optics for splitting light beams or creating two versions of the same image. Such mirrors do not exist in electron optics, although they could be beneficial in existing techniques such as electron interferometry and holography and could enable alternative electron imaging and spectroscopy techniques. We propose a design for an electron beam splitter using the concept of quantum interaction-free measurement (IFM). The design combines an electron resonator with a weak phase grating. Fast switching gates allow electrons to enter and exit the resonator. While in the resonator, the phase grating transfers intensity from the direct beam into one of the weakly diffracted beams at each pass. To make the beam splitter an efficient two-port splitter, the intensity in all other diffracted beams is blocked by an aperture. The IFM principle minimizes the loss of total intensity by this aperture. We use a scattering matrix method to analyze the performance of the beam splitter, including the effects of inelastic scattering in the phase grating. This design can be generalized to beam splitters for not only electrons, but also photons, neutrons, atoms, and other quantum mechanical systems.