ASSIGNMENT BSc student
Development and automation of an imiage analysis sequence for TEM micrographs
Contact: Léon Gerlach, l.gerlach@utwente.nl ; and/or Dr. Airat Shafikov, a.shafikov@utwente.nl
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a powerful tool in thin film research. TEM enables direct visualization of the atomic structure of the material, and allowing the observation and study of atomic-scale processes, such as crystallization, grain growth and coalescence or grain boundary grooving. However, converting a TEM image into useful quantitative information (for example, average size of grains) is not trivial and requires image processing.
The goal of the assignment is to develop a tool for automated TEM image analysis and segmentation into individual grains. In the process, you will get to learn the basics of image analysis (smoothing, filtering, thresholding), crystallography (electron diffraction, FFT) and thin film research. You will combine these learnings to write your own algorithm and use it to study structural changes in thin film material induced by plasma irradiation, providing a unique perspective on the impact of external stimuli on material properties.
Proposed ''FFT-scanning" to detect grain boundaries (GB)
