Workflows for multimodal electron tomography using EELS and EDX and their application to a spinodally decomposed CuNiFe alloy

Abstract

Spectroscopic electron tomography using EDX and EELS signals presents significant challenges in both data acquisition and processing, particularly when aiming for high-fidelity 3D reconstructions. In this work, we present complete workflows that address these challenges through scripting-based solutions for automated parallel acquisition of EDX and EELS tilt series on the same microscope, as well as post-processing methods for correlating datasets acquired on different instruments. We demonstrate the advantages of a multimodal joint reconstruction, especially for undersampled or noisy data, where the combination of signals improves the reconstruction quality and enables lower-dose acquisition strategies. The developed workflows are applied to a spinodal CuNiFe alloy sample with inherently low HAADF contrast, successfully resolving ambiguities in the structure of nanoscale precipitates.