SPARSE -- Efficient High-Resolution SEM Imaging of Rare Microstructural Features Across Large Areas by Selective Rescanning

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

Abstract

SPARSE is an open-source framework for automated panoramic imaging with scanning electron microscopes (SEM). Resolving rare microstructural features across a large sample area is prohibitively slow when the whole area is acquired at full imaging quality. SPARSE instead acquires the sample first with a fast overview pass (a shorter pixel dwell time, a lower resolution, or a combination of both) automatically locates the points of interest, and rescans only those locations at full imaging quality, concentrating acquisition time where it is actually needed. The framework acquires a boustrophedon grid of tiles; each tile is subdivided into four partitions that are fast-scanned, analysed for points of interest, and selectively rescanned. Fast acquisition and point-of-interest analysis run concurrently in two processes, so detection never blocks the microscope. SPARSE is instrument- and method-agnostic. Both the microscope control interface and the detection method are pluggable through documented base classes: this release ships an implementation for Tescan SharkSEM instruments and a dark-particle detector based on intensity thresholding and connected-component analysis, and either can be replaced to support other hardware or detection algorithms. This is version 1.0.0 of the software, accompanying the preprint: Reclik, T., Gerlach, J., Wollenweber, M. A., Korkolis, Y. P., Korte-Kerzel, S., & Kerzel, U. (2026). SPARSE – Efficient High-Resolution SEM Imaging of Rare Microstructural Features Across Large Areas by Selective Rescanning. arXiv:2604.24769. https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.24769

Authors 6

1. Tom Reclik Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University

2. Jan Gerlach

   TU Dortmund University

   Affiliation as printed

   TU Dortmund University

3. Maximilian Aeneas Wollenweber Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University

4. Yannis P. Korkolis

   TU Dortmund University

   Affiliation as printed

   TU Dortmund University

5. Sandra Korte‐Kerzel Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University

6. U. Kerzel Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Business School

   RWTH Aachen University