What is transmission electron microscopy (TEM)?
Transmission electron microscopy is a type of EM that transmits an electron beam through a specimen to form an image or diffraction pattern. In life science, TEM images are used to analyze the insides of cells, the organization of biological complexes and organisms, and reconstruct atomic protein structures. In material science, TEM images are used to determine material structures, image defects in crystals and composition, and structural variations across a material. TEM produces images with a magnification beyond 1,000,000x and a resolution power of from a few angstroms (10-10 m) to less than an angstrom.
What is high aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (ACTEM)?
Aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (ACTEM) is a subset of the TEMs which can achieve higher resolution than standard non-corrected TEM. ACTEMs are typically either image (TEM) or probe corrected (STEM). The correction is done using an advanced set of magnetic lenses to achieve subatomic resolution. One of the advantages of ACTEMs beyond the resolution is the ability to operate at lower acceleration voltages with a limited impact on the resolution.
What is scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM)?
A scanning transmission electron microscope is a type of TEM that scans a sample like an SEM. STEM requires a thin sample lamella but can achieve the high resolution of TEM, allowing for atomic-resolution imaging. The broad beam of a TEM is focused on a nanoscale beam in STEM allowing nanoscale elemental analysis.
What are some applications of TEM?
Applications include imaging atomic structures, including defects; nanometer-scale selected-area diffraction; and 3D imaging.
What are some applications of TEM?
Applications include atomic imaging of individual atomic columns, elemental mapping, and elemental ID, including STEM with 0.8A spatial resolution with the aberration-corrected probe.
Standard TEM/STEM instruments
- Talos F200i
- Titan Krios (cryo TEM only)
- Talos L120C (Bio)
Aberration corrected TEM/STEM instruments
The ASU Center for Aberration Corrected Electron Microscopy (ACEM) provides researchers with an unrivaled capability to understand the behavior of materials at the atomic level. Dedicated in February 2012, the center is considered one of the premier microscopy facilities in the United States. We designed the center’s building with exceptional stability in mind to achieve the highest level of visual and spectral resolution in electron microscopy. It has become the design standard for aberration-corrected microscopy.