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  • Transmission Electron Microscpe (TEM) : Basic Principles

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    The document describes the basic principles and components of a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Key points include: - TEMs use electron beams instead of light and electromagnetic lenses instead of glass lenses, allowing for much higher resolution down to 0.2 nm. - Components include an electron gun, electromagnetic lenses, apertures, a specimen holder, and imaging system like a fluorescent screen or camera. - Electromagnetic lenses focus the electron beam and allow for variable magnification. Interactions with thin sample specimens produce signals that can be detected and processed to form images or diffraction patterns. - TEMs provide powerful magnification over 1 million times and yield high-quality structural and compositional information, but

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    The document describes the basic principles and components of a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Key points include: - TEMs use electron beams instead of light and electromagnetic lenses instead of glass lenses, allowing for much higher resolution down to 0.2 nm. - Components include an electron gun, electromagnetic lenses, apertures, a specimen holder, and imaging system like a fluorescent screen or camera. - Electromagnetic lenses focus the electron beam and allow for variable magnification. Interactions with thin sample specimens produce signals that can be detected and processed to form images or diffraction patterns. - TEMs provide powerful magnification over 1 million times and yield high-quality structural and compositional information, but

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    32 views16 pages

    Transmission Electron Microscpe (TEM) : Basic Principles

    Uploaded by

    SaurabhBhardwaj
    The document describes the basic principles and components of a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Key points include: - TEMs use electron beams instead of light and electromagnetic lenses instead of glass lenses, allowing for much higher resolution down to 0.2 nm. - Components include an electron gun, electromagnetic lenses, apertures, a specimen holder, and imaging system like a fluorescent screen or camera. - Electromagnetic lenses focus the electron beam and allow for variable magnification. Interactions with thin sample specimens produce signals that can be detected and processed to form images or diffraction patterns. - TEMs provide powerful magnification over 1 million times and yield high-quality structural and compositional information, but

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 16

    Transmission Electron Microscpe (TEM)

    Basic principles
    The design of a transmission
    electron microscope (TEM) is
    analogous to that of an optical
    microscope. In a TEM high-energy
    (>100 kV) electrons are used instead of
    photons and electromagnetic lenses
    instead of glass lenses. The electron
    beam passes an electron-transparent
    sample and a magnified image is
    formed using a set of lenses. This
    image is projected onto a fluorescent
    screen or a CCD camera. The much
    smaller wavelength of electrons allows
    for a resolution of 0.2 nm in a TEM.
    Basic diagram of TEM
    Components of TEM
    Source (electron gun) of the electron beam which is accelerated down the column

    Series of electromagnetic coils (shifts or tilts) which ensure that the electron beam is symmetrical
    and centered as it passes down the optical column of the microscope

    Series of electromagnetic lenses (condenser, objective, intermediate, projector) which act to


    illuminate the specimen and focus/magnify the specimen on the fluorescent screen/ camera

    Series of apertures (micron-scale holes in metal film) which the beam passes through and which
    effect properties of that beam.

    Specimen holder which positions the sample in the path of the electron beam. The area of
    beam/specimen interaction generates several types of signals that can be detected and processed to
    produce an image, diffraction pattern or spectra. There are controls for specimen position and
    orientation (x, y, z or height, tilt, rotation);.

    Fluorescent screen CCD camera which converts the electron signal to a form we humans can see.

    Note: all of the above maintained at high vacuum levels.


    Electron Guns
    The electron gun produces a beam of electrons whose kinetic energy is high
    enough to enable them to pass through thin areas of the TEM specimen. The gun
    consists of an electron source, also known as the cathode because it is at a high negative
    potential, and an electron-accelerating chamber. The purpose of the electron gun is to
    provide a stable beam of electrons of adjustable energy. There are two main types of
    electron guns:
    •Tungsten hairpin
    •Lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6)

    Electromagnetic Lenses
    It is useful to reason by analogy with glass lenses used for focusing light to help
    one understand the operation of electromagnetic lenses. In light optics we exchange
    lenses to change magnification and adjust the height of a given lens along the optic axis
    to focus. Electromagnetic lenses in contrast are stationary -- but we can vary their
    strength by altering the amount of current running through them. Thus electromagnetic
    lenses have variable focal points.
    Working of Electromagnetic lenses
    When an electron passes through
    an electromagnetic lens it is subjected to two
    vector forces at any particular moment: a
    force (HZ) parallel to the core (Z axis) of the
    lens; and a force (HR) parallel to the radius
    of the lens. These two forces are responsible
    for two different actions on the electrons,
    spiraling and focusing, as they pass through
    the lens. An electron passing through the lens
    parallel to the Z axis will experience the
    force (HZ) causing it to spiral through the
    lens. This spiraling causes the electron to
    experience (HR) which causes the beam to
    be compressed toward the Z axis. The
    magnetic field is inhomogeneous in such a
    way that it is weak in the center of the gap
    and becomes stronger close to the opening.
    Electrons close to the center are less strongly
    deflected than those passing the lens far from
    the axis.
    The magnification of the lens = q/p
    Interactions with specimen
    The scatter which results from the
    electron beam interacting with the
    specimen can be as follow:
    Forward or backward. We will focus
    on forward scatter;
    Coherent or incoherent. Beam
    electrons undergoing coherent
    interactions maintain phase relations
    and those undergoing incoherent
    interactions do not. We will utilize
    both coherent and incoherent
    scattering;
    Elastic or inelastic. Beam electrons
    undergoing inelastic interactions
    with the specimen atoms show
    measurable energy loss and those
    undergoing elastic interactions do
    not.
    Imaging System
    In imaging mode, the scatter is focused by the objective lens to the first intermediate
    image plane which subsequently acts as the object plane for the magnifying lenses. Rays
    emitting from a given point in the specimen plane come to a focused point in the image
    plane. The adjacent shows rays coming from two different points of the specimen as
    dark and light blue shown in figure on next page.

    An objective aperture is situated within the beam path just below the objective lens. The
    objective aperture is important for several reasons. The aperture will:

    allow for signal selection.

    provide for contrast within the image ( a lower accelerating voltage will also increase
    contrast)

     decrease objective lens aberrations, spherical and chromatic, which will degrade image
    resolution.

    affect depth of field in the image – a smaller aperture giving better depth of field.
    In diffraction mode, rays emitting
    from the specimen that are parallel to one
    another come to focus in the back focal plane
    of the objective lens. The parallel rays with
    different colors: dark blue, light blue, and red
    are shown. The diffraction pattern which
    occurs in the back focal plane of the objective
    lens arises simply as a consequence of image
    formation in the image plane of that lens.
    When we enter diffraction mode on the TEM,
    we are adjusting the strength of the
    intermediate lens so that this objective back
    focal plane becomes its object plane. We
    remove the objective aperture and insert
    another aperture further down the column—a
    selected area diffraction (SAD) aperture, to
    select a portion of the sample from which the
    diffraction pattern arises. That SAD aperture
    acts as a virtual aperture.
    Bright and dark field images showing diffraction
    contrast
    Consider a specimen which has a crystalline nature. The incident electron
    beam interacting with such a specimen will result in coherent elastic as well as
    incoherent elastic scattering. The former type of scatter will occur at special
    (Bragg) angles controlled by the crystal structure and the orientation of the
    specimen with respect to the incident beam. At these angles the specimen, whether
    single crystalline (left) or polycrystalline (right), will produce a diffraction pattern
    as shown below.
    Bright and dark field images showing mass/thickness contrast
    The principle scattering mechanism in our sample will be incoherent elastic
    scattering. That scattering is enhanced by atomic number, density and specimen
    thickness and the contrast produced is thus termed “mass – thickness contrast”.

    Those areas of the sample that are thicker or of


    higher atomic number will proportionally scatter more. If
    we introduce an objective aperture directly below the
    specimen then that scatter will not be allowed to travel
    down the column and those areas of scatter will appear
    darker in the image. A smaller objective aperture will
    intercept more of this scatter and thus will enhance mass—
    thickness contrast.
    The images to the right are of a filamentous
    carbon membrane with 15 nm gold particles attached. The
    top image is referred to as “bright field”; the bottom “dark
    field”.
    Disadvantages
    Some points of electron microscopes include:

    1. TEMs are large and very expensive

    2. Sample preparation is tedious

    3. Operation and analysis requires special training

    4. Samples are limited to those that are electron transparent, able to


    tolerate the vacuum chamber and small enough to fit in the chamber

    5. TEMs require special housing and maintenance

    6. Images are black and white

    7. Electron microscopes are sensitive to vibration and electromagnetic fields


    and must be housed in an area that isolates them from possible exposure.
    Advantages
    A Transmission Electron Microscope is an impressive instrument with a number
    of advantages such as:

    1. TEMs offer the most powerful magnification, potentially over one million
    times or more

    2. TEMs have a wide-range of applications and can be utilized in a variety of


    different scientific, educational and industrial fields

    3. TEMs provide information on element and compound structure images of


    high-quality

    4. TEMs are able to yield information of surface features, shape, size and
    structure

    5. They are easy to operate with proper training


    TEM holder

    Grid
    Hole for specimen

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