Transmission Electron Microscopy Techniques for Materials Science

TEM sample preparation

Aluminum sample, where a 5x6 array of TEM lamellae has been prepared with Thermo Scientific AutoTEM Software. The lamellae were undercut and ready for lift-out in 6 hours.

High-resolution TEM and STEM

Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy

Electron energy-loss spectroscopy

An atomic-resolution elemental map of a BaTiO₃/SrTiO₃ interface, produced with core-loss EELS analysis. Barium = blue, strontium = red, and titanium = green. Imaged at 80 kV (60 pA) with a 1 eV full-width at half maximum (FWHM) electron probe (49 x 49 pixels, <90 seconds).
Mapping of surface phonon modes in a magnesium oxide crystal at 60 kV using a monochromated electron probe with a FWHM electron probe of <30 meV. Specimen and analysis courtesy of Isobel Bicket and Prof. Gianluigi Botton, The Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy, McMaster University.

Multi-scale analysis with FIB-SEM

Imaging magnetic materials

High-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) STEM and differential phase contrast images of a cobalt film acquired in zero field.

Differential phase contrast imaging

DPC-STEM can provide quantitative information about the field orientation in a magnetic structure. Here, the field orientation for a hexaferrite sample is shown using a color-wheel representation. Sample courtesy of H. Nakajima and S. Mori, Osaka Prefecture University.
Arrow map representations of the strength and orientation of the magnetic field in a hexaferrite sample. Sample courtesy of H. Nakajima and S. Mori, Osaka Prefecture University.