Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)

Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) is a versatile tool that generates nano-scale imaging down to atomic level along with compositional information. With TEM, an electron beam is transmitted through a sample and then magnified and focused onto a fluorescent screen forming high-resolution images. To prepare a sample thin enough, between 50 nm ~ 100 nm thick, the use of Focused Ion Beam (FIB) equipment is required, which is a critical step that significantly affects the data quality and images.

Imaging

HR-TEM: High Resolution (HR)-TEM which allows imaging down to 10^-9 m scale
Cs-TEM: Spherical Aberration Corrected (Cs)-TEM which generates super high-resolution images down to 10^-10 m scale
STEM: Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM), which is a different mode of imaging available with both HR- and Cs- TEM. While TEM uses a parallel electron beam passing through a specimen, STEM uses a convergent beam which makes STEM suitable for composition analytical techniques such as energy dispersive X-ray (EDS or EDX) spectroscopy or electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS).

Composition

EDS: EDS provides compositional information through the analysis of X-rays generated by the electron beam. EDS spectrum includes the information for all the elements within the scanned area.
EELS: EELS uses energy loss of the inelastically scattered electrons and provides good sensitivity for the lighter elements.

Structure

Imaging: TEM provides images in various magnification, from atomic to micrometer scale, which shows sample specific structure information for both organic and inorganic materials.
Transmission Electron Diffraction (TED): From the nature of TEM using focused electron beam, TED can provide information about crystal lattice constants, defects, or unknown structure developed during some process.

To read more on TEM, you can read our Key Tech brochure.

Services

TEM is widely used for exploration of nanostructure and composition analysis in various industries such as semiconductor, LED, graphene, photovoltaic, and bio industries.

Imaging in wide range of scales focused on the structure information down to atomic scale.
Composition: EDS and EELS analysis generates elemental information for raw materials and electronic devices.
Crystallographic analysis using TED and EBSD analysis

Pricing

Pricing for TEM and other Materials Analysis services are provided on our Pricing Table

FAQ

Q: What is the difference between TEM cross-section and plan view?: A: The difference between TEM cross-section and plan view is the lamella preparation. For cross section the lamella is cut down the z-direction (vertical) thus the TEM Image will be the cross section of the sample, usually visualizing multiple layers. As with plan view the cross section is made through the x-y (horizontal) direction thus the TEM image is of plane rather than a cross section. Deciding between the two lamella preparation comes from the location and features you are interested in analyzing.
Q: How much does TEM cost?: A: The price ranges depending on the material and the type of sample. Our TEM pricing starts at $700/sample, which includes sample preparation using FIB. Please see Pricing table for more details.
Q: How do I know if I need TEM, Cs-TEM or STEM?: A: The decision between TEM, Cs-TEM and STEM depends on the magnitude and feature size of interest. If you are unclear, Outermost Technology can assess your goals and determine the correct machine and parameters to give you a high-quality image.
Q: What elements can't EDS detect?: A: EDS cannot detect hydrogen, helium and lithium.
Q: How do I chose between TEM-EDS or TEM-EELS?: A: The rule of thumb is lighter elements are more easily detected with EELS while heavier elements are more easily detected with EDS. EDS is faster and therefore cheaper than EELS.

Equipment

Tecnai Titan

The FEI Titan Themis 3 is a high resolution transmission electron microscope, which can operate in both TEM and STEM modes.

Extreme Field Emission Gun with Brightness 7x10⁷A/m² sr V, Current(≥ 50nA before Monochromator), Current Stability, Spatial Coherency, and Temporal Coherency
Monochromator with Energy resolution at 300KV ≤ 0.2eV
Accelerator at 60 to 300 kV
3 Lens Condensor
DCOR Probe Cs Corrector
Super-Twin Objective Lens
Super-X Detector (4 Silicon Drift Detectors)
CETCOR Image Cs Corrector