Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Transmission Electron Microscopy

Transmission Electron Microscopy

In 1931, physicist Ernst Ruska—building on the idea that magnetic fields can direct an electron beam just as lenses can direct a beam of light in an optical microscope—developed the first prototype of the electron microscope. This development led to the development of the field of electron microscopy. In the transmission electron microscope (TEM), electrons are produced by a hot tungsten element and accelerated by a potential difference in an electron gun, which gives them up to 400 keV in...

Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy

Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy

Confocal microscopy is an advanced microscopic technique. The prime advantage of the confocal microscope over other microscopy techniques is its ability to block the out-of-focus light from the illuminated samples using pinholes. It is widely used with fluorescence optics to obtain high-resolution, sharp contrast images. Unlike optical microscopes, confocal microscopes use a focused beam of light laser to scan the entire sample surface at different z-planes. These microscopes are, therefore,...

Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy

Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy

Phase-Contrast Microscopes
In-phase-contrast microscopes, interference between light directly passing through a cell and light refracted by cellular components is used to create high-contrast, high-resolution images without staining. It is the oldest and simplest type of microscope that creates an image by altering the wavelengths of light rays passing through the specimen. Altered wavelength paths are created using an annular stop in the condenser. The annular stop produces a hollow cone of...

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy

Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy or TIRF is an advanced microscopic technique used to visualize fluorophores in samples close to a solid surface with a higher refractive index, such as a glass coverslip. TIRF only allows fluorophores in proximity to the solid surface to be excited. When light from a medium with a lower refractive index (such as air) hits the glass coverslip at a critical angle, the light undergoes total internal reflection stead of passing through the glass.

Overview of Electron Microscopy

Overview of Electron Microscopy

The wavelengths of visible light ultimately limit the maximum theoretical resolution of images created by light microscopes. Most light microscopes can only magnify 1000X, and a few can magnify up to 1500X. Electrons, like electromagnetic radiation, can behave like waves, but with wavelengths of 0.005 nm, they produce significantly greater resolution up to 0.05 nm as compared to 500 nm for visible light. An electron microscope (EM) can create a sharp image that is magnified up to 2,000,000X.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Experimental realization of a π/2 vortex mode converter for electrons using a spherical aberration corrector.

Ultramicroscopy·2021

Same author

Iron deficiency during first-line chemotherapy in metastatic cancers: a prospective epidemiological study.

Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer·2019

Same author

π/2 mode converters and vortex generators for electrons.

Ultramicroscopy·2019

Same author

Insights into image contrast from dislocations in ADF-STEM.

Ultramicroscopy·2019

Same author

Analysis of intra-hospital transfers and hospital-onset Clostridium difficile infection.

The Journal of hospital infection·2018

Same author

Three-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy of dislocation loops in tungsten.

Micron (Oxford, England : 1993)·2018

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 20, 2026

A Guide to Structured Illumination TIRF Microscopy at High Speed with Multiple Colors

A Guide to Structured Illumination TIRF Microscopy at High Speed with Multiple Colors

Published on: May 30, 2016

Short note on parallel illumination in the TEM.

D Eyidi¹, C Hébert, P Schattschneider

¹University Service Center for Transmission Electron Microscopy, Vienna University of Technology, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 8-10, A-1040 Wien, Austria. eyidi@ustem.tuwien.ac.at

Ultramicroscopy

|August 29, 2006

Summary

Achieving parallel illumination in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is crucial for experiments. Electron beam shear angle, caused by magnetic fields, limits parallel illumination to fields of view under 1 micrometer.

More Related Videos

Simultaneous Multicolor Imaging of Biological Structures with Fluorescence Photoactivation Localization Microscopy

Simultaneous Multicolor Imaging of Biological Structures with Fluorescence Photoactivation Localization Microscopy

Published on: December 9, 2013

Highly Resolved Intravital Striped-illumination Microscopy of Germinal Centers

Highly Resolved Intravital Striped-illumination Microscopy of Germinal Centers

Published on: April 9, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 20, 2026

A Guide to Structured Illumination TIRF Microscopy at High Speed with Multiple Colors

A Guide to Structured Illumination TIRF Microscopy at High Speed with Multiple Colors

Published on: May 30, 2016

Simultaneous Multicolor Imaging of Biological Structures with Fluorescence Photoactivation Localization Microscopy

Simultaneous Multicolor Imaging of Biological Structures with Fluorescence Photoactivation Localization Microscopy

Published on: December 9, 2013

Highly Resolved Intravital Striped-illumination Microscopy of Germinal Centers

Highly Resolved Intravital Striped-illumination Microscopy of Germinal Centers

Published on: April 9, 2014

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Physics
Electron Microscopy

Background:

Parallel illumination is essential for various transmission electron microscope (TEM) experiments.
Electron beam trajectory through magnetic lenses induces a shear angle, deviating the beam from the optical axis.
This shear angle is dependent on the distance from the optical axis and the magnetic field strength.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the limitations of achieving parallel illumination in TEM.
To quantify the shear angle and its impact on experimental conditions.
To evaluate the effectiveness of beam tilt compensation methods.

Main Methods:

Utilizing a beam tilt compensation method within a 200 kV TEM.
Measuring the shear angle at different distances from the optical axis.
Analyzing the relationship between shear angle, field of view, and magnetic field.

Main Results:

The minimum shear angle was found to be approximately 1 mrad for a 2 micrometer field of view.
Parallel illumination is practically achievable only for fields of view smaller than 1 micrometer.
The shear angle is a significant factor limiting parallel illumination in TEM.

Conclusions:

The inherent shear angle in TEM significantly restricts the practical field of view for parallel illumination.
Beam tilt compensation can minimize, but not eliminate, the shear angle effect.
Future TEM experiments requiring precise parallel illumination must account for these limitations, especially at larger fields of view.