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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...

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.

Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction

Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can be used to determine the 3D structure of biological samples with the help of techniques such as electron microscope tomography and single-particle reconstruction. While single-particle reconstruction can examine macromolecules and macromolecular complexes in vitro conditions only, tomography permits the study of cell components or small cells in vivo.
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Single-Digit Nanometer Electron-Beam Lithography with an Aberration-Corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope

Single-Digit Nanometer Electron-Beam Lithography with an Aberration-Corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope

Published on: September 14, 2018

Progress in aberration-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy using hardware aberration

Markus Lentzen¹

¹Institute of Solid State Research, Ernst Ruska Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons, Research Centre Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany. m.lentzen@fz-juelich.de

Microscopy and Microanalysis : the Official Journal of Microscopy Society of America, Microbeam Analysis Society, Microscopical Society of Canada

|May 8, 2007

Summary

A new aberration corrector enables atomic-scale imaging with a transmission electron microscope. This breakthrough allows for enhanced resolution and novel imaging modes, advancing materials science research.

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Last Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Single-Digit Nanometer Electron-Beam Lithography with an Aberration-Corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope

Single-Digit Nanometer Electron-Beam Lithography with an Aberration-Corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope

Published on: September 14, 2018

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Published on: July 3, 2021

Area of Science:

Physics
Materials Science
Electron Microscopy

Background:

High-resolution imaging in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is limited by lens aberrations, particularly spherical aberration.
Achieving atomic-scale resolution requires correction of these aberrations.

Purpose of the Study:

To design and construct a spherical-aberration corrected transmission electron microscope.
To explore new imaging modes enabled by tunable spherical aberration.

Main Methods:

Development of a double-hexapole aberration corrector.
Integration of the corrector into a Philips CM200 FEG ST transmission electron microscope.
Analysis of contrast transfer functions with variable spherical aberration.

Main Results:

The corrected instrument achieved an information limit better than 0.13 nm.
Spherical aberration could be tuned across a wide range, including negative values.
New imaging modes were identified, including high-resolution amplitude contrast and enhanced negative phase contrast.

Conclusions:

The aberration-corrected TEM enables stable, high-resolution materials science investigations.
Tunable spherical aberration opens possibilities for imaging weakly scattering atom columns.
This technology advances the capabilities of atomic-scale imaging.