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Related Concept Videos

Overview of Electron Microscopy01:25

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.
Scanning Electron Microscopy01:07

Scanning Electron Microscopy

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is used to study the surface features of a sample by using an electron beam that scans the sample surface in a two-dimensional manner. Typically, areas between ~1 centimeter to 5 micrometers in width can be imaged. SEM can be used to image bacteria, viruses, tissues as well as larger samples like insects. Conventional SEM gives a magnification ranging from 20X to 30,000X and spatial resolution of 50 to 100 nanometers.
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Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction01:07

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...
Transmission Electron Microscopy01:15

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 Microscopy Techniques01:22

Overview of Microscopy Techniques

The early pioneers of microscopy opened a window into the invisible world of microorganisms. In 1830, Joseph Jackson Lister created an essentially modern light microscope. The 20th century saw the development of microscopes that leveraged nonvisible light, such as fluorescence microscopy that uses an ultraviolet light source and electron microscopy that uses short-wavelength electron beams. These advances significantly improved magnification, image resolution, and contrast. By comparison, the...
Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy01:37

Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (SRFM) provides a better resolution than conventional fluorescence microscopy by reducing the point spread function (PSF). PSF is the light intensity distribution from a point that causes it to appear blurred. Due to PSF, each fluorescing point appears bigger than its actual size, and it is the PSF interference of nearby fluorophores that causes the blurred image. Various approaches to achieving higher resolution through SRFM have recently been developed.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Array Tomography Workflow for the Targeted Acquisition of Volume Information using Scanning Electron Microscopy
09:47

Array Tomography Workflow for the Targeted Acquisition of Volume Information using Scanning Electron Microscopy

Published on: July 15, 2021

Spatial resolution and information transfer in scanning transmission electron microscopy.

Yiping Peng1, Mark P Oxley, Andrew R Lupini

  • 1Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6031, USA.

Microscopy and Microanalysis : the Official Journal of Microscopy Society of America, Microbeam Analysis Society, Microscopical Society of Canada
|January 4, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Achieving higher image resolution requires more than just high-frequency transfer. A practical definition of resolution uses a 10% contrast criterion, optimizing scanning transmission electron microscopy for detailed analysis.

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Last Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Array Tomography Workflow for the Targeted Acquisition of Volume Information using Scanning Electron Microscopy
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Serial Block-Face Scanning Electron Microscopy (SBF-SEM) of Biological Tissue Samples
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Serial Block-Face Scanning Electron Microscopy (SBF-SEM) of Biological Tissue Samples

Published on: March 26, 2021

Area of Science:

  • Microscopy and Imaging Science
  • Materials Science
  • Physics

Background:

  • Image resolution is critical for scientific imaging, but its precise definition and the factors influencing it remain areas of active research.
  • Understanding information transfer at higher frequencies is necessary but not sufficient for achieving higher resolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the relationship between image resolution and information transfer.
  • To propose a practical definition for image resolution.
  • To investigate factors affecting resolution in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM).

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing a two-point resolution criterion.
  • Analyzing the channeling effect in STEM.
  • Comparing experimental images with simulations.
  • Employing a Fourier-space approach for parameter estimation.
  • Investigating Z-contrast imaging with varying annular detector angles.

Main Results:

  • A 10% contrast level is proposed as a practical definition of resolution.
  • The channeling effect in STEM was found to be unconnected to image resolution.
  • A Fourier-space method was developed to estimate defocus and sample thickness.
  • An optimal annular detector angle in Z-contrast imaging balances atom size and signal-to-noise ratio for maximum resolution.

Conclusions:

  • Higher frequency transfer alone does not guarantee higher image resolution.
  • The proposed 10% contrast criterion offers a practical approach to defining resolution.
  • Optimizing detector angles in STEM is crucial for maximizing resolution by managing trade-offs between atom size, signal, and noise.