Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
08:53
Angle-resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy At Ultra-low Temperatures
Published on: October 9, 2012
Design and performance of a high-resolution photoelectron microscope
G F Rempfer1, W P Skoczylas, O H Griffith
1Department of Physics, Portland State University, OR 97207.
Ultramicroscopy
|May 1, 1991
Summary
A new high-resolution photoelectron microscope achieves near-theoretical limits. This ultrahigh-vacuum instrument uses advanced electrostatic electron optics for nanoscale imaging.
Area of Science:
- Surface Science
- Microscopy
- Materials Science
Background:
- High-resolution imaging is crucial for understanding material properties at the nanoscale.
- Existing photoelectron microscopes face limitations in resolution and vacuum performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the design of a novel high-resolution photoelectron microscope.
- To present new components for enhanced performance and versatility.
Main Methods:
- Design and implementation of an oil-free ultrahigh-vacuum instrument.
- Utilizing electrostatic electron optics.
- Development of specialized components including a specimen translator, cathode stage, aperture stop control, electrostatic hexapole stigmator, beam shutter, and camera system.
Main Results:
- The instrument achieves a theoretical resolution of 5 nm with UV illumination.
- The photoelectron microscope is operational and achieving results within a factor of two of the design limit.
- Components are compatible with low-energy electron microscopes (LEEM).
Conclusions:
- The developed photoelectron microscope offers high resolution and advanced capabilities.
- The new component designs contribute to improved performance and broader applicability in microscopy.
- The instrument is a valuable tool for nanoscale surface analysis.
Related Concept Videos
01:37Super-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.
01:25Overview 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.
01:07Scanning 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.
Fundamental Principles
Accelerated...
Fundamental Principles
Accelerated...
01:15Transmission 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...
01:07Electron 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...
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...
01:22Overview 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...