Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 29, 2026
10:25
Single-Digit Nanometer Electron-Beam Lithography with an Aberration-Corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope
Published on: September 14, 2018
Transmission-type angle deviation microscopy
Ming-Hung Chiu1, Chih-Wen Lai, Chen-Tai Tan
1Department of Electro-Optical Engineering, National Formosa University, 64 Wunhua Road, Huwei Yunlin 632, Taiwan. mhchiu@nfu.edu.tw
Applied Optics
|October 11, 2008
Summary
We developed transmission angle deviation microscopy (TADM), a new 3D optical microscopy method. TADM offers high axial resolution and large measurement ranges for non-contact, nondestructive imaging without sample conductivity or pretreatment.
Area of Science:
- Optical microscopy
- Nanotechnology
- Surface science
Background:
- Existing microscopy techniques face limitations in axial resolution and measurement range.
- Nondestructive and noncontact imaging methods are crucial for delicate samples.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel microscopy technique, transmission angle deviation microscopy (TADM).
- To enhance axial resolution and expand dynamic measurement ranges in 3D optical microscopy.
Main Methods:
- Utilizes common-path heterodyne interferometry and geometrical optics.
- Incorporates an ultrahigh sensitivity surface plasmon resonance (SPR) angular sensor.
- Analyzes beam convergence/divergence due to refractive index or surface height variations.
Main Results:
- Achieved high axial resolution of approximately 32 nm.
- Demonstrated large measurement ranges of +/- 80 micrometers with a numerical aperture of 0.21.
- Enabled non-destructive, non-contact measurement in transparent media without conductivity or pretreatment.
Conclusions:
- TADM provides significant advantages in axial resolution and measurement range for 3D optical microscopy.
- The technique is versatile, applicable to samples requiring non-destructive and non-contact analysis.
- TADM overcomes limitations of traditional methods, offering new possibilities in microscopic imaging.
Related Concept Videos
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...
01:22Overview 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...
01:29Two-Dimensional Microscopy in Microbiology
Two-dimensional (2D) microscopy encompasses a range of optical techniques that capture images within a single focal plane, offering detailed representations of microscopic structures. These techniques are essential in biological and medical research, enabling the visualization of cellular and subcellular structures with different levels of contrast and specificity.There are several major types of 2D microscopy, each with strengths and applications.Bright-Field MicroscopyBright-field microscopy...
01:26Phase 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...
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...
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.
01:09Transmission Shafts: Problem Solving
Designing a solid shaft that transmits power from a motor to a machine tool involves a series of calculations to ensure the shaft can withstand the stresses applied by bending moments and torques. First, calculate the torque exerted on the gear, considering the power transmitted by the shaft and its rotational speed. Following this, compute the tangential forces acting on the gears, which directly relate to the torque and the gear radius.
Next, use bending moment diagrams for the shaft to...
Next, use bending moment diagrams for the shaft to...