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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.

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...

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...

Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

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.

Scanning Electron Microscopy

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.
Fundamental Principles
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Cryo-electron Microscopy

Cryo-electron Microscopy

Conventional electron microscopy (EM) involves dehydration, fixation, and staining of biological samples, which distorts the native state of biological molecules and results in several artifacts. Also, the high-energy electron beam damages the sample and makes it difficult to obtain high-resolution images. These issues can be addressed using cryo-EM, which uses frozen samples and gentler electron beams. The technique was developed by Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson, for...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Picometer-Precision Atomic Position Tracking through Electron Microscopy

Picometer-Precision Atomic Position Tracking through Electron Microscopy

Published on: July 3, 2021

Atomic structure imaging beyond conventional resolution limits in the transmission electron microscope.

Sarah J Haigh¹, Hidetaka Sawada, Angus I Kirkland

¹Department of Materials, University of Oxford, OX1 3PH, United Kingdom. sarah.haigh@materials.ox.ac.uk

Physical Review Letters

|October 2, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study enhances transmission electron microscopy resolution by 41% using a novel method. Atomic-scale imaging now achieves 78 picometers resolution, improving electron microscopy capabilities.

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Physics
Electron Microscopy

Background:

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) offers atomic-scale structural characterization.
Partial coherence of electron beams fundamentally limits TEM resolution.
Aberration-corrected TEMs represent the latest generation of microscopes.

Purpose of the Study:

To overcome the resolution limitations imposed by electron beam partial coherence in TEM.
To demonstrate a method for extending the ultimate resolution of advanced TEMs.
To achieve higher real-space resolution in atomic-scale imaging.

Main Methods:

Development and application of a novel imaging method for TEM.
Utilizing the latest generation of aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopes.
Conducting experiments at 200 kV accelerating voltage.

Main Results:

Achieved a 41% improvement in ultimate resolution compared to conventional axial imaging.
Demonstrated a real-space resolution of 78 picometers (pm).
Verified the method's effectiveness through experimental results.

Conclusions:

The developed method significantly enhances the resolution of state-of-the-art TEMs.
Atomic-scale structural characterization is advanced by achieving unprecedented resolution.
This breakthrough enables more detailed analysis of materials at the atomic level.