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Related Concept Videos

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.
Fundamental Principles
Accelerated...
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...
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...
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.
Electron Behavior01:09

Electron Behavior

Electrons are negatively charged subatomic particles attracted to and orbit around the positively-charged nucleus of an atom. They reside in spaces associated with energy levels called shells and are further organized into subshells and orbitals within each shell.
Electrons Orbit the Nucleus
Electrons are found in specific locations outside of the nucleus. The shell in which an electron resides indicates the general energy level of the electron: those closer to the nucleus have less energy,...
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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Quantitative Atomic-Site Analysis of Functional Dopants/Point Defects in Crystalline Materials by Electron-Channeling-Enhanced Microanalysis
07:24

Quantitative Atomic-Site Analysis of Functional Dopants/Point Defects in Crystalline Materials by Electron-Channeling-Enhanced Microanalysis

Published on: May 10, 2021

Standardless atom counting in scanning transmission electron microscopy.

James M LeBeau1, Scott D Findlay, Leslie J Allen

  • 1Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-5050, United States.

Nano Letters
|October 16, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

High-angle annular dark-field imaging in scanning transmission electron microscopy enables precise atom counting and localization in 3D specimens. This technique also allows direct measurement of the microscope

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Last Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Quantitative Atomic-Site Analysis of Functional Dopants/Point Defects in Crystalline Materials by Electron-Channeling-Enhanced Microanalysis
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Quantitative Atomic-Site Analysis of Functional Dopants/Point Defects in Crystalline Materials by Electron-Channeling-Enhanced Microanalysis

Published on: May 10, 2021

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

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Energy Dispersive X-ray Tomography for 3D Elemental Mapping of Individual Nanoparticles
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Energy Dispersive X-ray Tomography for 3D Elemental Mapping of Individual Nanoparticles

Published on: July 5, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Physics
  • Chemistry

Background:

  • Accurate atomic-scale characterization is crucial for understanding material properties.
  • Existing methods for atom quantification often require calibration standards and can be complex.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a method for direct, standard-free quantification of atoms in 3D specimens using scanning transmission electron microscopy.
  • To enable direct measurement of the effective source size in scanning transmission electron microscopy.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) imaging in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM).
  • Applying the technique to quantify the number and location of atoms in crystalline, arbitrarily shaped specimens.
  • Demonstrating direct measurement of the STEM effective source size.

Main Results:

  • Successful quantification of all atoms in a 3D specimen without a calibration standard.
  • Demonstrated direct measurement of the finite effective source size of the scanning transmission electron microscope.
  • The HAADF-STEM method provides a direct and accurate approach to atomic-level analysis.

Conclusions:

  • High-angle annular dark-field imaging in STEM offers a powerful, standard-free method for 3D atomic quantification.
  • This technique advances in situ and operando analysis of materials at the atomic scale.
  • The method also provides a novel approach for characterizing electron microscope performance.