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Related Concept Videos

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 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.
Preparation of Samples for Electron Microscopy01:20

Preparation of Samples for Electron Microscopy

To be visualized by an electron microscope, either transmission or scanning, biological samples need to be fixed (stabilized) so the electron beam does not destroy them and dried thoroughly (desiccated/dehydrated) so the vacuum does not affect them. Fixation needs to be done as quickly as possible because the sample properties will start changing as soon as it is removed from its natural environment. For example, in a tissue sample, the oxygen levels begin decreasing, causing an altered...
Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy01:18

Imaging Biological Samples with Optical Microscopy

Optical microscopy uses optic principles to provide detailed images of samples. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek designed the first compound optical microscope in the 17th century to visualize blood cells, bacteria, and yeast cells. In 1830, Joseph Jackson Lister created an essentially modern light microscope. The 20th century saw the development of microscopes with enhanced magnification and resolution.
In optical microscopy, the specimen to be viewed is placed on a glass slide and clipped on the stage...
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...

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Updated: May 27, 2026

Single-Digit Nanometer Electron-Beam Lithography with an Aberration-Corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope
10:25

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

Published on: September 14, 2018

Effective object planes for aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy.

R Yu1, M Lentzen, J Zhu

  • 1Beijing National Center for Electron Microscopy and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. ryu@tsinghua.edu.cn

Ultramicroscopy
|November 15, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Optimizing focus in aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy is crucial for high-resolution imaging. This study reveals that the optimal focus depends on sample thickness, suggesting the midplane as a more effective reference than the exit plane.

More Related Videos

Preparation and Observation of Thick Biological Samples by Scanning Transmission Electron Tomography
08:04

Preparation and Observation of Thick Biological Samples by Scanning Transmission Electron Tomography

Published on: March 12, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 27, 2026

Single-Digit Nanometer Electron-Beam Lithography with an Aberration-Corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope
10:25

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

Published on: September 14, 2018

Preparation and Observation of Thick Biological Samples by Scanning Transmission Electron Tomography
08:04

Preparation and Observation of Thick Biological Samples by Scanning Transmission Electron Tomography

Published on: March 12, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Physics
  • Microscopy

Background:

  • Aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (TEM) achieves sub-0.1nm resolution.
  • Image contrast in TEM is highly sensitive to focus variations.
  • Precise focus control is essential for maximizing the potential of aberration correction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the influence of sample thickness on the minimum contrast focus in TEM.
  • Determine the optimal reference plane for focus determination in high-resolution TEM imaging.
  • Validate theoretical models for focus optimization in TEM.

Main Methods:

  • Dynamical image simulations were performed using amorphous model structures of carbon, germanium, and tungsten.
  • Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to construct the model structures.
  • Simulations analyzed the thickness dependence of minimum contrast focus and evaluated different reference planes.

Main Results:

  • The minimum contrast focus was found to be dependent on the object thickness.
  • Image simulations supported the use of an effective object plane near the midplane, rather than the exit plane.
  • For objects thinner than 10nm, referencing the midplane improved focus condition matching.

Conclusions:

  • The findings support using the sample's midplane as the reference plane for focus optimization in TEM.
  • This approach enables imaging of supported particles and wedge-shaped crystals with improved focus independence from surface topography.
  • Accurate focus determination is critical for achieving optimal image quality and resolution in advanced TEM.