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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 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...
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.
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...
Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy01:26

Phase 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...
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...

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Updated: May 19, 2026

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

Enhancing Dose Efficiency of Optimum Bright-Field Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy Using a Phase-Shifted

Mitsuru Nogami1, Takehito Seki1,2, Kousuke Ooe3,4

  • 1Institute of Engineering Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.

Small Methods
|May 18, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Improving scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging of beam-sensitive materials is crucial. This study enhances signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in optimum bright-field (OBF) STEM using phase shifts, enabling clearer visualization of delicate structures.

Keywords:
optimum bright fieldptychographyscanning transmission electron microscopy

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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

Published on: September 14, 2018

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Last Updated: May 19, 2026

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

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

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Microscopy
  • Physics

Background:

  • Observing beam-sensitive materials with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is difficult due to low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at low electron doses.
  • Existing methods struggle to balance image quality with minimal sample damage.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To enhance the SNR of optimum bright-field (OBF) STEM imaging.
  • To enable clearer visualization of structural features in beam-sensitive materials under low-dose conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical analysis of electron probe phase shifts.
  • Multislice simulations to evaluate contrast transfer function (CTF).
  • Investigated the impact of lens aberrations, specifically spherical aberration and defocus.

Main Results:

  • Spherical aberration was found to enhance low-frequency contrast effectively.
  • Unlike defocus, spherical aberration does not introduce image artifacts or oscillations in the CTF.
  • The proposed method significantly improves the visibility of structural details in low-dose STEM images.

Conclusions:

  • Introducing phase shifts via spherical aberration is a viable strategy to improve OBF STEM SNR.
  • This technique offers a promising approach for efficient imaging of beam-sensitive materials like zeolites.
  • The findings pave the way for advanced low-dose electron microscopy techniques.