TEM
Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM):
❖ Transmission electron microscopes (TEM) are
microscopes that use a particle beam of electrons to
visualize specimens and generate a highly-magnified
image.
❖ TEMs can magnify objects up to 2 million times.
❖ This techniques utilized for analyzing the surface
structure, i.e., morphology, surface imperfection, i.e.,
defects, crystal structure of the atom, size of the particle
and also sample’s composition.
How Do TEMs Work?
❖ TEMs employ a high voltage electron beam in order to
create an image.
❖ An electron gun at the top of a TEM emits electrons that
travel through the microscope’s vacuum tube.
❖ Rather than having a glass lens focusing the light (as in
the case of light microscopes), the TEM employs an
electromagnetic lens which focuses the electrons into a
very fine beam.
❖ This beam then passes through the specimen, which is
very thin, and the electrons either scatter or hit a
fluorescent screen at the bottom of the microscope.
Instrumentation of TEM
Source of electron
Gun based on Thermionic Emission
Beam of Electron
Electromagnetic lenses
Vacuum chamber
Two Condensers lenses, objective and
intermediate lens
Sample holder and stage
(Imaging Device) Phosphor or fluorescent screen
Computer
Electron Gun:
❖ Electrons can be produced either by thermionic emission
or by a process called cold field emission.
❖ During thermionic emission, a very fine tip of a tungsten
filament, a LaB6 crystal or a ZrO/W Schottky emitter, is
heated by an electrical current flowing through it, thereby
enabling the emission of electrons.
❖ A high voltage between the electron source (cathode) and
an anode plate is applied leading to an electrostatic field
through which the electrons are guided and accelerated.
Electromagnetic lenses:
❖ Electromagnetic lenses consist of a huge bundle of
windings of insulated copper wire, a soft iron cast and
pole piece.
❖ A magnetic field is induced by the current in the winding
and reaches its main strength at the pole piece of the lens.
The accelerated electrons entering the magnetic field are
deviated by Lorentz forces.
Condenser lens system:
The beam diameter is reduced and controlled by condenser
lens system.
Ojective and intermediate lenses:
The reason behind the back focal plane being very close to the lens
itself is because the magnification factor of the objective lens is larger.
Aperture of the objective (it is the middle aperture on the column) is
mounted in the back-focal [Link] selected area aperture sits in the
first image plane below the specimen, which is below both the objective
lens and the objective aperture. By altering the first projector
lensexcitation (also known as intermediate lens or diffraction lens),
either an image or a diffraction pattern is produced.
Specimen holders and stages:
❖ In TEM, the electron column does not offer a lot of space for the
sample. Further, the sample should be fine (thin) so that the
electrons can penetrate the specimen to produce an image.
❖ The average thickness of a biological specimen should be around
70 nm for a TEM with an acceleration voltage for the electrons of
~100 kV (higher voltages allow the investigation of thicker
samples).
❖ Thin sections of the sample are mounted on copper grids of 3 mm
diameter, which are available in a wide variety of materials and
mesh sizes
Vacuum System:
Vacuum system is employed in electron microscopes for 4 reasons:
❖ As electrons are readily scattered,electrons have amean free path of
~1cm at atmospheric pressure; however, at 10-6 Pa they can have mean
free path as high as 6.5m.
❖ The purpose of the vacuum system is to provide insulation between
the filament of both anode and cathode as well as in the region
around the field emitters, thus hampering undesirable discharge of
the electron gun.
❖ In order to inhibit the oxidation and ‘burning out’ of the filament,
oxygen is eliminated around the filament.
❖ Samples contamination is decreased by reducing the interaction
amongst electron beam and molecules of the gas.
Phosphor or fluorescent screen (Imaging Device):
1. Image mode
2. Diffraction mode
Image mode of TEM
In bright field imaging, the image of the sample is created
by the electrons that pass through the film without
diffracting. A diaphragm is used to stop the diffracted
electrons.
In the corresponding dark field imaging mode, the image is
formed by the diffracted beam. The technique is called as
bright Field which is mainly sensitive to extended crystal
lattice defects in an otherwise ordered crystal, e.g.,
dislocations.
