Transmission electron microscopy (TEM, an abbreviation which can also stand for the instrument, a

transmission electron microscope) is a microscopy technique in which a beam of electrons is transmitted

through a specimen to form an image.

The transmission electron microscope (TEM) is used to examine the structure, composition, and
properties of specimens in submicron detail.

Principle of TEM: The TEM operates on the same basic principles as the light microscope but uses
electrons instead of light. Because the wavelength of electrons is much smaller than that of light, the
optimal resolution attainable for TEM images is many orders of magnitude better than that from a light
microscope.

A Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) utilizes energetic electrons to provide morphologic,

compositional and crystallographic information on samples. At a maximum potential magnification of
1 nanometer, TEMs are the most powerful microscopes.
 Figure: Schematic diagram of TEM

TEM Applications
A Transmission Electron Microscope is ideal for a number of different fields such as life sciences,
nanotechnology, medical, biological and material research, forensic analysis, and metallurgy as well as
industry and education.

➢ TEM provides topographical, morphological, compositional and crystalline information.

➢ The images allow researchers to view samples on molecular level, making it possible to analyze
structure and texture.
➢ TEM provides high magnification images of the internal structure of sample.
➢ TEM operator can investigate the crystalline structure of an object, see the stress or internal
fracture of sample .
➢ TEM can be used in semiconductor analysis, production and manufacturing of computers,
silicon chips.

Table I: Summary of the main differences between a SEM and a TEM