TEM & SEM Basics

JESÚS RODRÍGUEZ COREÑO

WHY ELECTRON MICROSCOPE

 Light microscopes are limited by the physics of light to 500x or 1000x magnification and
a resolution of 0.2 micrometers.
 In early 1930´s there was a scientific desire to see the fine details of the interior structures
of organic cells (nucleus, mitochondria…etc).
 This requires 10,000x plus magnification which was just not possible using light
microscopes

TEM at 60,000 volts has a resolving power of about 0.0025nm. Maximum useful
magnification of about 100 million times.
Scanning electron microscope

 Is a type of electron microscope that images a

sample by scanning it, with a high-energy beam of
electrons in a raster scan pattern. The electrons
interact with the atoms that make up the sample
producing signals that contain information about
the sample´s surface topography, composition and
other properties
Characteristics viewed on SEM

 Topography: The surface features of an object or “how it looks”, its texture; direct
relation between these features and materials properties.
 Morphology: The shape and size of the particles making up the object; direct relation
between these structures and material properties.
 Composition: The elements and compounds that the objects is composed of, and the
relative amounts of them; direct relationship between composition and material
properties.
 Crystallographic information: How the atoms are arranged in the object; direct relation
between these arrangement and material properties.
Transmission Electron Microscope

 The transmission electron microscope was the first type of

electron microscope to be developed and is patterned exactly
on the light transmission microscope, except that a focused
beam of electrons is used, instead of light to “see through” the
specimen. It was developed by Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska in
Germany at 1931.
 TEMs find application in cancer research, virology, material
science as well as pollution, nanotechnology and
semiconductor research.
TEM simplified ray diagram

 Electron source
 Condenser lens with aperture
 Specimen objective lens with aperture.
 Projector lens
 Fluorescent screen
Differences between SEM and TEM
TEM
Electron beam passes through thin sample
(based on transmitted electrons)
Specially prepared thin samples are supported Sample can be any thickness, and is mounted
on TEM grids
Only an small amount of sample can be
analyzed
Specimen shown on fluorescent screen
Image is a two dimensional projection of the
sample
Much higher resolution
SEM
Electron beam scans over surface of sample
(Based on scattered electrons)
on an aluminum stub
Large amount of sample can be analized
Image shown on TV monitor
Image is of the surface of the sample
Smaller resolution