The Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) operates with an electron beam, which observes very thin specimens (~150 nm). Electrons are brought into focus by an electro-magnetic lens and the image is observed on a fluorescent screen, a photographic plate or by means of a CCD camera.
Electrons are accelerated by a potential of the order of hundreds of KV and have wavelengths of about 0.2nm, much smaller than that of a photon (~ 400nm).
The resolving power, of the same order of the incident radiation’s wavelength, is limited by the aberrations of the electro-magnetic lenses.
We use Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to characterize materials and have followed the evolution of this technology’s performance.
Currently, our technical equipment consists of JEOL 3200FS-HR a 300kV TEM, equipped with:
It combines high resolution and 0-loss sample imaging with analytical performance: images can be recorded using a 2k x 2k CCD camera. The instrument is used primarily for studying the microstructure, dislocations, crystallography and chemistry of materials (spectra, line scans, maps)
The JEOL 3200FS-HR features:
This kind of analysis makes it possible to quantitatively assess the effects of thermal and thermo-mechanical treatments on the morphology and spatial arrangement of the most significant nanostructural constituents:
The knowledge of Crystallography allows for the identification of phases through the analysis of electronic diffraction patterns, interpreted utilizing a software designed by CSM.
The high-resolution mode enables us to observe the atomic planes disposition and spacing and to underline the defects of the crystal lattice.
The sophisticated electromagnetic filter gives us information about the chemical composition of the constituent elements of the microstructure.
The EDS dispersive spectrometer (XEDS) qualitatively and quantitatively carries out the chemical composition analysis of a specific point of the sample with a spatial resolution of a few nanometres.
The automatic image analysis software calculates the geometrical parameters of the particles (area, diameter, form factor, perimeter, etc.) present in a specific field, which allows us to perform various statistical analyses.
The preparation of samples plays a crucial role in the success of TEM observations. We offer you a wide experience in the preparation of non-organic samples, with particular regard to metals and alloys.
