Machine operating procedures
TEM operation
The following provide examples of the actual steps used in one electron microscope laboratory for some TEMs.
Basic TEM operation
- Instructions/procedure for using for low magnification (biological science use)
- Instructions/procedure for using for high magnification (physical science use)
The instructions provided are for the JEM-1010 Transmission Electron Microscope.
The JEOL cool beam gun allows high-brightness, high coherence illumination conditions with low emission current. There is automatic filament heating, and automatic exposure micrograph photography. The instrument is equipped with a goniometer specimen stage.
Advanced TEM operation
This involves imaging for high resolution (HREM), diffraction and sample tilting, and for microanalysis [but for this see the module on microanalysis].
JEOL JEM2100
View the JEOL JEM2100 LaB6 STEM manual [pdf, 1.1MB]
This JEOL JEM2100 LaB6 STEM is an analytical transmission electron microscope which can be operated in TEM-microprobe, TEM-nanoprobe or STEM (Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope) mode. A Gatan Orius 1000 slow scan CCD camera with 2k x 4k and video rate capture is fitted below the column. The S/TEM comes with a bright field (BF) and high-angle annular dark field (HAADF) STEM detectors located at the 35mm port. The instrument has an objective pole-piece that is capable of ±30° tilt. There is a cryo-sample holder (-183°C), double-tilt (±30°) holder, and double-tilt (±30°) low background (Be) EDS holders.
Philips Tecnai F20
This Philips Tecnai F20 FEG-STEM is an analytical transmission electron microscope with the capability to deliver one nanoamp (10-9A) of current into a probe of one nanometre (10-9nm) in diameter. The high brightness field emission gun (FEG) is the electron source in the microscope. The instrument can be operated in TEM-microprobe, TEM-nanoprobe or STEM (Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope) mode. A Gatan Image Filter (GIF) is fitted to the bottom of the microscope column along with a 4kx4k Ultrascan 10000 slow scan CCD camera. The GIF comes standard with a 2kx2k slow scan CCD (GIF LS2002 CCD), a bright field (BF), dark field (DF), and high-angle annular dark field (HAADF) STEM detectors are all located just above the entrance aperture for the GIF. The instrument has a twin-lens objective pole-piece and is capable of ±70°. There are cryo-sample holders (-183°C), double-tilt (±30°) low background (Be) EDS holder, a high temperature double-tilt holder (±30°) capable of heating samples up to 1000°C. It is also equipped with automated tomography collection software in both TEM and Energy Filtered TEM (EFTEM) mode.
