EMES

Transmission Electron Microscopy

Location: EP 112
Primary Contact: Vanessa Kee

 The JEOL JEM-2100 LaB6 transmission electron microscope (TEM) is equipped with the high-resolution (HR) style objective-lens pole piece to achieve point resolution as small as 0.23 nm ― small enough to observe lattice structure in many crystalline materials. The instrument operates at a high tension of up to 200 kV, corresponding to an electron wavelength of 2.5 pm. Image acquisition is performed with a Gatan Orius bottom-mount, 14-bit, 11-megapixel CCD camera. An Oxford Inca energy-dispersive silicon-drift X-ray (EDX) spectrometer is provided for compositional analysis and mapping at high count rates. The instrument has scanning-TEM (STEM) capability, with both bright-field and dark-field imaging modes, as well as both secondary-electron and back-scattered electron imaging modes. Scan control is achieved through a Gatan DigiScan II image acquisition system. A hollow-cone illumination feature is available for conical dark-field imaging.

A standard JEOL double-tilt specimen holder and a second JEOL low-background double-tilt holder are provided for crystallographic and EDX analysis. A high-tilt specimen retainer is also available for electron tomography. A Gatan Model 628 single-tilt heating holder allows thermal treatments to temperatures over 1000 °C with in-situ observation.

The instrument is used by several departments on the SDSM&T campus, including Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, Chemistry, Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Materials and Metallurgical Engineering for a range of projects involving topics such as energy generation and storage, functional composite materials for space applications, and friction-stir-processed metals.. A suite of equipment is provided for standard TEM sample-preparation methods, including specimen grinding/polishing/dimpling, electrochemical thinning, ion milling, and ultramicrotomy. Access is available with appropriate training for off-campus users to meet academic and industrial needs. For training materials, scheduling, and other policies, visit http://ahrenkiel.sdsmt.edu/JEM2100_TEM/.