A cartridge-based turning specimen holder with wireless tilt angle measurement for magnetic induction mapping in the transmission electron microscope.

Magnetic induction mapping in the transmission electron microscope using phase contrast techniques such as off-axis electron holography and differential phase contrast imaging often requires the separation of the magnetic contribution to the recorded signal from the electrostatic contribution. When using off-axis electron holography, one of the experimental approaches that can be used to achieve this separation is to evaluate half of the difference between phase shift images that have been recorded before and after turning the sample over. Here, we introduce a cartridge-based sample mounting system, which is based on an existing on-axis tomography specimen holder and can be used to turn a sample over inside the electron microscope, thereby avoiding the need to remove the holder from the microscope to turn the sample over manually. We present three cartridge designs, which are compatible with all pole piece designs and can be used to support conventional 3-mm-diameter sample grids, Si3N4-based membrane chips and needle-shaped specimens. We make use of a wireless inclinometer that has a precision of 0.1° to monitor the sample holder tilt angle independently of the microscope goniometer readout. We also highlight the need to remove geometrical image distortions when aligning pairs of phase shift images that have been recorded before and after turning the sample over. The capabilities of the cartridge-based specimen holder and the turning approach are demonstrated by using off-axis electron holography to record magnetic induction maps of lithographically-patterned soft magnetic Co elements, a focused ion beam milled hard magnetic Nd-Fe-B lamella and an array of four Fe3O4 nanocrystals.

Low vibration laboratory with a single-stage vibration isolation for microscopy applications.

The construction and the vibrational performance of a low vibration laboratory for microscopy applications comprising a 100 ton floating foundation supported by passive pneumatic isolators (air springs), which rest themselves on a 200 ton solid base plate, are discussed. The optimization of the air spring system leads to a vibration level on the floating floor below that induced by an acceleration of 10 ng for most frequencies. Additional acoustic and electromagnetic isolation is accomplished by a room-in-room concept.

Focal-series reconstruction in low-energy electron microscopy.

In low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) we commonly encounter images which, beside amplitude contrast, also show signatures of phase contrast. The images are usually interpreted by following the evolution of the contrast during the experiment, and assigning gray levels to morphological changes. Through reconstruction of the exit wave, two aspects of LEEM can be addressed: (1) the resolution can be improved by exploiting the full information limit of the microscope and (2) electron phase shifts which contribute to the image contrast can be extracted. In this article, linear exit wave reconstruction from a through-focal series of LEEM images is demonstrated. As a model system we utilize a heteromolecular monolayer consisting of the organic molecules 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride and Cu-II-Phthalocyanine, adsorbed on a Ag(111) surface.

Operation of TEAM I in a user environment at NCEM.

TEAM I is the final product of the Transmission Electron Aberration-corrected Microscope (TEAM) Project, a collaborative project funded by the Department of Energy with the goal of designing and building a platform for a next generation aberration-corrected electron microscope capable of image resolution of up to 50 pm. The TEAM instrument incorporates a number of new technologies, including spherical- and chromatic-aberration correction, an all-piezo-electric sample stage and an active-pixel direct electron detector. This article describes the functionality of this advanced instrumentation, its response to changes in environment or operating conditions, and its stability during daily operation within the National Center for Electron Microscopy user facility.

Direct imaging of copper catalyst migration inside helical carbon nanofibers.

By using a double-aberration-corrected (scanning) transmission electron microscope (STEM/TEM) at an acceleration voltage of only 80 kV, we demonstrate that, due to the low solubility of copper (Cu) in carbon and its affinity with oxygen (O), single-crystal Cu catalysts dissociate into small cuprous oxide (Cu2O) nanoparticles after the growth of carbon nanofibers, and Cu2O nanoparticles ultimately localize on the fiber surfaces. This new finding is a step toward a better understanding of the interactions between Cu catalysts and carbon nanomaterials and could suggest a simple and effective method for eliminating Cu impurities from the fibers.

High sensitivity resonance frequency measurements of individual microcantilevers using fiber optical interferometry.

We describe a setup for the resonance frequency measurement of individual microcantilevers. The setup displays both high spatial selectivity and sensitivity to specimen vibrations by utilizing a tapered fiber tip. The high sensitivity to specimen vibrations is achieved by the combination of optical Fabry-Perot interferometry and narrow band rf detection. Wave fronts reflected on the specimen and on the fiber tip end face interfere, thus no reference plane on the specimen is needed, as demonstrated with the example of freestanding silicon nitride microcantilevers. The resulting system is integrated in a DB-235 dual beam focused ion beam (FIB) system, thereby allowing the measurement of microcantilever responses during observation in scanning electron microscopy mode. The FIB was used to modify the optical fiber tip. At this point of our rf system development, the microcantilevers used to characterize the detector were not modified in situ.