Atomic Resolution Cs-Corrected HR-S/TEM from 80-300kV: Optimizing for Technique and Material

The latest generation of high-resolution Cs-corrected HR-S/TEM electron microscopes allows material scientists and nanotechnologists to cross a critical threshold in their efforts to understand the properties of materials down to the most fundamental level- the atomic level. Nanotechnology research involves a wide variety of sample classes, calling for microscopy that ensures flexibility towards optimization of analytical and imaging techniques while delivering atomic resolution. With high tension flexibility, the interaction of the electrons with the sample can be tuned to the needs of the sample and the information required: contrast, resolution, stability or analysis. The optimum choice is related to the characteristic elastic and inelastic scattering processes of the electrons with the very materials. Thick samples or extremely dense materials need high acceleration voltage simply due to the fact that penetration power is needed to obtain interpretable images. Thinner specimens or some classes of delicate ultra light materials which suffer from knock-on damage mechanisms or weak contrast prefer lower voltage. In other cases, e.g. cryo-microscopy, higher voltages are preferred to minimize bond breaking damage. The Titan 80-300 high-resolution transmission electron microscope was introduced recently as a dedicated platform for aberration correctors. One of the key features of its design is the flexibility i