Introduction
to
Electron Microscopy
IIT MANDI
Presented
By
ARJUN
Objectives
• TO DEFINE ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
• TO DESCRIBE THE CONSTRUCTION OF ELECTRON
MICROSCOPE
• TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN LIGHT AND ELECTRON
MICOSCOPY
• TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN SEM AND TEM
• TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY MICROGRAPHS OF SEM AND
TEM
• TO LIST OUT THE USES OF ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
Resolving Power of Microscopes
Light Microscope versus EM
Resolution ~ 300 nm ~ 1 nm
Magnification ~ 1000 x ~ 8,00000 x
Depth of Focus Low Very high
High energy electron beam –
specimen interactions
Scanning Electron
Microscope
A Scanning Electron Microscope
is an instrument that
investigates the surfaces of solid
samples by using a beam of
electrons in a vacuum.
The image is generated by the
secondary emissions from the
sample.
Image- MyScope
SEM Instrumentation
Electron Gun
Condenser & Objective
Lens Scanning coils
Detectors (Secondary &
Back scattered)
Vacuum system (TMP,
IGP)
Basics of SEM operation
Secondary Electrons – Inelastic scattering
Inelastic interactions of high energy electrons with valence
electrons of atoms
Less than 50 eV are called secondary
electrons
90% of secondary electrons have
energies less than 10 eV; most from 2 to
5 eV
Produced within a distance of 2-5 nm of
surface
Relatively independent of
atomic number
Topological contrast with secondary electrons
Number of secondary
electron escape is
sensitive to surface
topography
Backscattered electrons (BSE)
A fraction of the incident electrons
is retarded by the electro-
magnetic field of the nucleus and
if the scattering angle is greater
than 180 ° the electron can escape
from the surface
Backscattered Electrons are
• High energy electrons (elastic
scattering)
• Fewer BSE than SE
• We differentiate between BSE1
and BSE2
BSE as a function of atomic numbe
• For phases containing more than one element, it is the average
atomic number that determines the backscatter coefficient h
Image: University of Cape Town
BSE vs
SE
Images: Greg Meeker, USGS
X-rays
• Photons not electrons
• Each element has a fingerprint X-
ray signal
• Poorer spatial resolution than
BSE and SE
• Relatively few X-ray signals are
emitted and the detector is
inefficient
• relatively long signal
collecting times are needed
https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/materials/wp-
content/uploads/sites/7/2022/04/x-ray-generation-
process.png
SEM-EDAX of Graphene on Ni
C-K map Ni-L map
Specimen Preparation
No SEM can guarantee good data, if the sample is
poor
Polishing, chemical and thermal etching
Thin conductive coating(Au-Pd and C ) with
discharge path
Washing the reaction residue(un reacted stuff,
capping etc)
TEM ray diagram
We are dealing with scattered electrons (transmitted/diffracted)
Specimen Thickness Matters!
Imaging in TEM
Electron Diffraction
Bright filed imaging
Dark filed imaging
Lattice imaging or HRTEM
How about Dark Field and HRTEM Imaging?
Electron Diffraction of
Materials
Amorphous Polycrystalline
Nanocrystalline Single crystalline
Bright field image & Dark field image
Which is dark field?
Which is bright field?
What information one
can get?
TEM sample preparation
For Nanostructures
Easy and fast
For bulk samples, thin films:
- Sectioning
- Thinning/Polishing Time consuming procedure!
- Ion Milling
THANK
YOU
ARJUN BARWAL
