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Low Cost Stem

STEM (Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope) imaging allows viewing of internal structures of thin specimens or small particles distributed on a substrate. As particle sizes become smaller, surface contrast is reduced due to interference from bulk material below the surface. For submicron to nanometer particles where size and shape are important, STEM offers better contrast compared to SEM alone. A low-cost way to achieve STEM-like contrast in an SEM is through a "STEM conversion" method using a standard TEM grid and gold-coated plate to convert transmitted electrons to secondary electrons for detection. This allows inexpensive STEM imaging capabilities with an SEM.

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Ali Khalil
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37 views

Low Cost Stem

STEM (Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope) imaging allows viewing of internal structures of thin specimens or small particles distributed on a substrate. As particle sizes become smaller, surface contrast is reduced due to interference from bulk material below the surface. For submicron to nanometer particles where size and shape are important, STEM offers better contrast compared to SEM alone. A low-cost way to achieve STEM-like contrast in an SEM is through a "STEM conversion" method using a standard TEM grid and gold-coated plate to convert transmitted electrons to secondary electrons for detection. This allows inexpensive STEM imaging capabilities with an SEM.

Uploaded by

Ali Khalil
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Low Cost STEM using SEM

STEM image of mouse liver

STEM image of Polymer Micelles

STEM (Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope) imaging is used to view the internal structure of thin (100-200 nm) specimens. Additionally, as particles distributed on a substrate become smaller and smaller, the Secondary Electron contrast of these features becomes very low. The nondescript, translucent contrast from the bulk material below the surface competes with the desired surface shape contrast more and more as the particles become smaller and smaller. The resulting surface contrast is greatly reduced. If these particles are in the submicron to nanometer size range, and if the size and shape information of the particles is of primary importance, then STEM may offer an alternative with better contrast. If the particles can be mounted on a thin film, there is no subsurface interaction. They can then be viewed with more contrast and sharpness. The size and shape of particles can be more easily defined in the STEM mode. A full featured STEM Detector/Amplifier accessory is usually available for each model of SEM. These accessories have a moderate cost, especially when compared to a full TEM/STEM instrument. However, a low cost way to view STEM contrast in an SEM is by the 'STEM Conversion' method. The thin specimen is mounted on a standard 3 mm diameter TEM grid and placed in the specimen holder. The beam scans on the specimen and Transmitted Electrons strike a gold-coated plate below the specimen. The Transmitted Electrons are converted to Secondary Electrons and are detected by the Secondary Electron Detector. The Secondary Electron image then is then viewed as a STEM image. Smaller diameter Contrast Apertures result in more image contrast but less of the grid area is viewable. The set screw / spring arrangement allows the grid holder to be repositioned so that eventually the entire grid area can be viewed no matter which size Contrast Aperture is used. STEM imaging can used to view the internal structure of thin specimens or particles distributed on a thin film relatively inexpensively with a STEM Conversion Holder.

Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope Sample Holder

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