Breaking the 1 Angstrom Imaging Barrier

A new 200 kv transmission electron microscope (TEM) allows images for the first time to be directly viewed with a resolution of less than one angstrom, using commercially available technologies.

One angstrom is one-tenth of a nanometer in size, and a nanometer is one billionth of a meter. One angstrom is also about one-third the size of a carbon atom and is a key dimension for atomic-level research. Now, scientists at FEI Company (Hillsboro, OR, USA) have broken the 1 angstrom high resolution imaging barrier with this new microscope.

The ability to attain direct artifact-free images of atoms opens the doors for researchers working in nanotechnology development to explore materials at the highest resolution ever. The sub-Angstrom resolution was achieved by using FEI's Tecnai F20 transmission electron microscope employing technologies that improve image resolution with advanced electron optics capabilities developed by FEI and its partner, CEOS Company (Corrected Electron Optical Systems, Heidelberg, Germany). This permits novel TEM techniques, such as 3D reconstruction with tomography, scanning probe applications, or in situ observation of specimen responses to variations in temperature, stress, or chemical environment--all with sub-Angstrom resolutions.

"The successful use of an electron beam monochromator to improve the resolution of a Cs-corrected electron microscope marks a major milestone for the field of electron microscopy,” said Dr. Michael O'Keefe of the U.S. National Center of Electron Microscopy (Berkeley, CA, USA). "Theory has long predicted that a monochromator would be able to push the resolution of the super-twin lens beyond the 1.4A resolution demonstrated with the Cs-correction alone.”

FEI Company provides advanced tools for a range of nanotechnology markets, including materials science, life science, semiconductors, and data storage. Its products enable researchers and manufacturers to fabricate and modify nanoscale structures and to view and characterize them in three dimensions down to the atomic level.




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