Electron Optic Documents

Cryo-EM has enjoyed an enormous ground swell in popularity ever since the advent of more stable and automated electron microscopes, suitable movie-type cameras, and improved acquisition software. Results obtained so far have been nothing short of spectacular as illustrated by several structures in EMDB and EMPIAR solved by cryo-EM to resolutions better than 1.5Å, such as EMD-31314, EMD-33707 and EMD-35984, the latter of which reaching true atomic resolution. This note describes screening of cryo-EM samples on a JEOL JEM-1400Flash with a Gatan ELSA holder before committing to an SPA run on higher-end electron cryo-microscopes, such as the JEOL CRYO ARM.

“Visualize the truth” is a hope of researchers who use various measuring equipment. Researchers who use electron microscopes as well have a desire to observe the real structure. But actually, in experiments using electron microscopes, many problems arise: They include damage regions of the specimen when it is cut for the size suited to observation, artifacts due to the staining that is applied to enhance image contrast, deformation caused by substitution of water to resin for withstanding vacuum exposure, and thermal damage to the specimen with electron-beam irradiation. As a result, the visualization of the real structure in the microscope image becomes increasingly difficult. One recommended solution is to cool the specimen, that is, “Cryo” techniques. This “Cryo Note” introduces some of the diversified cryo-techniques. We sincerely hope your challenge to observe the “real structure” will be solved by “Cryo” methods.

An e-ABF is observable as a "live image" with real-time signal processing of ABF and BF signals and it shows enhanced contrast of light atoms.

The Electrostatic Dose Modulator (EDM) is a fast beam blanking system with a pre-sample electrostatic deflector that includes electronics and software control. With EDM, the beam can switch on or off in less than 50 ns. This 100,000x improvement in blanking speed results in immediate enhancement in the clarity of data taken at fast exposure times. Moreover, EDM includes a desktop control knob that allows users to easily attenuate electron dose without affecting imaging conditions. The included software interface gives TEM and STEM users direct access to EDM’s pulse width modulation parameters providing exceptional control over the dose rate on their samples – invaluable feature for beam sensitive specimen imaging and analysis.

The F2 is a new concept of 20-200kV TEM equipped with a Cold FEG. This new generation of multi-purpose electron microscope is designed specifically to meet today’s diversified needs. Transmission electron microscopy gives access to two-dimensional information coming from the sample. The third dimension is available thanks to the tomography technique. The sample is tilted and for each step, an image (TEM, STEM, EDS) is acquired. Then the 3D volume of the sample can be reconstructed. The F2 has a “Dual SDD system”, which is composed of two silicon drift detectors (SDD) with large sensor areas, resulting in a total solid angle of 1.7 sr. The combination of two detectors and their placement around the sample, allows the ability to record EDS information throughout the full tilt series (from -80° to +80°).

The F2 is a new concept of 20-200kV TEM equipped with a Cold FEG. This new generation of multi-purpose electron microscope is designed specifically to meet today’s diversified needs. Thanks to the high brightness and small probe size of the Cold FEG, the F2 is able to reach an unprecedented guaranteed resolution for STEM (0.14nm), EDS (1.7sr) and EELS (0.3eV) at the same time, creating a new class of high-end non-corrected TEM.

The F2 is a new concept of 20-200kV TEM equipped with a Cold FEG. This new generation of multi-purpose electron microscope is designed specifically to meet today’s diversified needs. Thanks to the high brightness and small probe size of the Cold FEG, the F2 is able to reach an unprecedented guaranteed resolution for STEM (0.14nm), EDS (1.7sr) and EELS (0.3eV) at the same time; creating a new class of high-end non-corrected TEM.

The F2 is a new concept of 20-200kV TEM. This new generation of multi-purpose electron microscope is designed specifically to meet today's diversified needs. Thanks to the high brightness and small probe size, the F2 is able to reach an unprecedented guaranteed resolution for STEM (0.14nm), EDS (1.7sr) and EELS (0.3eV) at the same time, creating a new class of high-end non-corrected TEM.

The F2 incorporates a new, intuitive user interface specifically designed for analytical electron microscopy. This new interface integrates many improvements for the TEM control, such as; automatic functions (auto brightness/contrast, auto focus, auto Z, auto stigmator), coma free auto alignment and off-line data processing (Analysis Center). The software can be tuned at your convenience to provide you with the best working environment.

Resolution can be improved for all accelerating voltages.