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Electron Microscopy Facility
All Equipment »This facility consists of five top-of-the line transmission electron microscopes, two of which are highly specialized instruments capable of extreme levels of resolution, achieved through spherical aberration correction. The facility is also equipped with extensive sample-preparation capabilities. The scientific interests of the staff focus on understanding the microscopic origin of the physical and chemical behavior of materials, with specific emphasis on in-situ studies of materials in native, functional environments.
- Atomic-resolution imaging of internal materials structure with scanning transmission and transmission electron microscopy
- Spectroscopic characterization with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. Real time studies of processing / structure / property relationships in nanostructured materials, including in liquid and gaseous environments
Instrument Details
Hitachi HD2700C, a dedicated Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM)
Contacts: Sooyeon Hwang
This is a state-of-the-art dedicated 200kV cold
field emission STEM with an aberration-corrector for
the probe-forming lens. It is the first Hitachi-made
aberration corrected electron microscope. The
aberration corrector improves the spatial resolution
(probe size) to <0.1 nm, while boosting the probe
current to 200 pA. The instrument is
optimized for spectroscopic imaging and simultaneous
acquisition of “Z-contrast” images and electron
energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). It is equipped with five
detectors for various settings using different
convergent angles and collection angles in
annular-dark-field imaging. It is also equipped with
a high resolution electron energy-loss spectrometer
which can routinely achieve an energy resolution of
0.35eV at zero energy-loss. The instrument is
shielded within a metal box to reduce acoustic
noise. A SDD EDX detector is installed to perform
STEM-EDX analysis for heavy elements
at atomic resolution. This microscope is capable of
high-resolution imaging and microscopy functions
including: HAADF-STEM, LAADF-STEM, BF-STEM,
STEM-EELS, and STEM-EDX. The Hitachi STEM is
particularly good at resolving the chemical and
electronic information of materials at the deep
nanoscale.
FEI Titan 80-300, a dedicated Environmental Transmission Electron Microscope (E-TEM)
Contact: Dmitri Zakharov
This instrument is the first 80-300kV
field-emission environmental transmission electron
microscope to be installed in the US with an
objective-lens aberration corrector. It has a
spatial resolution of 0.08nm in the high-resolution
phase contrast mode, and can achieve
this resolution at unusually high pressures due to
the differential pumping apertures and custom
pumping arrangement that is incorporated with the
system. The maximum gas pressure for the
environmental-cell is about 20mbar for N2,
with other maximum pressures dependent on the atomic
weight of the gas. As a result, this instrument is
uniquely well-suited to image the fundamental
mechanisms of catalysis and catalyzed nanostructure
growth. The instrument also has scanning
transmission imaging (STEM), magnetic imaging, and
chemical analysis capabilities. In addition, a Lorentz
lens and a bi-prism allows imaging electrostatic and
magnetic potentials or fields in materials. The FEI
Titan is
also equipped with an energy dispersive x-ray
spectrometer and an electron energy-loss image
filter spectrometer. A mass-flow controlled
catalytic reaction system capable of providing
controlled pressures of gas mixtures will be
installed in the near future.
FEI Talos 200x an operando Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope
Contact: Kim Kisslinger
The FEI Talos F200X is a high-resolution
analytical scanning/transmission electron microscope
(S/TEM) that is routinely operated at 200 keV. This
microscope is equipped with an X-FEG electron source
module that gives a source brightness four times
that of a Schottky FEG emitter. This high source
brightness enables near diffraction limited imaging
and dramatically improves the spectroscopic
performance. In addition to the extra-bright gun, it
combines outstanding high-resolution
scanning/transmission electron microscope and TEM
imaging with a four-quadrant 0.9-sr energy
dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) for elemental
and compositional mapping. Talos F200X allows for
the fastest and most precise EDS analysis in all
dimensions, along with HRTEM imaging with fast
navigation for in-situ microscopy. The
instrument is custom designed to have an
objective-area pressure interlock and differential
pumping capabilities close to the gun to protect the
field emitter from any gas leakage event. Due to
this protection feature, gas- and liquid-cell operando holders
can be readily used in this system to study reaction
dynamics under liquid and gas environments.
JEOL JEM2100F, a high-resolution Analytical Transmission Electron Microscope (ATEM)
Contact: Lihua Zhang
This is the center’s workhorse instrument. It is a 120-200kV scanning transmission and transmission field-emission electron microscope (STEM/TEM) for high-resolution analytical structural characterization. It is equipped with a chottky field-emission gun and two exchangeable objective-lens pole-pieces (an ultra high-resolution pole-piece with a 0.19 nm point-to-point resolution and a ±20° sample tilt, and a high-resolution pole-piece with a 0.23 nm point-to-point resolution and a ±40° sample tilt). The instrument is also equipped with an energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer and electron energy-loss spectrometer for chemical analysis, and heating holder and cooling holder and nanofactory holder for in-situ experiments and dynamic observations, including one of the few existing liquid helium TEM holders in the world, which achieves a lowest temperature of 20 K. It is a user-friendly electron microscope. Users and students can be trained to operate the instrument. .
JEOL JEM-1400 LaB6 120 KV Transmission Electron Microscope
Contact: Fernando Camino
The JEOL JEM-1400 LaB6 120 kV transmission electron microscope is an easy-to-use, high contrast instrument with excellent imaging (TEM and STEM modes) and analytical (energy dispersive spectroscopy detector) capabilities. With an easily changeable accelerating voltage range of 40-120 keV, the JEM-1400 TEM is highly suitable for polymer, biological, and materials science applications. Usually, after one training session, users unfamiliar with electron microscopy can use the instrument independently for TEM imaging purposes.
TEM Sample Preparation Facilities
Contact: Kim Kisslinger
Sample preparation is a critical and often underestimated aspect of transmission electron microscopy. Sample preparation for TEM can be a complex and involved procedure drawing upon a variety of mechanical and non-mechanical methods. The method chosen for TEM sample preparation is highly specific to the material to be analyzed and the desired information to be attained. Thin high quality TEM samples should have a thickness that is roughly equal to the mean free path electrons that transmit through the sample, which may only be a few tens of nanometers. The CFN maintains an array of equipment enabling a variety of standard TEM sample preparation capabilities. While users are generally expected to carry out their own specimen preparation, guidance and expertise may be provided by CFN electron microcopy staff.
Image Analysis Facility
The EM Group has a full range of image processing and analysis software for the interpretation of data. These includes, one 4-core, dual quad MacPro, equipped with MacTempas (for HREM/STEM image simulation and exit-wave reconstruction), CrystalKit and Adobe Photoshop (Fovea Pro Image analysis plug-ins) and one 4-core dual-quad PC with Digital Micrograph, True Image (exit wave reconstruction), and Inspect3D / Amira (tomographic reconstruction).
Analytical Bio/Soft Matter Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)
JEOL 1400 TEM:
The JEOL JEM-1400 LaB6 120 kV transmission electron microscope is an easy-to-use, high contrast instrument with excellent imaging (TEM and STEM modes) and analytical (energy dispersive spectroscopy detector) capabilities.
Environmental Transmission Electron Microscope (E-TEM)
Titan 80-300:
The E-TEM instrument (FEI Titan 80-300) is an 80 – 300 kV field-emission transmission electron microscope with an objective-lens aberration corrector at spatial resolution of 0.08 nm. The instrument has scanning transmission imaging, magnetic imaging, and chemical analysis capabilities.
FEI TALOS Operando S/TEM
FEI TALOS:
The FEI Talos F200X is a high-resolution analytical scanning/transmission electron microscope (S/TEM) that is routinely operated at 200 keV. This microscope is equipped with an X-FEG electron source module that gives a source brightness four times that of a Schottky FEG emitter.
High Resolution Analytical Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM)
JEOL 2100F:
This is the center’s workhorse instrument. It is a 120-200kV scanning transmission and transmission field-emission electron microscope (STEM/TEM) for high-resolution analytical structural characterization.
Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM)
Hitachi 2700C:
This instrument is ideal for probing structural and electronic properties of materials at the Angstrom level, allowing on to study the physical, chemical and electronic structure of oxide interfaces, catalysts and other functional nanomaterials.
No minor equipment.