The world’s only benchtop transmission electron microscope (TEM), from Delong Instruments, combines high-contrast imaging with nanoscale resolving power. The low-voltage electron microscope can operate in four imaging modes: TEM; scanning EM (SEM); scanning transmission EM (STEM); and electron diffraction; without having to realign the column or adjust the sample, allowing both surface and transmission images of a sample to be captured from the same area of interest. Negative-stiffness vibration isolation enhances the performance of the instrument in vibration-challenged noisy environments.

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) utilizes a technique in which a beam of electrons is transmitted through an ultra-thin specimen, interacting with the specimen as it passes through. An image is formed from the interaction of the electrons transmitted through the specimen. The image is magnified and focused onto an imaging device, such as a fluorescent screen, a layer of photographic film, or a sensor such as a CCD camera. TEMs are capable of imaging at a significantly higher magnification than light microscopes. This enables the investigators to examine fine details, even as small as a single column of atoms. As the wavelength of an electron can be up to 100,000 times smaller than that of visible light, electron microscopes have a much higher resolution of approximately 0.1 nm.

TEM is a powerful tool for directly looking at small physical specimens. The microscope has evolved into a sophisticated instrument capable of providing structural and chemical information from solid materials over a wide range of magnification, to a level of spatial resolution that is unapproachable by most other techniques. The TEM offers a wide variety of imaging, diffraction, and microanalytical modes that can be used individually or in combination to extract essential information. As long as the instrument is aligned and used properly, many TEM techniques are available to researchers to reveal a wealth of information about their samples.

A recent development is the benchtop TEM, which enables a heightened level of location flexibility and user- friendly applications for researchers engaged in high-resolution microscopy.

Nanoscale from Your Benchtop
The worlds only benchtop TEM design, the LVEM5 electron microscope combines high-resolution imaging with nanoscale resolving power (Figure 1). Designed and manufactured by Delong Instruments (Delong), the low-voltage electron microscope has the ability to operate in four imaging modes: TEM; scanning electron microscopy (SEM); scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM); and electron diffraction (ED); and it provides data wit out having to realign the column or adjust the sample when changing operating modes. This allows both surface and transmission images of the sample to be captured from the same area of interest.

The LVEM5 is designed to produce detailed and meaningful image results with unmatched contrast of biologic and soft mate- rial samples and is a benefit to any lab working with, researching, or producing nano materials. The LVEM5 is approximately 90 percent smaller than classical EMs and is small enough to fit anywhere nanoscale imaging is needed. It is easy to learn, operate, and maintain, at a fraction of the cost of a conventional TEM.

Sensitivity to Vibration in Noisy Environments
TEM, like other high-resolution microscopy, is influenced by factors such as magnetic fields, barometric pressure changes, room temperature variations, grounding problems, and floor vibrations. Floor vibrations can originate from movement of outside vehicle traffic, elevators, HVAC systems, building pumps and motors, and ancillary equipment providing support for the microscope. Both vertical and horizontal vibration can negatively influence the focus and resolution of the images being viewed. The benchtop LVEM5 is designed to be well-isolated from outside fields and vibrations, providing an adequate level of stability for the instruments installed in the average lab environments. However, these high-resolution instruments are most sensitive to low-frequency vibration, in the range of a few Hertz (Hz), which are prevalent in noisy environments. These low-Hz vibrations are challenging to eliminate from the microscopes environment...

In combination, the LVEM5 and negative-stiffness vibration isolation systems provide a versatile system for electron microscopy imaging in many environments for several types of samples. The small footprint of the system provides an ideal instrument for limited space environments.