Electron Microscopy

Lecture 2: 1. The optical microscopy and its

limitations;
2. Properties of electrons

Boquan Li
boquanli@wpi.edu
Office: WB239
Phone: x6025

TEM Column

TEM Column

Why Optical Microscopy?

The principle of geometric optics and
image formation based on optical lens
properties are the same in TEM;
The concepts of resolution, magnification,
depth of field and lens aberration are the
same;
Refreshing for those who use optical
microscopes.

Nature of Light

Laws of Reflection and Refraction

Definition of the half-angle

Numerical Aperture

Single Lens and Ray Diagrams

Image plane

Front focal plane

A

Optical axis

B
object

O
A
lens
Back focal plane

Let BO=u, OB=v, FO=OF=f

Lens formula

1
u

1
v

Magnification

1
f

A' B '
AB

v
u

Single Lens and Ray Diagrams

f u 2f
Image is real, inverted and
magnifed.

u f
Image is virtual, erect
and magnified.

u 2f
Image is real, inverted
and demagnified.

Back Focal Plane

Diffraction pattern

Two-Lens System and Ray

Diagrams

Resolution: Diffraction Limit and

Rayleighs Criterion
Aperture

Airy rings from diffraction of a laser beam:

75 m pinhole

100 m pinhole

When light passes

though an aperture,
diffraction occurs so
that a parallel beam
of light is transformed
into a series of
cones.

Light Intensity Distribution

Rayleigh Criterion

r1

d1
2

0.61
sin

Resolution-Influence of NA

Resolution-Influence of NA

Resolution-Influence of Wavelength

Resolution-Influence of Wavelength

Resolution-Influence of Wavelength

Resolution-Influence of Wavelength

Diffraction Limit of Optical

Microscopes
Here r1 is the smallest distance that can be
resolved, is the wavelength of the visible
light, is the refractive index, and is the
semi-angle of collection of the magnifying
lens.
For the shortest wavelength of the visible
spectrum, 400 nm, and the biggest
possible numerical aperture sin is 1.6,
so the resolution of a good light
microscope is about 150 nm.

Depth of field
The range of positions for the object that appears sharp in the image

0.61
h
sin tan
Decreasing the convergence angle will increase the DOF, but
decrease the resolution.

Depth of Focus
Range of positions at which the image can be viewed
without appearing out of focus, for a fixed position of
the object.
For constant focal length, if we differentiate the lens
formula, then,

dv
v
2
2 M
du
u
The higher the magnification, the higher the DOF.

Electrons
Charged particles
Can be accelerated by an electric field
Can be bent by either electric or magnetic
fields
Can be easily generated by heating a
filament
Can be detected using phosphor plates or
films

The Wave Nature of Electrons

de Broglie equation (1924):

Here is the wavelength of a particle, h is the Planck constant, and p is the

momentum of the particle.

I believe it is a first feeble ray of light on this

worst of our physics enigmas".
A. Einstein

Wavelength of Electrons
An electron accelerated by an electric
potential has energy:

E e mv / 2 p / 2m
2

So

h / 2m0e

Wavelength of Electrons
Considering relativistic effects:

h / 2m0e1 e / 2m0c

Electron Wavelengths as a
Function of Accelerating Voltage
Accelerating
voltage (kV)
100

Nonrelativistic Relativistic
wavelength(nm) wavelength(nm)
0.00386
0.00370

120

0.00352

0.00335

200

0.00273

0.00251

300

0.00223

0.00197

400

0.00193

0.00164

1000

0.00122

0.00087

Relative wavelengths
Cu = 1.5406
100 = 0.037
120 = 0.0335

200 = 0.0251
300 = 0.0197

XRD

Electron
wavelengths are
about 50X
smaller than Xray.

Brief history of the TEM development

1924 - Louis de Broglie theorized that the electron
had wave-like characteristics;
1927 - Davisson and Germer carried out electron
diffraction experiments (wave nature);
1931 - Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska developed
electromagnetic lenses and constructed the first
electron microscope most crucial step, for which
Ruska received the Nobel Prize in 1986;
1933 - Ruskas EM exceeded the resolution of the
light microscope. It had an accelerating voltage of 75
kV;
1939 - Siemens supplied the first commercially
available electron microscope;
Today - JEOL and FEI build thousands of EM.

Evolution of TEM Instrumentation

First TEM, 1931

JEM-100, 1980s
JEM-ARM200F, 2009