In-situ heating S/TEM is available

The nanoFAB is pleased to announce that the DENS solutions In-Situ Lightning TEM holder is fully commissioned and in-situ heating TEM analysis is available on the JEOL JEM-ARM200CF S/TEM Microscope.

The DENS lightning in-situ heating platform utilizes the state-of-the-art MEMS technology to create the lab-on-chip environment that replicates the real-life heating conditions inside the TEM, which provides unprecedented control and accuracy over temperature:

• 8 contacts for simultaneous heating and biasing analysis
• Double tilted holder
• Maximum heating temperature of 1100 °C
• Flexible and customizable heating profiles
• Compatible with EDX analysis

Images below show (A) double tilted Dens Lightning holder, (B) heating chip being heated at 1100°C, (C) (D) heating chip and (E) (F) sample areas on the chip.

All these unique features enable dynamic analysis of morphological (imaging), structural (diffraction) and compositional (EDX) changes of materials at very high spatial resolution on the JEOL ARM S/TEM.

The in-situ heating TEM analysis is now available to all users. If you have needs for these analysis, please submit a sample analysis request with sample details on LMACS. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Xuehai Tan (xtan@ualberta.ca) – the primary TEM staff member or Peng Li (Peng.Li@ualberta.ca) – the Characterization Group Manager.

Application Examples

• Recrystallization and melting of polycrystalline Au film heated up to 1100 °C
  

• Phase transition of a bilayer Au (3 nm) / a-Si (25 nm) film

  • Morphological analysis by BF-TEM images: transition to eutectic phase at temperature around 900 °C upon the first heating ramp
    

     

  • Structural analysis by Electron Diffraction: reversible phase transition (melting point of 363 °C) between metal Au (200 °C) and eutectic (400 °C) after the first heating ramp
    

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• Multi-element alloy nanoparticles formation from metal salts

  Sample Courtesy: Chuyi Ni and Prof. Jon Veinot, Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta.

  • Morphological analysis by DF-STEM images: formation of particles up to 800 °C
    

     

  • Compositional analysis by EDX: confirming the composition of the particles. Despite the influence of infrared radiation emitted from the heating device, EDS elemental mapping is acquired at elevated temperature (800 °C) during the in-situ heating.