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Microscopy

Electron Microscopy



In the mid-1920s, Louis de Broglie (1892-1966) suggested that electrons, as well as other particles, should exhibit wave like properties similar to light. Experiments on electron beams a few years later confirmed de Broglie's hypothesis. Electrons behave like waves. Of importance to microscopy was the fact that the wavelength of electrons is typically much smaller than the wavelength of light. Therefore, the limitation imposed on the light microscope of 0.4 micrometers could be significantly reduced by using a beam of electrons to illuminate the specimen. This fact was exploited in the 1930s in the development of the electron microscope.



There are two types of electron microscope, the transmission electron microscope (TEM) and the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The TEM transmits electrons through an extremely thin sample. The electrons scatter as they collide with the atoms in the sample and form an image on a photographic film below the sample. This process is similar to a medical x ray where x rays (very short wavelength light) are transmitted through the body and form an image on photographic film behind the body. By contrast, the SEM reflects a narrow beam of electrons off the surface of a sample and detects the reflected electrons. To image a certain area of the sample, the electron beam is scanned in a back and forth motion parallel to the sample surface, similar to the process of mowing a square section of lawn. The chief differences between the two microscopes are that the TEM gives a two-dimensional picture of the interior of the sample while the SEM gives a three-dimensional picture of the surface of the sample. Images produced by SEM are familiar to the public, as in television commercials showing pollen grains or dust mites.

For the light microscope, light can be focused and bent using the refractive properties of glass lenses. To A typical compound microscope. Carolina Biological Supply Company/Phototake NYC. Reproduced by permission. bend and focus beams of electrons, however, it is necessary to use magnetic fields. The magnetic lens which focuses the electrons works through the physical principle that a charged particle, such as an electron which has a negative charge, will experience a force when it is moving in a magnetic field. By positioning magnets properly along the electron beam, it is possible to bend the electrons in such a way as to produce a magnified image on a photographic film or a fluorescent screen. This same principle is used in a television set to focus electrons onto the television screen to give the appropriate images.

Electron microscopes are complex and expensive. To use them effectively requires extensive training. They are rarely found outside the research laboratory. Sample preparation can be extremely time consuming. For the TEM, the sample must be ground extremely thin, less than 0.1 micrometer, so that the electrons will make it through the sample. For the SEM, the sample is usually coated with a thin layer of gold to increase its ability to reflect electrons. Therefore, in electron microscopy, the specimen can't be living. Today, the best TEMs can produce images of the atoms in the interior of a sample. This is a factor of a 1,000 better than the best light microscopes. The SEM, on the other hand, can typically distinguish objects about 100 atoms in size.

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Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Methane to Molecular clockMicroscopy - The Light Microscope, History Of Light Microscopy, Electron Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Recent Developments In Microscopy