Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a type of electron microscopy with a resolving power an order of magnitude greater than Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) by milling the sample down to a foil < 100 nm thick, then detecting electrons which pass through the now electron-transparent sample. This drastically reduces the electron interaction volume and dispersions, improving spatial resolution. Samples < 50 nm thick may even be able to get atomic-level resolution. Maximum resolution lies in the 0.2 nm range, with a maximum magnification of 1,000,000x.