Equipments

SEM TEM DITABIS Imaging Plate system Specimen preparation 

Softwares

General data processing software Simulation software for images and spectra

Equipments

SEM

XL30 S-FEG

Philips XL30 S FEG Scanning Electron Microscope
Resolution at optimum condition : 1.5nm
Accelerating voltage: 200 V – 30 kV
Magnification range: X 80 - X 800,000
Woking distance: 1-50mm
Tilt range: T = -10° to + 45°,
EDX
Energy resolution：130eV
Element analysis range: B-U

TEM

1. Double-tilt high temperature TEM holder (up to 1100K)
2. Double-tilt nitrogen high resolution low temperature holder (down to 100K)
3. Double-tilt helium low temperature holder (down to 20K)
4. Special double-tilt TEM holder for applying electric field

DITABIS Imaging Plate system

DITABIS Imaging Plate system consists of Imaging Plates, Imaging Plate reader, DITABIS eraser and a controlling computer runs the DITABIS software. Imaging Plates are nearly ideal electron detectors that give us highest quality digital images, since it has many benefits such as high dynamic range, high sensitivity, high Detection Quantum Efficiency (DQE), small pixel size, true linearity and so on. It is used in quantitative analysis of electron diffraction patterns.
Some specificationst:
Dynamic range: 16/24/32 bit
Effective size: 80×90 mm
Pixel sizes (number of pixels): 15 μm (6000×5333)
25 μm (3600×3200)
50 μm (1800×1600)

 Computer, Imaging Plate reader, and Imaging Plate eraser               Imaging Plate

Specimen preparation 

The material to be analyzed in the transmission electron microscope must be electron transparent in the area of interest. 
 For this purpose we use various techniques for the preparation of different materials (metal, ceramics, semiconductors and also combinations of these materials). In a first step the material is machined into an adequate external shape by mechanical preparation, e.g. stamping, ultrasonic drilling and disc-sawing. The external diameter of the material must not exceed 3 mm. 
After  sawing the specimen, the specimen are mechanical thinned to a thickness of 50 to 70 μm. Frequently further material is removed from the center of the disk using a dimpler, until a thickness of 5 to 10 μm is reached. The final thickness depends on the stability of the sample.  Final thinning to electron transparency is done by ion sputtering with high-energetic Ar+ ions.
Different ion-thinning devices are available which permit adapting the sputtering parameters to the requirements of the sample.  These parameters include the ion energy (1keV – 6keV), the angle of ion incidence (0°–45°), and the direction of ion incidence (e.g. sectional thinning mode).  Furthermore, there is the possibility to cool the sample with liquid nitrogen during ion thinning. 
Metal samples are frequently prepared by electro polishing.
After the preparation TEM-samples can be coated with carbon in order to avoid charging of the sample in the electron microscope.
A Fischione plasma cleaner is used for removing hydrocarbon contamination of specimens before insertion into the TEM.

Software

Complementing the data acquisition of raw data at the microscope, our laboratory also houses a computing facility. Software packages being used to process or simulate data include:

General data processing software

Digital micrograph (Gatan)
The standard software package for acquisition and processing of TEM data (HRTEM images, STEM images, EELS spectra, diffraction patterns).This software is extendable using a proprietary scripting language. Digital micrograph plug ins for data processing include deconvolution tools for spectra and images, focal series reconstruction, processing of EFTEM image series, simulation of EELS spectra, etc.
TrueImage
A Software Package for Focal-Series Reconstruction in HRTEM
Matlab (The Mathworks)
A powerful math-oriented data processing and visualization tool.
MSLS (J. Jansen)
A software package performs a standard least-squares refinement in which the measured intensities of the diffracted beams are compared with those calculated using a multi-slice algorithm.

Simulation software for images and spectra

EMS (P. Stadelmann)
A software package for electron diffraction analysis and HREM image simulation in material science.
EELS Advisor (Gatan)
A Gatan Digital micrograph plug-in for simulating EELS spectra.
WIEN2k (P. Blaha, K. Schwarz.. et al.)

A software package for electronic structure calculations of solids using density functional theory (DFT), based on the full-potential (linearized) augmented plane-wave ((L)APW) + local orbitals (lo) method. The calculated properties include optical properties, x-ray emission and absorption spectra, and electron energy loss spectra, et al.

PWscf (S. Baroni, S. de Gironcoli. et al. http://www.pwscf.org/ )

A set of programs for electronic structure calculations within Density-Functional Theory and Density-Functional Perturbation Theory, using a Plane-Wave basis set and pseudopotentials. The calculated properties include phonon frequencies, macroscopic polarization via Berry Phase, effective charges and dielectric tensors, et al.