CityU becomes the first university in the world to manufacture state-of-the-art, self-designed electron microscopes
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A research team from the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is pioneering advanced technology for self-design and manufacturing of next-generation electron microscopes (EMs). CityU is the first university in the world to achieve this.
A team led by Professor Chen Fu-rong, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has developed an EM system consisting of a pulsed electron source, a fast camera, a staged pump vacuum system, and a corrector. of aberrations. It is the first time-resolved electron microscope integrated with transmission and scanning electron microscope modes in a compact format developed by a university research team.
The team’s ultimate goal is to develop a high spatial-temporal resolution miniature “quantum” EM that can be used to study the atomic dynamics of beam-sensitive materials.
Since EMs are capable of generating images at significantly higher resolution than light microscopes and provide measurement and analysis at the micro-nano and even atomic scale, they are highly sought after, especially in medicine, life sciences, chemistry, materials, integrated circuits and other research industries.
The team has overcome some long-standing problems in the development of EM. Currently, EMs cannot overcome the scientific bottleneck of radiation damage to a sample and are limited to a static view of the sample, hindering their ability to study materials sensitive to small molecules and electron beams. In addition, their size limits their application in space-intensive environments such as space shuttles and deep-sea and deep-earth research ships and devices.
To overcome these limitations, the CityU research team innovated a differential pumping design to improve image quality and developed the secondary and backscattered electron baffles to enable basic scanning, magnifying, imaging, and observation functions. liquid samples and beam sensitive materials.
The team also designed pulsed electron sources and the fast camera that can be used with a desktop EM. By equipping the fast camera with a baffle, the speed of image capture is not limited to the reading time. This is the first time such a concept can be verified in a desktop EM system. In addition, the team designed an aberration corrector, which can further improve the resolution of the images.
With the aforementioned innovative designs, the novel EM can image a sample in five minutes, achieving nanoscale spatial resolution and more than 105-fold magnification for nanoscale observation and analysis.
In the future, with the ability to independently design and maintain IP rights, the team will be able to produce custom miniature EMs at a lower cost. For example, the LaB6 desktop electron microscope is expected to sell for 60% of the price of similar products on the market. “The miniaturization of high-end instruments is an inevitable trend in industrial development,” said Professor Chen, at the same time director of the Time-Resolved Aberration Corrected Environmental EM Unit and director of the Shenzhen Futian Research Institute in CityU.
With the support of the Futian District Government, the team is the only university research group that has produced several high-end EMs.
The research team is developing a high spatiotemporal resolution desktop scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) that uses pulsed hollow cones to enable the observation and reconstruction of 3D protein structures at room temperature and in liquid conditions. . This overcomes the current limitation of observing protein structures only under extremely low temperature conditions using cryoelectron microscopy.
The next stage is to establish a world-leading electro-optic design and manufacturing center in the Greater Bay Area that will focus on technology transfer and research of electron optics technology.
“This center aims to derive technologies related to electron optics for established and new companies,” said Professor Chen.
The goal is to stay 15 years ahead of the world’s other EM user facilities in terms of instrumentation and science, he added.
The center will be organized around novel optics electrons to service a series of high-resolution spatio/temporal EMs dedicated to scientific applications, such as artificial photosynthesis, quantum materials, and water science, in environments with a diverse variety from external stimuli (for example, electricity fields, lasers, high temperatures and low temperatures) that are not accessible today.
This platform will lead to breakthroughs in quantum devices, future energy, life sciences and medicine, Professor Chen said, helping transform the team’s research findings into applications with real-world benefits and spurring cross-industry collaboration. and the academy.
(The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner).
A research team from the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is pioneering advanced technology for self-design and manufacturing of next-generation electron microscopes (EMs). CityU is the first university in the world to achieve this.
A team led by Professor Chen Fu-rong, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has developed an EM system consisting of a pulsed electron source, a fast camera, a staged pump vacuum system, and a corrector. of aberrations. It is the first time-resolved electron microscope integrated with transmission and scanning electron microscope modes in a compact format developed by a university research team.
The team’s ultimate goal is to develop a high spatial-temporal resolution miniature “quantum” EM that can be used to study the atomic dynamics of beam-sensitive materials.
Since EMs are capable of generating images at significantly higher resolution than light microscopes and provide measurement and analysis at the micro-nano and even atomic scale, they are highly sought after, especially in medicine, life sciences, chemistry, materials, integrated circuits. and other research industries.
The team has overcome some long-standing problems in the development of EM. Currently, EMs cannot overcome the scientific bottleneck of radiation damage to a sample and are limited to a static view of the sample, hindering their ability to study materials sensitive to small molecules and electron beams. In addition, their size limits their application in space-intensive environments such as space shuttles and deep-sea and deep-earth research ships and devices.
To overcome these limitations, the CityU research team innovated a differential pumping design to improve image quality and developed the secondary and backscattered electron baffles to enable basic scanning, magnifying, imaging, and observation functions. liquid samples and beam sensitive materials.
The team also designed pulsed electron sources and the fast camera that can be used with a desktop EM. By equipping the fast camera with a baffle, the speed of image capture is not limited to the reading time. This is the first time such a concept can be verified in a desktop EM system. In addition, the team designed an aberration corrector, which can further improve the resolution of the images.
With the aforementioned innovative designs, the novel EM can image a sample in five minutes, achieving nanoscale spatial resolution and more than 105-fold magnification for nanoscale observation and analysis.
In the future, with the ability to independently design and maintain IP rights, the team will be able to produce custom miniature EMs at a lower cost. For example, the LaB6 desktop electron microscope is expected to sell for 60% of the price of similar products on the market. “The miniaturization of high-end instruments is an inevitable trend in industrial development,” said Professor Chen, at the same time director of the Time-Resolved Aberration Corrected Environmental EM Unit and director of the Shenzhen Futian Research Institute in CityU.
With the support of the Futian District Government, the team is the only university research group that has produced several high-end EMs.
The research team is developing a high spatiotemporal resolution desktop scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) that uses pulsed hollow cones to enable the observation and reconstruction of 3D protein structures at room temperature and in liquid conditions. . This overcomes the current limitation of observing protein structures only under extremely low temperature conditions using cryoelectron microscopy.
The next stage is to establish a world-leading electro-optic design and manufacturing center in the Greater Bay Area that will focus on technology transfer and research of electron optics technology.
“This center aims to derive technologies related to electron optics for established and new companies,” said Professor Chen.
The goal is to stay 15 years ahead of the world’s other EM user facilities in terms of instrumentation and science, he added.
The center will be organized around novel optics electrons to service a series of high-resolution spatio/temporal EMs dedicated to scientific applications, such as artificial photosynthesis, quantum materials, and water science, in environments with a diverse variety from external stimuli (for example, electricity fields, lasers, high temperatures and low temperatures) that are not accessible today.
This platform will lead to breakthroughs in quantum devices, future energy, life sciences and medicine, Professor Chen said, helping transform the team’s research findings into applications with real-world benefits and spurring cross-industry collaboration. and the academy.
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