Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM)
Both of ISAAC’s SEM’s have detectors that permit thin samples (typically less than a few hundred nano metres thick) to be imaged, by using electrons that have passed through the thin sample. Images may be acquired using unscattered electrons (bright-field) or scattered electrons (dark-field). STEM imaging is an especially powerful technique for characterising very fine-grained particulates or thin foils, which have been cut and extracted from bulk samples using a focused ion beam (FIB) technique.