The Electron Microscopy Center at Empa Dübendorf offers electron microscopy services to internal and external R&D partners. The Center conducts forefront research in the development and application of new electron microscopy techniques in materials science and acts as a consulting unit for electron microscopy in materials science. The staff of the center carries out research tasks on-demand, offers training and provides hands-on support for practical applications.

The center operates transmission electron microscopes, scanning electron microscopes and facilities for specimen preparation. The instrumentation is employed for convention electron optical imaging (TEM & SEM), environmental and low-voltage SEM imaging, diffraction, atomic-resolution imaging by HRTEM and STEM (Z-contrast imaging), and for analytics covering EDX spectroscopy (TEM & SEM), electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) and energy-filtered imaging.

High-resolution and analytical STEM/TEM

Electron source: Schottky field emission
Omega filter for energy-filtered imaging (EFI) and EELS
EDX (beryllium holder)
Gatan DigiScan Software
Tomography
Double tilt liquid Nitrogen cryo holder
Point resolution TEM 0.23 nm
Resolution STEM 0.16 nm
Operated at 200 kV, 120 and 80 kV
Remotely operated
Installation: 2009

Room: LA030.1

High-resolution and conventional TEM

Electron source: LaB₆ thermionic emission
Operated at 300 kV
Point resolution TEM: 0.20 nm
Installation: 2001

Room: LA048

Low vacuum, low voltage SEM

Electron source: Schottky field emission
High resolution imaging (< 2 nm @ 1 kV)
Low voltage imaging, <200 V
EDX, Oxford X-Max, fast mapping
STEM detector (<1 nm at 30 kV)
Detectors: TLD-SE, TLD-BSE, ET-SED, low-vacuum SED, GAD, UHR low-vacuum SED (Helix detector), STEM
Installation: 2009

Room: LA030

FEI ESEM XL30

Environmental SEM

Electron source: Schottky field emission
Heating stage
EDX
Detectors: High vacuum ET-SED, BSED, GAD, large field detector, gaseous SED (GSED), GBSD, STEM
Installation: 1999

Room: LA030

Specimen preparation

Ion mills: Fischione Model 1050 TEM mill and BalTec RES 101
Plasma cleaner Fischione 1020
Dimple grinder
Tripod
Tools for mechanical polishing and cutting