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)
Tomography
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 mill; Bal-Tec RES 101
Plasma cleaner Fischione 1020
Dimple grinder
Tripod
Tools for mechanical polishing and cutting