Development of a Thermally Stable and Vibration-Free Ultra-High-Temperature Stage for the Transmission Electron Microscope

Electron microscopes are important tools for materials research. However, the current state of the art for the heating and cooling stages of these microscopes has five major limiting factors: (1) temperature limitation to 1600C, (2) substantial thermal drift, (3) vibration induced from cooling pumps, (4) inadequate temperature control, and (5) lack of reliability. This project will address these problems by developing a new type of heating element that will enable temperatures as high as 2000C and will be easily replaced by the microscopist. Low expansion materials will be strategicaly used to minimize drift in conjunction with a novel no-pulse pump. Phase I will build a prototype, single-tilt specimen holder for a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The heating elements and cooling system will be designed, built, and tested, and low expansion materials will be incorporated. Phase II will extend this design from a single-tilt to a double-tilt platform. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The heating and cooling stage should have applications in all TEMs used for materials science research, nanotechnology, and the semiconductor industry.