SEM and TEM investigations of materials at the Centre for Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis (CEMM)

Abstract

Modern state-of-the-art electron microscopy (EM) techniques are among the most versatile and useful analytical methods for nondestructive morphological, structural, and chemical characterization of materials. Both, scanning electron microscopy techniques (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy techniques (TEM), in essence complementary analytical methods, are capable of providing insight into the surface morphology, structure and chemical composition of materials from micrometer range to sub-atomic range. The importance of electron microscopy techniques in materials science have been readily recognized by the researchers of the Jozef Stefan Institute very early after its foundation in 1949 which resulted in the purchase of the first transmission electron microscopy Carl Zeiss EM-8 already in 1954. During the following years many researchers and institute directors have put a lot of effort into building and developing EM research infrastructure at the institute with accompanying expertise.