AFM-SEM Correlative Microscopy Imaging for TEM Grid Mounted Samples

Microscopists utilizing Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and TEM based Energy Electron Loss Spectroscopy (EELS) in their studies, frequently require the characterization of physical parameters such as heights and cross-sectional shapes of the examined sample¹. Because of the typical sub-five nanometer thickness of membranes in TEM grids, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) measurements of grid mounted samples are presently challenging and time consuming. In this paper, we present the first truly integrated AFM and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) correlative workstation², which allows imaging of samples directly on a TEM grid, utilizing these two techniques. The highly integrated and easy-to-use AFM-SEM microscopy workstation opens unprecedented measurement capabilities at the nanoscale in challenging geometries. AFM-SEM imaging of TEM grid mounted samples simplifies measurement workflows to yield a higher rate of data output. In addition to topography measurement, the platform allows easy expansion of capabilities, such as elemental analysis via Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS). The rich set of AFM modes (Contact, Tapping, Off-resonance, Conductive, Magnetic, and Electrostatic) allows the extraction of various physical properties from the sample.<br/><br/><br/>1 V. Reiseckr et al., “Spectral Tuning of Plasmonic Activity in 3D Nanostructures via Highly-Precision Nano-Printing”, Adv. Funct. Mater. 2023, 2310110.<br/>2 A. Alipour et al. “A highly integrated AFM-SEM Correlative Analysis Platform,” Microscopy today, Vol. 31, Issue 6, Nov. 2023, 23-27.