Transmission Electron Microscopy at XTPL: Enabling Atomic Precision for Cutting-Edge Nanotechnologies
The nanoscale dispensing specialist uses TEM to ensure consistent nanoparticle shape and dispersion, resulting in ultra-powerful nanomaterials for electronics printing and other applications
The naked human eye can, in optimal conditions, see objects as small as 0.1 mm, however anything at this scale would simply appear as a mere speck. Optical microscopes, which have existed in some form since the 16th century, have enabled humans to see at a much smaller scale using a combination of lenses and light. However, even these are limited in the size they can magnify, to the range of about 500 nanometers. More advanced microscopy technologies have thus had to be invented to enable the perception of atomic-level structures and the development of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials.
Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) is one such technology. First invented in the early 1930s by German scientists Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll, electron microscopy uses electrons rather than light to create ultra-high-resolution images of nanoscale specimens.[1] Today’s TEM systems, capable of generating images at a level of 0.19 nanometers[2], are a vital tool in advancing the field of nanotechnology, enabling research organizations and companies in the segment, such as XTPL, to achieve unprecedented atomic-scale precision as they develop nanomaterials, nanostructures, and nano-scale production methods. In this article, we’ll cover the basics of how TEM works, how TEM analysis plays a vital role in nanotechnology, and how innovative companies like XTPL are relying on TEM to characterize nanomaterials.
The Basics of Transmission Electron Microscopy
In the simplest terms, Transmission Electron Microscopy is a type of microscopy that allows us to see nanoparticles in incredible detail, providing valuable information about the materials’ crystal structure and morphology. But how exactly does TEM work?
To begin, a Transmission Electron Microscope is made up of the following main components:
- The electron gun: powered by a high-voltage source, the electron gun is responsible for emitting an electron beam
- The microscope column: this component is made up of several electromagnetic lenses which focus the electron beam onto the specimen and ultimately magnify the image
- The vacuum system: electrons are beamed through an ultra-high vacuum system, which prevents electrical discharge (arcing) and ensures a high-resolution image
- The imaging system: TEMs are equipped with an imaging system that uses detectors to create magnified images based on electron scatter. Today, TEM systems generate digital images
When using a TEM microscope, a very small amount of nanomaterial sample is placed onto a support. This specimen must be under 1 μm in thickness in order for the electron beam to pass through it and capture images of its composition. Positioned at the top of the vertical microscope, the electron gun emits a beam downwards through the microscope column in a vacuum. Along the way, the electron beam is focused by a series of electromagnetic lenses onto the sample. In TEM, the beam actually passes through the sample, creating an image that is magnified onto a fluorescent screen.
In more technical terms, this image is created by the scattering of the electrons as they pass through the sample. The electrons that make it through the sample encounter a detector, which creates what is known as a shadow image. To create a fuller picture of the sample’s composition, the TEM process can be repeated with the sample placed in different positions, resulting in an atomic-level resolution digital image. It is also possible to use electron diffraction with TEM, which enables the characterization of materials, including their crystal structure.
TEM Analysis of Nanomaterials
It is no surprise that the ability to see at an atomic level has had incredible consequences across scientific and technological fields, including healthcare, materials science, and nanotechnology. In healthcare, for example, TEM is used to analyze the interactions between cancer cells and healthy cells to advance our understanding of metastasis.[3] TEM microscopes have also been used to capture images of SARS-CoV-2 to gain insights into the COVID-19 virus and its replication in the body.[4]
In the field of nanotechnology, Transmission Electron Microscopy has played a vital role in the analysis and inspection of nanomaterials and nanostructures. Critically, TEM images provide highly valuable information about the composition and morphology of nanomaterials,
which can be used to determine a material’s chemical and physical properties. More than that, TEM can be used as an inspection tool in nanotechnology development to identify inconsistencies or defects at an atomic level, facilitating the engineering of nanomaterials and nanostructures.
For example, material scientists can use TEM to analyze a sample of a material filled with nanoparticles (aka a nanomaterial), gaining insights into the particle sizes and dispersion in the matrix. Factors like nanoparticle size and distribution have a significant influence on the nanomaterial’s behavior and overall properties, thus having a clear picture of these is required for proper material characterization.
XTPL Nanoinks and Nanopastes
XTPL, a company that specializes in the development of nanomaterials for microelectronics, leverages TEM in the characterization of its innovative nanoinks and nanopastes. The company’s nanomaterials, compatible with its micro-dispensing platform, include conductive silver-filled and gold-filled inks—with up to 50% bulk content—as well as custom-made nanomaterials for microelectronic production. The company’s nanopaste CL85 is perhaps most notable: the high viscosity paste, filled with over 80% silver nanoparticles, can be dispensed into lines as thin as 1 µm in width and, thanks to its high viscosity, can be dispensed on vertical surfaces and 2.5D topographies.
In developing these market-ready nanomaterials, XTPL has relied on TEM to characterize factors like particle size as well as ensure that other properties like nanoparticle shape and dispersion are consistent. These nanomaterials, used in combination with XTPL’s Ultra-Precise Dispensing (UPD) technology, can be used to print conductive lines at an ultra-high resolution of from 0.5 μm to 1 μm to accelerate the development of electronic components like flexible hybrid electronics, printed circuit boards, semiconductors, biosensors, and more.
The Impact of Transmission Electron Microscopy
Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) has been essential to the emergence and advancement of the field of nanotechnology, allowing scientists to capture and analyze high-resolution images of nanomaterials and nano-scale structures. The data and knowledge gathered from TEM images over the years has been vital to characterizing innovative nanomaterials, like XTPL’s nanoinks and nanopastes, as well as ensuring that these nano-scale building blocks are consistent and have optimal properties.
Ultimately, TEM has helped and will continue to help nanotechnology evolve by providing detailed insight into the atomic structure, defects, and properties of nanomaterials, which will in turn pave the way for more efficient, robust, and functional devices, like microelectronics.
Resources
[1] 75 Years of Innovation: The world’s first commercial Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) [Internet]. SRI International, 2025.https://www.sri.com/press/story/75-years-of-innovation-the-worlds-first-commercial-transmission-electron-microscope-tem/
[2] Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) [Internet]. University of Nottingham. https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/nmrc/facilities/emsuite/tem.aspx
[3] King J. Role of transmission electron microscopy in cancer diagnosis and research. Microscopy and Microanalysis. 2007 Aug;13(S02):20-1.
