How do Electron Microscopes Work? 🔬🛠🔬 Taking Pictures of Atoms 

I still can't believe that this content is available for free, provided the amount of research and hardwork this video would have taken.

This is one of the channels that should be MANDATORY in schools, period. Even those who do not interest in this still can think about it generally and those who want dig deeper and continue to learn deeper math & science to become future scientists.

I’m a PhD Candidate in Bio-Nanotechnology and I will say that your channel is my favourite. It takes so much effort to understand all those aspects and you are just making seem like it’s simple logic. Lastly the quality of your content is so insanely high that makes me goosebumps.

As someone who works for Thermo Fisher and makes these incredible machines I'm really satisfied by your explanation of how it works. Fun fact: 3 companies based in Brno city are responsible for almost 1/3 of global production of electron microscopes, that's why Brno is called "City of electron microscopy".

Electron Microscopes are a rather complicated topic, and we're sure you have many questions. Feel free to ask them, and we will do our best to answer them. Here are some questions from other users. Q: What would it look like to look at an electron beam? [@rage9067] A: The electron beam viewed from a side is invisible to the naked eye. However, it can be observed indirectly, by its interactions with matter. For example, if the beam hits air molecules in the atmosphere, it ionizes them and they glow as they recombine back. In different conditions, these effects are known as glow discharges, electrical arcs and sparks and can generate plasma. If the electron beam hit the retina of your eye directly, it would likely be perceived as a very bright flash followed by local tissue damage and wider-area tissue damage from the generated x-rays. Q: If the electrons pass through the objects, then how is it possible for an image to be created? [@dinev9, @Billyce18] A: At the nanoscopic level, objects are emptier and fuzzier than they appear macroscopically. The electrons passing through atoms usually don’t hit anything directly like billiard balls. But rathe pass through “clouds” of electrical charge from the electron shells bound to the atom nucleus. In doing so, they get deflected by electrical forces from both the nucleus and the electron shells, and deviate from their original direction. That’s how the specimen gets imprinted into the electron beam. Then, more electrons hit one part of the detector and fewer hit the others. That’s how the resulting image contrast gets created. Q: Can we speed up electrons even faster than 70% the speed of light? Would it improve the images? [@kusura43] A: Yes we can. The most common speeds correspond to kinetic energies of 100-300 keV, so 55-78% the speed of light. Higher energies for imaging are rare, as they generate a very large number of x-rays that need to be shielded, require stronger magnetic fields for focusing and generally bring only very little improvement in terms of image clarity or resolution. Historically, there were experimental microscopes with electron beams of up to 2 MeV (2 000 keV), so 98% the speed of light, but they were as big as a building and generally not worth the trouble and costs in terms of performance. Q: Who was the first person to build an electron microscope? [@MrSimonw58] A: German physicists and engineers Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll. There’s a bit more info on the history in the Creator’s comments (English/Canadian subtitles) now. Q: Couldn’t AI clear up or upscale the image? [@user-if1ly5sn5f] A: Yes, to a degree. A fair amount of image processing techniques, both classical and AI-based, can be used to “improve” the raw images. However, you typically need more images from the same area of interest under slightly different conditions, to make sure you’re getting additional real information. Instead of artifacts of the used method. For radiation-sensitive specimens, this may be a problem as each additional image changes and degrades the selected area of the specimen. Q: Can anything be imaged by an electron microscope? Are there any induction effects like eddy currents or atom bond-breaking in a 100 nm thick specimen (e.g. from metal)? [@ramit_arko] A: In general, yes, any thin enough specimen can be imaged with an electron microscope. However, some are radiation-sensitive (typically biological specimens) and they quickly degrade under electron illumination. Their atomic bonds indeed break. Another interesting category is magnetic samples - these require the objective to be turned off in a special mode, so that its magnetic field doesn’t influence and change the domains in the specimen. This results in lower resolution and magnifications. The eddy currents are not a problem for two reasons: First, the electron beam is typically stationary, not pulsed, so the no electromagnetic induction takes place in the specimen. Second, the specimen is so thin that these currents are suppressed even in the rare case of pulsed-beam operation. Q: Can the cameras give us a live feed one day, to not only take images, but also videos? [@-_Nuke_-] A: They absolutely can, even now! Depending on camera type and its resolution, you can take videos with a framerate ranging from a few tens of frames per second, up to several hundred! In order to look at even quicker events, you need specialized detectors and pulsed beam operation, typically achieved in combination with femtosecond lasers or other techniques. These can give amazing resolution not only in space, but also in time. There’s a bit more on that in the Creator’s comments (English/Canadian subtitles) now. Q: Is there some way to “invert” the image contrast by directly manipulating the electrons? Also, how do you focus electrons with a hole (aperture)? Are the apertures made of specially compressed material, so that they can stop the electrons? [@orrotem7860] A: The electrons in the beam are affected not only by the specimen, but also all the optical elements in the column - lenses, apertures, deflectors, correctors, imperfections and disturbances etc. They together make up what’s known as optical transfer function, or more specifically contrast transfer function. This is what describes the “inversions” and also blurriness and other effects in image contrast on objects (like atoms or clumps of material) of certain sizes. There are some ways to counter these effects by directly manipulating the electrons, one of them being the use of phase plates. As for the other questions, the holes (apertures) are not used for focusing, but mostly filtering. Either of image spatial frequencies carried by electrons far from the optical axis, or of stray electrons scattered by something else than the specimen. The material of the apertures - typically gold, platinum or other dense metals - does not have any special treatment. It’s just thicker, so it stops even the high-energy electrons. A bit more on both these topics is in the Creator’s comments (English/Canadian subtitles) now. Q: Can we combine a particle accelerator and an electron microscope to image using quarks (or other particles) for even higher resolution and magnifications? [@user-cz9jf1ec8s] A: There would be a lot of impracticalities for such approach. Quarks, as far as I know, cannot exist as individual particles at common energies, but only in bound states: either quark-antiquark pairs (mesons) or in trios (baryons) like protons or neutrons. These composite particles are very heavy, making them significantly more damaging to the specimen. So even though they would have a smaller wavelength than electrons at comparable energies, their larger momentum and interaction cross-section would destroy the specimen (and likely also the camera) very quickly. If we go the other way, to lighter particles, there’s not much else either: Neutrinos lack electric charge and almost don’t interact with regular matter. Light with very short wavelengths (typically x-rays) is used for imaging, but difficult to focus or optically control, and requires a lot of shielding for safety. Plus, typically fairly large (building-sized) synchrotron sources. Taking all this into account, electrons are actually pretty good particles for imaging the nanoworld, all things considered. It seems more practical to work on optical aberration correctors for electrons if we want to reach higher resolution and magnification, rather than to look for a different carrier particle. Q: How is the 50 000x zoom of the projector lenses achieved? [@krissn8111] A: It is just the cumulative effect of 4 lenses gradually magnifying the image created by the objective lens. The total magnification is the product (so, multiplication) of the individual lenses’ magnifications. Q: How is it possible that the specimen holder material does not interfere with the scanning? [@JuanCruzAvila] A: The specimen is usually placed on a thin carbon foil, either continuous or with holes, supported by a thicker copper grid. Alternatively, it can be welded (using micromanipulators and a focused ion beam) to a different kind of grid. These grids are then placed in holders and inserted into the microscope. In almost all cases, the scanned area is much smaller than the support grid “windows” or “fins”, so there is no interference in the scanning process from the grid or the holder. Q: Is the tungsten crystal a serviceable item? As in do you need to replace it after a certain amount of uses? [@timster150100] A: It depends on the type of the electron source. The oldest, thermionic sources (not shown in the video) used a tungsten wire (similar to that of old lightbulbs) that had to be exchanged every several tens to a few hundreds of hours of use. The Schottky (i.e. heated) field emission sources last for thousands of hours before needing replacement. The Cold field emission sources can last tens of thousands of hours. But it depends on the conditions under which they are used, typically the vacuum quality and the amount of heating. Q: If we had unlimited money how much higher could the resolution be with our current tools and knowledge? [@hexramdass2644] A: What an interesting question! If I had to speculate, with unlimited money and brainpower, I’d say we’d be able to reach close to the diffraction limit of several picometers in a single image. Even now, one exotic indirect methods combining a large number of images and iterations (electron ptychography) was able to reach a reconstructed image with a resolution of around 20 pm.

Always have to love a reference to the powerhouse of the cell.

Seriously I can't get over how good this content is. The graphical side is perfect, the research and voice over is perfect. Plus the fact that every detail is covered and literally every time you explain something, you answer any question I have immediately after. Everything is covered and thoroughly. I can't believe this is free

As a 3D artist I must appreciate the amount of work went into this video. Granted that sponsors were generous and shared rough 3D models.. still those models must be technical oriented (CAD exports that require a ton of cleanup) Someone must have gone through the geometry clean-up, UVs and texturing to make them look accurate AND visually appealing. Props to the Artists, narrator and rest of the production team 🙌🙌

Hands down best channel on RU-vid

I've been doing TEM for years and this is one of the best videos I've seen on the topic. The animations in particular are fantastic. Looking forward to the creator comments!

you guys are incredible!

I don't know what is more incredible: How our World works, or human's ability to build machines to observe it.

I love what you do here, using 3D visualizations to break down highly complex concepts into fairly easy to understand explanations. I'm glad Branch Education is continuing to pick up subscribers as folks notice that this stuff is actually pretty awesome. Keep up the great work!! As for the electron microscopes themselves, I've always wondered how they worked. In some ways they are simpler than I expected, but the degree of precision remains astounding. Miracle of science research, right there.

This is the absolute best TEM and SEM video I have ever seen. I actually worked at Thermo Fisher Scientific on SEMs and dual beams and they never even showed us videos which were this good. Great work and super accurate. Amazing!

Outstanding as always. This is likely my favourite channel on RU-vid. Never fail to deliver complex topics with incredible graphics and excellent descriptions.

As an experimental physicist, I think this educational video serves very well as an intro to the word of electron microscopy. Detailed and well presented. Thanks

There are only handful of RU-vid channels I eagerly wait to put out new videos. Branch Education is definitely one of them. Quality content as always with something new to learn everytime.

Unbelievable to watch this quality content by just watching ads ❤️

I've become a huge fan of yours. The way you are explaining everything in detail is out of the world and the animation is splendid. Because of youtubers like you we can educate ourselves freely on various topics. The way you broke down such a complex topic is astonishing.

As a shareholder in Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO), it makes me so happy that they provide this sort of information to such an educational channel! Great content!

I'm very very happy you got such a lab equipment sponsor like Thermo Fischer. You guys really deserve it from such an amazing quality content!!

Your videos are always top tier. The attention to detail in the animation is amazing

I finally understand how they shoot electrons! I've never been taught this level of understanding for that technique and it drove me crazy. Thanks Branch Education!

Love the sponsor for sponsoring just to spread information and find future scientists. Huge respect.

This is a great video. Everything was so clear. Having grown up scientifically literate and deeply interested in nuclear and atomic physics, this video easily makes visible with animations where the research in this branch of science has taken us in our understanding of reality. This is awesome! I plan on studying electrical engineering soon. Though I plan on getting into nuclear engineering shortly after. It would be a dream of mine to use that knowledge to create something to advance the understanding of reality. This is great, wow. Excellent work! Shout out to ThermoFisher for investing into making these impressive machines. 👏🏻 The videos created by Branch Education definitely wake up my inner child wishing I grew up watching them. I know the kids searching for these kinds of videos will carry with them the knowledge acquired to have an impact.

The amount of research and hard work put into the research and 3D animations is simply astounding. Very clear and thorough explanation, guy! Keep up the amazing work!

Wow the canadian captions is like another level of magnification of knowledge itself!! Im watching a second time to pause and read all the wealth of incredible knowledge in this video! How incredibly cool!

This was an excellent video with a clear descriptions of how these Electron Microscopes work. Thank you for publishing this. Two thumbs up

9:25 I've officially learned how aperture is used in photography. I knew the simple things about aperture and how it effect photos, but after seeing this visualization, I fully understand now. Heck even my entire perspective on how my eyes receive light has changed. Thank you.

This was such an interesting watch! I did a lot of undergrad research on silver nano particles and used the SEM every week but didn't have a deep understanding of how they worked. Thank you!

This is one of the best channels on youtube. Thanks!!

Back in the 80's at San Joaquin Delta College a friend invited me to see the electron microscope setup. They had a scanning one as well. They have came a long way since then. Still do the same regarding making the object as thin as possible. The method of thinning the material takes technique and skill of what is to be done to make it. Great video.

Man how do people come up with these ideas to make stuff like this work. Amazing

Great visual explanation of how an electron microscope works. Especially the lenses. I used to work at Amray, an SEM factory, selling EDAX spectrometers. I sat in dozens of SEM demos but never had the chance to use one myself. It looks like fun.

I'm being blown away by the FREE (!!!) content this channel provides. Amazing animations and great explanation that is easy to follow. Very kind of ThermoFisher to provide the 3D models so we can learn on the topic!

one of the best quality content on youtube

It would be really cool with a detailed explanation of the complete process of making ICs, i.e. including growing and slicing of silicon, EUV lithography, etching, washing, die stacking etc.

Another great video, from undoubtedly one of the best RU-vid channels, kudos to Thermo Fisher Scientific, for getting involved in this video, good to see such a large company cares enough to help you with this video, they have such a wide range of products and technologies that can help you with more future contents , for example you could do a video about spectrometers and hopefully Thermo Fisher Scientific will be there to assist you on that too.

I asked a few teachers and professors, but no one could explain it like this crazy, detailed video. Thank you

I'll be completely Honest, at first, I was really sus of all the comments praising this video for just about every reason, and thought it was bots . . . but then I watched it and realized it was no exaggeration . . . then I get halfway through the video and they drop the fact that there's even MORE information in Canadian subtitles and now I'm on my 3rd rewatch of the video taking detailed notes. This video is an absolutely amazing piece of content, and has really helped me prepare for my SEM training.

TF engineers are approaching mother nature 👍👍👍

Question: Does anything can be picturized by electron microscope? If it does then, can 100nm thick metal specimen cause any magnetic interference like eddy currents effect or any kind of atomic bond changing? I love this channel contents and appreciate all the hard work. These contents help students like me to visualize the theoretical knowledge. All the best wishes for the team of Branch Education.

It's a good idea to show us how things are built up. This wake up the interest of the people to study some branch like this and to buy a technical tool like this in the future to make a better future! Thank you so much for this explanation!

I come to this channel whenever I need my faith in humanity to be restored.

What an amazingly extreme engineering triumph. I'm curious as to whether current microscopes are limited by engineering obstacles or economic obstacles. If we had unlimited money how much higher could the resolution be with our current tools and knowledge?

Awesome explanation with great visuals, well done!

I am speechless.... having goosebumps. How beautiful animation and explanation

Excellent video as always. I had a question regarding the TEM Microscope....as the electron beam is accelerated to such a high speed and is measuring such delicate and small objects, does the beam itself not move or "push" around the object being measured? Optical tweezers come to mind when thinking of the interaction of light "pushing" around super tiny samples. Thank you for all these incredible videos...looking forward to more deep dives and indepth videos :)

Great video! I have two questions. 1. Why can't photons be used that have the same wavelenght like the electrons beeing used? So x-ray or even gamma radiaton? 2. Why is the material beeing looked at (proteins, gold Nanopartikels etc.) not beeing vaporized immediatly? Is the process of takeing the picture just faster than the probe is vaporized? So is it just a very short electron beam and the probe is still undamaged after taking the picture?

Kudos to the sponsors, first time I've seen support on the basis of sharing career options rather than focus on products. 🎉

Amazing! Such research and explanation. This video is unparalleled to any existing documentaries ever produced 😮

I heard nothing except Mitochondria : powerhouse of the cell

When the world didnt expect Branch to return, he returned after 4 months

Some of the most beautiful 3D animations I have ever seen. Thank you for showing the most wonderful aspects of how the Internet can be used!

This channel is so cool and helpful!! I hope you guys have a great life!

Imagine how much more complex and revolutionary devices we could have if we spent as much on science as we do on military.

Next video on how GPU works please

This is an excellent description! Thanks for your great work!

The knowledge with intuition one can get is out of bounds just by watching this video instead of wasting time on brain rotting reels, hats off🎉

Great video! In the early 70’s, visited NOAA HQ in MD and they had an Electron Microscope displaying Tungsten atoms. The Tungsten was heated and had a hexagonal pattern. As a kid, was fascinating!

I came across your channel yesterday and I've been obsessed with your content. You have put an incredible amount of research, detail, storytelling and artistry into each one and have produced some of the greatest learning material i've ever seen. Bravo and thank you for putting something good into the world!

Greatful that this has been made available!❤

16:25 "thermo fisher isnt sponsorimg this video to pursuade you to buy a multimillion dollar microscope, but rather they want you to invest in humanity by contributing knowledge in a career at their company" This is the most unique sponsor message ive ever seen. Bravo thermo fisher 👏 Normally sponsors dont sponsor videos to advertise their career page, this is so incredible!

As a computer engineer with a solid understanding of CRT, I've been wanting to understand electron microscopes for the longest time. Thank you so much for this video!

This is amazing. Thank you for selecting this topic for your video.

I truly am in awe learning from your video and the information pertaining to this unseen technology that we take for granted. Your doctrine is sound and thorough, and comprehensive. I have been waiting patiently for someone to deconstruct this very topic, rebuild it, and fashion it so that we can understand what's being taught. We haven't even found a cure for the common cold yet, but we have designed something so powerful and invisible to the naked eye that plays a vital role in keeping us alive at hospitals or menial such as television etc. Well done!

It is a great pleasure to have come across your content. This is amazing to have landed on your channel, please. May you be rewarded for your benevolence to share your wisdom and insights with the vulnerable world.

One of the best video ❤ thanks to thermofischer and branch education 🙏

The amount of information and how it is explained amazes me.

Watching this reminded me of the old Bell labs videos in their thoughtfully designed animations of complex and unfamiliar topics. I can't think of what you could have done better in the video to explain how these microscopes work. It taught me more than I could've hoped for. Thank you!

You released this video at the perfect time for my midterm for Nanotechnology! Thank you sm!

Thank you for the work of your team 😊

This channel is crazy. Insane technology on that microscope 🔬

This video is insanely well put together, so informative

This was a killer video! Great explanations and so many concepts touched on!

A very detailed and through explanation of the technologies behind TEM & SEM. Now I understand it a lot better. Thank you for your effort.

I have been waiting for a video that would shed light on this subject for years. The great wait is over. Thank you very much.

How the scientist can even imagine thing's like this? Thank you for the creativity

This is how you explain anything. So smoothly with perfect animations, just wow! If you like learning, this will make you happy.

This channel has been growing on me and it's already amongst the favourites! Amazing!

thanks branch edu and to thermofisher sci. love you guys, your work changes the world.

Thanks to Branch Education team, I really appreciate your videos. Cheers👏

Super interesting and detailed, thank you

Just wow. Thank you for your work!

Very informative video. Thanks for this knowledge. ❤

I'm an outsider; an artist, but I have always been interested in the sciences and regularly watch videos and read articles on a wide range of sujects. This presentation impressed - and informed - me more than any source I have read or watched in recent months. High praise to the writers and 3d artists and of course, to the scientists and engineers who have, with their curiosity and tenacity, made this possible. A thousand thanks!....where to next?

You are incredible Kebu. A fan from years and you always making great sounds and videos. Thank you. 😊

Incredible technology and incredible animation and explanation

Appreciate science and all whom behind the making this video and giving correct data about bio life .❤

Beautiful Explanation, Thanks for Sharing

the best explanation of science sir, thank you.

This is my favourite channel 😊 Thank you sir for efforts

THIS CHANNEL IS AWESOME AND AT THE SAME TIME COMPLICATED.

Absolutely fascinating! I have loved science and technology since I was young. It blows my mind what the scientific mind can create! Extremely well done video.

I correctly assumed this was gonna blow my mind as it's such a great topic

I am glad to be a patreon here. It makes learning so much easier to understand and mostly visualize.

One of the best video's I've ever seen. Incredible graphics, very educational and such an entertaining voice. Chapeau

This was fascinating! Thank you. 😊

Very informative video thank you sir!

This channel is a 💎💎💎 very precious knowledge, i really respect your team , i saw you each videos it really fun