Background, status and future of the Transmission Electron Aberration-corrected Microscope project

Abstract

The strong interaction of electrons with small volumes of matter make them an ideal probe for nanomaterials, but our ability to fully use this signal in electron microscopes remains limited by lens aberrations. To bring this unique advantage to bear on materials research requires a sample space for electron scattering experiments in a tunable electron-optical environment. This is the vision for the Transmission Electron Aberration-corrected Microscope (TEAM) project, which was initiated as a collaborative effort to re-design the electron microscope around aberration-correcting optics. The resulting improvements in spatial, spectral and temporal resolution, the increased space around the sample and the possibility of exotic electron-optical settings will enable new types of experiments. This contribution will give an overview of the TEAM project and its current status, illustrate the performance of the TEAM 0.5 instrument, with highlights from early applications of the machine, and outline future scientific opportunities for aberration-corrected microscopy.