Ultracold cryogenic TEM with liquid helium and high stability

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Rennich, Emily; Sung, Suk Hyun; Agarwal, Nishkarsh; Gates, Maya; Kerns, Robert; Hovden, Robert; El Baggari, Ismail
• 署名单位: Harvard University; University of Michigan System; University of Michigan; University of Michigan System; University of Michigan; University of Michigan System; University of Michigan; University of Michigan System; University of Michigan
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-9166
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2509736122
• 发表日期: 2025-09-09
• 关键词: electron-microscopy; interfaces; stage

摘要

Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy has revolutionized structural biology and materials science. To image below liquid nitrogen temperatures, various liquid helium stages have been constructed but have proven to be complex and unstable, making high-resolution imaging challenging. This problem is even more pronounced in side-entry specimen holders common on modern transmission electron microscopes. Here, we introduce an ultracold liquid helium transmission electron microscope side-entry specimen holder, featuring continuous cryogen flow and vibration decoupling. This instrument is compatible with modern aberration-corrected microscopes and achieves sub-25 K base temperature, +/- 2 mK thermal stability over many hours, and atomic resolution-setting the stage for a new era of cryogenic electron microscopy.