Ultra-Cold Cryogenic TEM with Liquid Helium and High Stability
Emily Rennich, Suk Hyun Sung, Nishkarsh Agarwal, Maya Gates, Robert Kerns, Robert Hovden, Ismail El Baggari
Published: 2024/2/1
Abstract
Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy has revolutionized structural biology and materials science, but achieving temperatures below the boiling point of liquid nitrogen remains a long-standing aspiration. We introduce an ultra-cold liquid helium transmission electron microscope 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, ${\pm}$2 mK thermal stability over many hours, and atomic resolution--setting the stage for a new era of cryogenic electron microscopy.