An assessment of high voltage electron microscopy (HVEM). An invited review

Abstract

The review briefly outlines the advantages of high voltage electron microscopy (HVEM) as an extension of conventional transmission electron microscopy (CTEM) and discusses the various areas of materials science where benefits should be gained. An assessment of the various applications carried out so far, covering the study of heavy metals, ceramics and minerals, large-scale structures, dynamic processes and radiation damage, is then made, from which it is concluded that the development of HVEM largely has been successful. Attention is drawn to recent scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) results which indicate that HVEM is the only method at present available which will allow the examination of thick crystalline specimens. Nevertheless, the addition of a scanning facility to an HVEM would greatly increase the range of information obtained and points the way to a new generation of HVEM's.