MRI: Acquisition of a Slow-Scan CCD Camera for a JEOL 2010F TEM

本课题是在波士顿学院新安装的JEOL Model 2010F场发射枪（FEG）透射电子显微镜（TEM）上安装一个慢扫描电荷耦合器件（CCD）相机，用于直接从TEM记录数字图像到计算机，从而基本取代传统TEM中的照相胶片记录介质。波士顿学院物理系最近获得了JEOL-2010F FEG TEM，并于2002年完成了安装。这种先进的TEM目前在波士顿学院的纳米级教育和研究培训以及几种材料和系统的基础和应用研究中发挥着关键作用。因此，它是BC大学材料相关科学项目研究中不可或缺的工具，并被物理系、化学系、生物系和地质与地球物理系的教师和学生使用。我们在上述部门有许多研究项目正在进行，这些项目的成功完成在很大程度上取决于将在新TEM中开展的表征工作。不幸的是，我们从一开始就无法获得这个TEM的一个非常重要的附件，即所要求的CCD相机。目前使用的是传统的照相胶片作为记录介质，这是一种昂贵、效率极低的解决方案，显然不适合这样一种先进的仪器。CCD相机和胶片相机之间的区别类似于数码相机和胶片相机之间的区别。用胶片，首先曝光TEM图像，然后在暗室中显影和固定。之后，胶卷要么在暗室里打印，要么扫描到电脑上进行进一步的处理和分析。上述耗时数小时甚至数天的繁琐工作，使用CCD相机系统只需几分钟或一小时即可完成。所要求的慢扫描CCD相机代表了电子显微镜的一项重大创新，因为它具有卓越的成像特性以及与即时图像可视化和计算机处理和分析相关的好处。CCD相机的优点很多，包括避免胶卷处理过程中的延迟和化学浪费；提供更高的动态范围和改进的线性，从而产生更好的数据质量；并以一种适合于处理、分析和存档的形式记录数据。CCD相机已经发展到可以在许多应用中代替胶片，提供样品和图像质量的快速反馈。此外，CCD相机的检测量子效率优于照相乳剂，因此非常适合从辐射敏感材料中获取数据，如生物样品，有机材料等，这已被证明是非常困难或不可能通过普通的照相胶片方法。利用CCD相机直接采集图像，可以大大缩短表征时间，节省大量的人力和资源。它不仅可以在极短的周转时间内极大地推进我们的研究，而且为辐射敏感材料的定量电子显微镜和成像打开了新的窗口。它将对我们的教育项目产生相当积极的影响，每两年开设一门研究生水平的课程，向所有科学部门的学生开放。每学期培养约6名本科生、5名研究生和4名博士后使用TEM。我们所要求的CCD相机将方便我们的教学，这样学生可以在电脑上立即看到他们的结果，反馈的信息可以立即指导他们优化操作流程。透射电子显微镜的研究方向包括：涉及碳纳米管和碳纳米阵列的新型电子材料和现象；分子有机导体和重费米子材料中的非常规超导性；关于精确超导体未解之谜的新方法；神经髓鞘膜相互作用与多肽分子组织金属纳米粒子和纳米多孔溶胶-凝胶玻璃的研究以及胶体在水圈中的作用的研究。使用TEM的研究活动的支持来自NSF(DMR， CHE， IBN和ECS)， ARO, NIH (NCI)， DARPA, DoE， NASA， EPA， Sloan和DreyfusFoundations以及ACS石油研究基金。我们在这里描述了几个这样的项目，这些项目来自多个PI的程序。

This is a proposal to acquire a slow-scan charge-coupled device (CCD) camera to be attached to a newly-installed JEOL Model 2010F field emission gun (FEG) transmission electron microscope (TEM) atBoston College, for recording digital images directly from a TEM to a computer, thus basically replacingthe photographic film recording media in a traditional TEM.The Department of Physics at Boston College recently acquired the JEOL-2010F FEG TEM and finishedits installation in 2002. This advanced TEM is currently playing a key role in education and researchtraining on the nanoscale at Boston College, and for fundamental and applied studies on several materialsand systems. It is thus an indispensable tool for research in the materials-related science programs at BC,and is utilized by faculty and students in four academic departments: Physics, Chemistry, Biology andGeology & Geophysics. We have a number of research projects going on in the above-mentioneddepartments, and the successful fulfillment of these projects depends strongly on the characterizationwork that will be carried out in the new TEM.Unfortunately, we were unable to acquire from the beginning a very important attachment to this TEM,the requested CCD camera. Traditional photographic films are presently used as the recording media,which is a costly, extremely low efficiency and frankly unsuitable solution for such an advancedinstrument. The difference between a CCD camera and film recording is analogous to that between digitaland film-based cameras. With film, TEM images are first exposed, and then the films are developed andfixed in a dark room. After that, the films are either printed in the dark room or scanned to a computer forfurther processing and analysis. The above tedious work that can cost several hours or even a few dayscan instead be accomplished in a few minutes or within an hour by using the CCD camera system.The requested slow-scan CCD camera represents a major innovation in electron microscopy because of itsexceptional imaging characteristics and the benefits associated with immediate image visualization andcomputer processing and analysis. The advantages of a CCD camera are numerous, and include avoidingdelays and chemical waste involved in film processing; providing a higher dynamic range and improvedlinearity which produce better data quality; and recording data in a form immediately suited toprocessing, analysis and archiving. CCD cameras have developed to the point where they can be usedinstead of film in a number of applications, providing rapid feedback on specimen and image quality.Moreover, the detection quantum efficiency of a CCD camera is superior to that of photographicemulsions and is therefore well-suited to acquiring data from radiation-sensitive materials, such asbiological samples, organic materials etc., which has proven to be extremely difficult or impossible by thenormal photographic film method. Direct image acquisition by a CCD camera can reduce thecharacterization time greatly while saving tremendous labor and resources. It can not only greatlyadvance our research in a significantly short turnaround time, but also open new windows for quantitativeelectron microscopy and imaging of radiation-sensitive materials. It will quite positively impact oureducational program, with a graduate-level course being taught every 2 years, open to students from allthe science departments. Each semester, about 6 undergraduate students, 5 graduate students and 4postdocs are trained to use the TEM. The requested CCD camera will facilitate our teaching in such a waythat the students can view their results immediately in a computer, and the feedback informationimmediately guide them to optimize their operation procedure.The research topics for which the TEM is playing an essential role include: novel electronic materials andphenomena involving carbon nanotubes and arrays; unconventional superconductivity in molecularorganic conductors and heavy Fermion materials; new approaches to unanswered questions about thecuprate superconductors; membrane interactions in nerve myelin and molecular organization ofpolypeptides; studies of metallic nanoparticles and nanoporous sol-gel glasses; and studies of the role ofcolloids in the hydrosphere. Support for the research activities that employ the TEM comes from NSF(DMR, CHE, IBN and ECS), ARO, NIH (NCI), DARPA, DoE, NASA, EPA, Sloan and DreyfusFoundations and the ACS Petroleum Research Fund. We describe herein several of these projectsemanating from the multiple PI's programs.