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

本文提出了一种在波士顿学院新安装的JEOL 2010 F型场发射电子枪（FEG）透射电子显微镜（TEM）上安装一台慢扫描电荷耦合器件（CCD）摄像机的建议，用于将TEM上的数字图像直接记录到计算机上，因此，基本上将照相胶片记录介质置于传统TEM中。波士顿学院的物理系最近获得了JEOL，2010 F FEG TEM，并于2002年完成安装。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与材料相关的科学课程研究不可或缺的工具，并由四个学术部门的教师和学生使用：物理，化学，生物和地质地球物理。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中进行的表征工作。不幸的是，我们无法从一开始就获得TEM的一个非常重要的附件，即所需的CCD相机。传统的照相胶片是目前使用的记录介质，这是一个昂贵的，效率极低，坦率地说，不适合这样一个先进的仪器解决方案。CCD相机和胶片记录之间的区别类似于数字相机和胶片相机之间的区别。对于胶片，TEM图像首先曝光，然后在暗室中显影和定影。之后，这些胶片要么在暗室里打印，要么扫描到计算机上进行进一步的处理和分析。上述繁琐的工作可能需要花费几个小时甚至几天的时间，而使用CCD相机系统可以在几分钟或一小时内完成。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，因为它具有特殊的成像特性，并且与即时图像可视化和计算机处理和分析相关。CCD摄像机的优点很多，包括避免胶片冲洗过程中的延迟和化学废物;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;以立即适合处理、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使用，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上级乳胶，因此非常适合从辐射敏感材料（如生物样品、有机材料等）中获取数据，这已被证明是非常困难的或不可能的热照相胶片方法。采用CCD摄像机直接采集图像，可以大大缩短特征化时间，节省大量人力和资源。它不仅可以在很短的周转时间内大大推进我们的研究，而且还为定量电子显微镜和辐射敏感材料的成像打开了新的窗口。这将对我们的教育计划产生积极的影响，每两年教授一次研究生课程，向所有科学系的学生开放。每学期约有6名本科生、5名研究生和40名博士后接受TEM应用培训。所要求的CCD摄像机将方便我们的教学，学生可以立即在计算机上查看他们的结果，反馈信息立即指导他们优化他们的操作程序。TEM发挥重要作用的研究课题包括：涉及碳纳米管和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，新的方法来解决有关超导体的未回答的问题;神经髓鞘和多肽分子组织中的膜相互作用;金属纳米颗粒和纳米多孔溶胶-凝胶玻璃的研究;以及胶体在水圈中的作用的研究。对使用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。

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.