Advanced Techniques in Automated High Resolution Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy

TL;DR

This paper introduces a flexible automation pipeline for high-throughput atomic-resolution data acquisition in scanning transmission electron microscopy, reducing reliance on human operators and enabling longer, more comprehensive experiments.

Contribution

The authors develop a custom automation system that allows for extended, high-resolution data collection in electron microscopy without continuous human oversight.

Findings

Enables hours-long autonomous data acquisition

Increases statistical robustness of high-resolution experiments

Reduces operator dependency in microscopy workflows

Abstract

Scanning transmission electron microscopy is a common tool used to study the atomic structure of materials. It is an inherently multimodal tool allowing for the simultaneous acquisition of multiple information channels. Despite its versatility, however, experimental workflows currently rely heavily on experienced human operators and can only acquire data from small regions of a sample at a time. Here, we demonstrate a flexible pipeline-based system for high-throughput acquisition of atomic-resolution structural data using a custom built sample stage and automation program. The program is capable of operating over many hours without human intervention improving the statistics of high-resolution experiments.