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Monolithic Chip System with a Microfluidic Channel for In Situ Electron Microscopy of Liquids

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 April 2014

Eric Jensen Open the ORCID record for Eric Jensen [Opens in a new window] ,
Andrew Burrows  and
Kristian Mølhave
Eric Jensen*
Affiliation:
Technical University of Denmark, DTU Nanotech, Ørsteds Plads, Building 345E, 2800 Kgs Lyngby, Denmark Technical University of Denmark, DTU Cen, Fysikvej, Building 307, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark Ørsteds Plads, Building 345E, Room 253, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Andrew Burrows
Affiliation:
Technical University of Denmark, DTU Cen, Fysikvej, Building 307, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Kristian Mølhave
Affiliation:
Technical University of Denmark, DTU Nanotech, Ørsteds Plads, Building 345E, 2800 Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
*
*Corresponding author. [email protected]
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Abstract

Electron microscopy of enclosed liquid samples requires the thinnest possible membranes as enclosing windows as well as nanoscale liquid sample thickness to achieve the best possible resolution. Today liquid sample systems for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are typically made from two sandwiched microchips with thin membranes. We report on a new microfabricated chip system based on a monolithic design that enables membrane geometry on the scale of a few micrometers. The design is intended to reduce membrane deflection when the system is under pressure, a microfluidic channel for improved flow geometry, and a better space angle for auxiliary detectors such as energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. We explain the system design and fabrication and show the first successful TEM images of liquid samples in the chips.

Keywords

TEMin situliquidsmicrofabricationsacrificial layermonolithic
Type
In Situ Special Section
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 20 , Issue 2 , April 2014 , pp. 445 - 451
Copyright
© Microscopy Society of America 2014 

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