It all started in Berlin in 1931 where Dr. Ernst Ruska built the first TEM with 2 magnetic lenses. Three years later a third lens was added and a resolution of l00nm was demonstrated, just enough to beat the light microscope by a factor of two. His achievements and vision was acknowledged and celebrated in 1986 when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Philips’ commitment to electron microscopy dates back to the mid-1930s, when it collaborated in EM research programs with universities in the UK and the Netherlands. in 1949, the company introduced its first EM production unit, the EM 100 transmission electron microscope, which already was a significant step forward in terms of ease of use and reliability.

In fifty years the TEM has come a long way; enumerating all the milestones would be too lengthy.