Using the TEM Condenser Lens to Switch between Image and Diffraction Modes

Central to the operation of the transmission electron microscope (TEM) (when used with crystalline samples) is the ability to go back and forth between an image and a diffraction pattern. Although it is quite simple to go from the image to a convergent-beam diffraction pattern or from an image to a selected-area diffraction pattern (and back), I have found it useful to be able to go between image and diffraction pattern even more quickly. In the method described, once the microscope is set up, it is possible to go from image to diffraction pattern and back by turning just one knob. This makes many operations on the microscope much more convenient. It should be made clear that, in this method, neither the image nor the diffraction pattern is “ideal” (details below), but both are good enough for many necessary procedures.

TEM Observation of the Polytype Transformation of Bulk SiC Ingot

This article describes the analysis of the polytype transformation of SiC ingot. We analyzed the sample by Raman spectroscopy and TEM observation. The result of the analysis shows the polytype is transformed from 4H-SiC to 6H-SiC, and then returned to 4H-SiC. We found that the direction of the c-axis is not the same as the growth direction of the ingot. And also we found the existence of 8H-SiC at the interface between 6H-SiC and 4H-SiC region by the selected area diffraction pattern and confirmed it by HR-TEM observation.

New phases in the Al-Co-Cu alloy system : Marked variations from the “true” decagonal phase

The decagonal phase in the Al-Co-Cu alloy system was first discovered by He et al. We shall call this phase the “true” decagonal phase (TD) phase because it is the one most commonly observed in the Al-Co-Cu alloy system. It is well known that quasicrystalline phases such as the TD phase contain the phason defect peculiar to incommensurate phases that causes subtle variations from perfect decagonal symmetry. In this paper we report on the existence of new phases in the Al-Co-Cu alloy system, that are related to the TD phase but yet show marked variations from the TD phase. These variations are too drastic to be caused by phason defects alone.Figure 1(a) is a selected area diffraction pattern (SADP) recorded from a TD phase single “crystal” showing near perfect decagonal (tenfold) symmetry. This SADP agrees very well with the first published SADP of the TD phase in Al-Co-Cu that also shows almost perfect decagonal symmetry. In a previous paper we have reported several kinds of deviations from perfect decagonal symmetry, but none of these deviations involved the observation of perfect pentagonal (fivefold) symmetry. Figure 1(b) is an SADP recorded from a phase in Al-Co-Cu that exhibits perfect pentagonal symmetry instead of the expected decagonal symmetry. This breakdown of true tenfold symmetry into true fivefold symmetry is caused by unequal intensities of equal and opposite reflections. This example is a clear violation of Friedel's law, which states that the intensities of equal and opposite diffraction vectors must be equal.