Feature story: NRC makes an unlikely match in physics—with a new Lego-like microscopy platform

For the first time, an electron microscope has been put on a photonics bench, resulting in an ultrafast transmission electron microscope (UTEM). This innovation is thanks to a collaboration between researchers at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the 加拿大阿尔伯塔大学 (U?of?A).

The microscope was built using the NRC’s NanoMi open-source platform developed at the Nanotechnology Research Centre . This platform allows scientific, industrial and academic users to design low-cost microscopes that, like Lego, are highly modifiable.

But the UTEM is only a glimpse into that future.

What is an electron microscope, anyway?

Compared with a standard microscope, electron microscopes use electrons rather than light beams to illuminate a specimen. This allows scientists to resolve objects at an atomic length scale, or 0.2?nanometres.

Electron microscopes are the key to unlocking quantum technology, improving drug delivery and driving sustainable innovations and energy efficiency.

But the barrier to accessing these microscopes has always been high.

“Electron microscope tools cost millions of dollars,” explains Makoto Schreiber, a postdoctoral fellow at the NRC and U?of?A who is working on the UTEM. “The number of instruments available at universities is typically low and they’re usually heavily booked. This has limited the access for students interested in electron microscopes and scientists who want to explore new methods and applications of electron microscopy.”?

Enter the world’s first open-source electron microscope hardware and software platform, NanoMi . This lower-cost microscope platform creates the potential to democratize scientific exploration and the development of new concepts.

This potential was put to the test when the NRC developed the UTEM.

Adaptable microscope makes unlikely match possible

Dr.?Marek Malac is a research officer with the NRC’s Nanotechnology Research Centre and one of the principal investigators for the UTEM.

“The NRC has expertise in building and using electron microscopes, and our partners at the University of Alberta have an ultrafast laser lab,” he explains. “We asked, ‘What if we combine the two?’”

Normally that question would be a pipe dream—putting an electron microscope on a photonics bench would require a multi-million dollar, purpose-built electron microscope. Luckily, one of the world’s leading ultrafast laser labs, led by U?of?A’s Professor Frank Hegmann is located right next to the Nanotechnology Research Centre.

But now, thanks to NanoMi, Marek and colleagues could pioneer a novel way of combining electron microscopy and ultrafast laser capabilities.

Engineering a solution to overcome the high cost of entry

“Marek came to me with this unique science vision to deliver a microscope column on a photonic bench,” explains Mark Salomons , an instrument design engineer and lead of the Nanotechnology Research Centre’s developmental and analytical microscopy team. “But you can’t go to a commercial manufacturer and buy it. It just isn’t available.”

And unfortunately for Mark, who led the UTEM design, NanoMi’s hallmark capabilities created some engineering challenges.

A standard electron microscope creates a high-vacuum chamber, with secure, unmodifiable seals. However, the UTEM built with NanoMi allows scientists to access the actual microscope column and move and adjust parts easily for experimentation. Mark had to ensure that all of these parts could regain ultra-high-vacuum conditions.

With some truly creative engineering, Mark and his team developed a 2-part system: the microscope source, which would remain under a high-vacuum seal, and the separate microscope column, which could be opened, adjusted and brought up to vacuum conditions again using its own vacuum pump. Furthermore, the electron optics of the microscope are independent of the vacuum chamber they’re placed in.

“In a matter of hours, you can open it, make extensive changes to the NanoMi optics and go back and try the experiment again the next day,” explains Mark.

The unique design could not have been executed without the talented colleagues in the NRC’s Design and Fabrication team and at U?of?A, who built, shipped and tested the custom parts.?

NanoMi UTEM: a first in physics opens a world of discovery

Less than a year after the initial design was completed, students and postdoctoral fellows at the Nanotechnology Research Centre have built the UTEM using Mark’s designs.

According to Makoto, the UTEM will allow him to study a new area of science, but to him, the NRC has already been successful just by building an accessible microscope.

“Our hope is that the increased ease of access of the NanoMi UTEM will entice more groups to contribute to the field,” says Makoto. “They can test many laser and electron-optical configurations and, if promising, take these to a commercial instrument, or even to special-purpose instruments and attachments.”

The prototyping opportunities offered by NanoMi are endless.

The democratization of science is essential to making it more inclusive and innovative. The UTEM will usher in a new era of scientific inquiry and democratic access to this highly specialized field. Although most Canadians will never touch an electron microscope, the UTEM will play a vital role in advancing research that will benefit the lives of Canadians for years to come, in fields such as quantum technology and pharmaceuticals.

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