ABSTRACT
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the related scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) have developed over several decades into a huge eld with wide ranging areas of application in both the physical and life sciences. Although many of the basic instrumental requirements are common to both areas of application, there are important differences in sample preparation methods, the sensitivity to irradiation by high-energy electrons, the contrast mechanisms, and the dimensions of features of interest. The contents of this chapter and of Chapter 10 describe TEM and STEM methods for the characterization of boundaries and interfaces only in inorganic materials. Even so, the topic is still so vast that, in the space available, only a general overview is possible. Several comprehensive texts [1-7] covering EM are listed in the references, should the reader wish to delve more deeply into the subject. The topic has been divided into two chapters. This chapter describes instrumentation, basic theory, and techniques. Such aspects underlie all types of analysis and their description is essential before considering speci c interfacial application, examples of which are covered in Chapter 9.
