Industry News: SALVE Project Enters Second Phase

Following the successful completion of a two-year evaluation phase, the University of Ulm, and Carl Zeiss Nano Technology Systems have signed an agreement to embark on the next phase of the SALVE project. SALVE – which stands for Sub-Angstrom Low Voltage Electron Microscope – is one of the most ambitious research projects in the field of electron microscopy to be undertaken in Germany in recent years.

The objective of the project is to develop and build a transmission electron microscope capable of imaging samples with atomic resolution at very low acceleration voltages. The researchers are also aiming to develop suitable sample preparation methods. The advantages offered by this approach are clear: Unlike the current generation of medium-voltage TEMs with accelerating voltages of between 200 and 300 kV, which destroy radiation-sensitive samples before researchers can record usable images or perform material analysis, the SALVE project will keep specimens stable long enough to perform experimental work.

Implementation of this tantalizing concept was previously perceived to be impossible due to the physical and technical hurdles that stood in the way of achieving the required resolution, because lower accelerating voltages lead to significant optical aberrations.