A Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) is designed to generate images of microstructures with a high resolution below 1nm. Additionally the TEM offers numerous advanced analyzing methods and techniques that allow for a much more complete materials’ characterization.
High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM)-micrographs display directly the crystallographic structure of a material and the morphology of grains and phases.
Electron diffraction techniques like Selected Area  Electron Diffraction (SAED) have the potential to determine the crystal structure in more detail and to show orientation relationships; the highest spatial resolution at which a material can be analyzed using diffraction is achieved using Nano Beam Electron Diffraction (NBED) from an area with a diameter of a few nanometers; thus single nanoparticles can be analyzed.
By applying the Centered Dark Field (CDF) method, different phases can be contrasted on the basis of their different crystal structures. The High Angle Centered Dark Field (HACDF) allows to distinguish phases by an atomic number dependent brightness of the image; the contrast is also called Z-contrast.
In combination with an EDX-detector with a scanning unit a TEM is a powerful tool for providing comprehensive structure and composition information.
In the following the application of the analytical possibilities of the TEM in the Institute of Materials Science and Technology, Metallic Materials department group at FSU Jena is demonstrated using two different particle strengthened metallic materials.