TEM Tomography │Hummingbird Scientific

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Maximize the stability and flexibility of your tomography and TEM imaging.

Ultra-stable low runout sample holder shaft

Our holder shafts are machined from a proprietary low expansion alloy. In every tip, the substrate itself is the only contributor to the shadowed wedge. Combined with the superior tolerance conformance that we can achieve with our in-house machine shop, the tomography sample holder design is optimized for tomographic reconstructions and high-resolution imaging where precise tilts and low runout are essential to automated workflows.

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Flexible sample and substrate compatibility

We manufacture swappable tomography tips to accommodate all forms of nanoscale sample preparation. 3mm and 1mm grids, FIB half-grids, APT stubs, and all of our 60+ varieties of chips can be transferred into the TEM for pre or post-mortem charactetization. Custom tip geometries can be designed and machined to support novel experiments.

Technical Specs

1000

Removable tips for various sample substrates

3mm full and half grids, 1mm grids, single point, Omniprobe™, Hummingbird chips

Tilt range

±90° (depending on stage limits)

Image resolution

Down to microscope spec

GD&T runout

<0.001”

Shaft concentricity

0.04

Instrument Type

TEM

Available For:

Built on Engineering Excellence

Hummingbird Scientific designs, machines, assembles, tests, and services its products in-house. Our integrated engineering, machining, microfabrication, and applications teams enable rapid product development, custom modifications, and direct technical support throughout the life of the instrument. This vertically integrated approach allows researchers to adapt experimental platforms to unique scientific requirements while maintaining the performance and reliability required for advanced in-situ microscopy experiments.

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The TEM Tomography Sample Holder is a direct result of these capabilities, enabling repeatable and precise tomographic reconstructions and TEM imaging of a wide array of sample forms with unprecedented mechanical stability.

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Need something unique? Our engineers can customize existing products or develop entirely new solutions to support specialized experiments and emerging research challenges.

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Engineering Capabilities Custom Solutions

Built for Diverse Research Applications

Battery Materials

Directly visualize battery cycling, ion transport, dendrite formation, interface evolution, and structural changes.

Charge-Discharge Cycling

Low Dimensional Materials

Nanoparticles

Thin Films

High Impact Publications

Trusted by researchers worldwide, the Hummingbird Scientific TEM Tomography Sample Holder has contributed to __+ peer-reviewed publications from leading universities, national laboratories, and research institutions worldwide in Nature, Science, ACS Nano, Advanced Functional Materials, and other leading journals.

Sheridon N. Kelly, Dominic R. Russo, Trevor Arino, Patrick W. Smith, Mark D. Straub, John Arnold, Stefan G. Minasian. “Precursor Identity and Surfactant Concentration Influence Shape of UO2 Nanoparticles”. Inorganic Chemistry (2025)

Abstract

Xiner Lu, Sooyeon Hwang, Kai He. “In Situ TEM for Structural and Chemical Evolutions of Bimetallic Pt-Ni Nanoparticles at Elevated Temperatures: Implications for Heterogeneous Catalysis”. ACS Applied Nano Materials (2024)

Abstract

Jonathan Schwartz, Zichao Wendy Di, Yi Jiang, Jason Manassa, Jacob Pietryga, Yiwen Qian, Min Gee Cho, Jonathan L. Rowell, Huihuo Zheng, Richard D. Robinson, Junsi Gu, Alexey Kirilin, Steve Rozeveld, Peter Ercius, Jeffrey A. Fessler, Ting Xu, Mary Scott, Robert Hovden. “Imaging 3D chemistry at 1 nm resolution with fused multi-modal electron tomography”. Nature Communications (2024)

Abstract

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Key Features and Capabilities

Add-ons

Enhance your in-situ experiments with advanced add-on functionalities

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How it Works

The TEM tomography sample holder is a highly precise and stable single tilt sample positioning tool. Our in-house machine shop and inspection process ensure close conformance with dimensional tolerances, guaranteeing a runout specification of <0.001” along the length of the shaft and a concentricity of 0.04. Although the holder is optimized for automated tilting and image acquisition for tomographic reconstructions, many customers prefer to use it as the workhorse single tilt holder in their laboratories due to its ease-of-use, flexible substrate compatibility, and exceptional stability.

Advantages

Lowest possible profile tip minimizes shadowing
Matches or surpasses microscope specification for resolution and drift
Variety of swappable tips for various substrates
Flexible integration into multi-modal workflows

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Awards

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TEM Tomography

Ultra-stable imaging and tomography with swappable tips for any substrate

The only tomography sample holder designed to transfer any sample to the TEM, no matter the substrate. Single point tips even fit into with Cameca™ Atom Probe Tomography (APT) instruments for flexible pre-characterization.

Ultra-stable imaging and tomography with swappable tips for any substrate

Overview

How it Works

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Maximize the stability and flexibility of your tomography and TEM imaging.

Built on Engineering Excellence