The Electron Microscope Pixel Array Detector (EMPAD) is a pixelated detector for applications as 4D STEM acquiring diffraction pattern in each point of a map at a speed of up to 1,100 diffraction patterns per second. The EMPAD sensor is a 128x128 direct electron detector with pixels of 150 microns in size. It is sensitive to a single electron and has a dynamic range of 30 bits in single shot mode allowing for a maximum detectable current per pixel of 2pA @200kV.. The MRSEC purchase of the EMPAD adds a unique capability for users of MRL’s FEI Themis Z Advanced Probe Aberration Corrected Analytical TEM/STEM.
Local and off-campus users interested in using these facilities should contact mrsec-info@illinois.edu to initiate the process.
This equipment was funded through the Illinois MRSEC NSF Award Number DMR-2309037. Its use should be acknowledged in any published works, with the wording: “The authors acknowledge the use of facilities and instrumentation at the Materials Research Laboratory Central Research Facilities, University of Illinois, partially supported by NSF through the University of Illinois Materials Research Science and Engineering Center DMR-2309037.” Please also send a copy of the publication (email or hard copy), or the publication information (citation, DOI, or conference name and paper/poster title) to mrsec-info@illinois.edu. Read more about this instrument’s features and capabilities, and how to access this instrument on the MRL website.