Method for Producing a Tem Grid and Tem Grid

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This invention is a Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) grid made entirely from the same single-crystal (monocrystalline) material — such as strontium titanate (SrTiO₃) — for both the supporting substrate and the ultra-thin membrane stretched across a hole in that substrate. A hole is first drilled or etched through the substrate, and then a matching monocrystalline membrane (typically 50–100 nm thick) is transferred onto the polished surface of the substrate and bonded to it by diffusion welding at high temperature. Because both parts share the same crystal structure and orientation, the resulting grid is nearly free of internal mechanical stress, making it an ideal platform for growing high-quality epitaxial thin films directly on the membrane while observing the process in real time inside an electron microscope.

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• Growing epitaxial thin films of high-temperature superconductors (e.g., YBa₂Cu₃O₇₋ₓ) on a SrTiO₃ membrane for in-situ TEM observation of deposition at atomic resolution.
• Fabricating ferromagnetic oxide devices (e.g., SrRuO₃) on a monocrystalline membrane for real-time electron microscopy characterization of magnetic thin-film growth.
• Studying temperature-dependent epitaxial deposition by integrating nanoscale heating wires on the membrane and observing growth dynamics inside a TEM.
• Producing freestanding single-crystal perovskite heterostructures for fundamental research into oxide electronics and quantum materials.
• Serving as a substrate platform for semiconductor or oxide device prototyping where lattice-matched, stress-free epitaxial layers are required for high-performance electronic components.

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• Using the same monocrystalline material for both substrate and membrane eliminates lattice mismatch and grain boundaries, resulting in a virtually stress-free (low-tension) TEM grid that supports higher-quality epitaxial film growth.
• Matching crystal orientations between substrate and membrane enables homoepitaxial deposition conditions, reducing defect density in grown thin films compared to grids with dissimilar or polycrystalline membranes.
• Diffusion welding at high temperature creates a strong, chemically homogeneous bond between membrane and substrate without introducing foreign interface materials that could contaminate or distort electron imaging.
• The polished, epitaxy-ready substrate surface (roughness < 1 nm) improves both membrane adhesion and the quality of subsequently deposited epitaxial layers.
• The funnel-shaped hole geometry allows TEM observation at small tilt angles, expanding the range of crystallographic orientations accessible during in-situ experiments.
• Compatibility with SrTiO₃ — which shares a ~0.39 nm lattice constant with key superconducting and ferromagnetic oxides — makes the grid directly applicable to cutting-edge oxide electronics research without additional buffer layers.

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Patent Abstract

The invention refers to a method of manufacturing a TEM grid comprising the sequence of:creating a hole (3) through a monocrystalline substrate (1),attaching a monocrystalline membrane (2) to the substrate (1),wherein the substrate (1) and the membrane (2) are made of the same monocrystalline material.The invention further refers to a TEM grid comprising a monocrystalline substrate (1) and a monocrystalline membrane (2) which is attached to the substrate (1), wherein the substrate (1) and the membrane (2) are made of the same monocrystalline material, preferably SrTiO3.