About the centre

The Albert Crewe Centre for Electron Microscopy is named in honour of one of the University of Liverpool’s most accomplished alumni. His work in the development of electron optics for the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and purpose-built scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) has led to the current state-of-the-art instrumentation used in many laboratories around the world.

At the Albert Crewe Centre we are working to extend his legacy with a strategic focus on the development of new approaches to imaging atomic scale dynamics in SEM, STEM and FIB (focused ion beam).

Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy shared research facility (STEM-SRF)

We focus on operando experiments and beam sensitive materials using integrated AI to design, implement and interpret atomic scale measurements.

A unique feature of the STEM-SRF is its primary focus on the use of in-situ and operando stages. Our research looks at developing new applications for gas/liquid/open cell experiments that push the limits of spatial and temporal resolution for dynamic processes across broad areas of science and technology.

In addition, we are pursuing a science driven integration of key AI concepts into an optimal simultaneous acquisition and interpretation protocol for all our STEM methods.

The main thrust of this AI4STEM approach is a compressed sensing (CS)/AI framework that will permit a range of advanced quantitative multi-scale hyperspectral data to be obtained and reconstructed using orders of magnitude fewer pixels than in conventional methods, i.e. images will be obtained under extremely low dose and/or dose rate conditions with vastly accelerated framerates.

This dose/speed/resolution optimisation creates wide-ranging new opportunities to avoid electron beam damage and is being used to obtain quantified atomic scale observations of metastable materials and processes.

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