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Experimental Characterization and Mitigation of Specimen Charging on Thin Films with One Conducting Layer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2004

Kenneth H. Downing ,
M.R. McCartney  and
Robert M. Glaeser
Kenneth H. Downing
Affiliation:
Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720-0001, USA
M.R. McCartney
Affiliation:
Center for Solid State Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1704, USA
Robert M. Glaeser
Affiliation:
Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720-0001, USA Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Stanley/Donner ASU, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3206, USA
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Abstract

Specimen charging may be one of the most significant factors that contribute to the high variability and generally low quality of images in cryo-electron microscopy. Understanding the nature of specimen charging can help in devising methods to reduce or even avoid its effects and thus improve the rate of data collection as well as the quality of the data. We describe a series of experiments that help to characterize the charging phenomenon, which has been termed the Berriman effect. The pattern of buildup and disappearance of the charge pattern has led to several suggestions for how to alleviate the effect. Experiments are described that demonstrate the feasibility of such charge mitigation.

Keywords

specimen chargingthin filmscryomicroscopyelectron crystallography
Type
Research Article
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 10 , Issue 6 , December 2004 , pp. 783 - 789
Copyright
© 2004 Microscopy Society of America

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References

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