Lightning

Introduction

Correlate processing, structure, and performance

The Lightning in situ TEM heating and biasing system allows for observing real-time dynamics of your specimen under precisely controlled electrical and thermal environments, while maintaining optimal TEM performance. The holders feature double tilt functionality, enabling atomic resolution imaging and unlocking deeper insights into material properties under simultaneous electrothermal stimuli.

The system expands the analytical capabilities of your TEM, offering a unique platform to link processing conditions with the structure, properties and performance of your materials and devices.

Simplified sample preparation

High success rate. A verified and reliable lamella preparation process using our dedicated FIB Stub.
Clean FIB lamellae without electrical shorts. Ion milling directly on the SiN_x membrane of the chip prepares clean FIB lamellae without compromising heating accuracy and uniformity. It also prevents the electrical short circuits caused by ion redeposition and minimizes leakage currents.

Left: DF-STEM image of a Pt/PCMO/STNO FIB lamella with cuts preventing short circuits across the pn-junction. Meyer et al., J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1190 (2019) 012009. Right: SEM image of a Co8Zn9Mn3 TEM lamella on a modified Heating & Biasing chip. Schneider et al., Micros. and Microanal. 30 (2024) ozae044.505.

Reliable stimuli control

Heating and biasing accuracy. 4-point probe heating and biasing provides the most accurate temperature, voltage and current control.
Broadest electrothermal control. The robust design of the Lightning Nano-Chip withstands up to 150 V (E = 300 kV/cm) in the temperature range from room temperature to 900 °C, while maintaining the best imaging performance.
Reliable temperature. Temperature is verified directly in the TEM using EELS and SAED techniques.

Core-shell nanoparticle at 800 °C while the applied electric field is swept from -21.9 to +21.9 kV/mm, with FFTs of the core and shell (left) and the accompanying vector map (right). Molina-Luna et al., Nature Communications 9 (2018) 4445.

High impact results

New insights. Perform thermal studies while simultaneously measuring I-V with true pA current sensitivity.
High stability while heating and biasing. Minimal sample drift upon heating and biasing enables atomic resolution imaging even at elevated temperatures.
Unaffected (S)TEM performance. Minor Z-displacement (bulging) preserves the ultimate resolution without having to perform tedious stage movements.

Sample drift of a Pd nanoparticle over 6 minutes at 800 °C while applying a bias of 40 V. The data has been recorded at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

Piezoelectrics

Study ferroelectric domain switching, polarization dynamics and piezoelectric response under applied electric fields at elevated temperatures.

Memory & functional oxides

Investigate resistive switching, filament formation and memristive behavior in metal-oxide thin films under electrical stimulus, and follow the oxygen ion migration that drives the structural transformations behind it.

Solar cells

Observe degradation processes, ion migration and structural changes in perovskite and other solar cell devices under operational bias and temperature.

Solid state batteries

Evaluate battery lifetime and performance by tracking degradation at the solidelectrolyte-electrode interface upon temperature-dependent charge/dischargecycling.

Thermoelectrics

Observe microstructural changes and identify the precise structural degradation mechanisms and interface changes under continuous thermal and electrical stress.

System components

Simultaneous heating & biasing

The Lightning system combines in situ heating and biasing in a single holder, offering precise control over temperature and electrical bias. It enables electric fields of 300 kV/cm at 900 °C, opening new possibilities for studying electrically active materials. Its stability preserves full atomic resolution and analytical performance during simultaneous heating and biasing experiments.

Nano-Chip

The Lightning Nano-Chips feature a 4-point-probe method to accurately control biasing and heating and retrieve meaningful data. The unique design sustains the highest fields and temperatures to be reached (dedicated or simultaneous) enabling the characterization of today's and tomorrow's advanced materials.

Sample holder

Machined from titanium for ultimate mechanical stability, the Lightning double-tilt holder allocates the Nano-Chip in the microscope. Its versatile design supports all TEM techniques while providing a wide tilt range to examine your sample from optimal angles.

Hardware & software

For biasing experiments a source measuring unit (SMU) is required to precisely source voltage or current and simultaneously measure voltage and/or current. The majority of SMUs are compatible with the Lightning system and our preferred supplier/model is Keithley 2450. The Keithley 2450 can conveniently be controlled via our control Impulse software. Different Keithley models or other can be controlled via the manufacturer’s own software.

Nexus

Nexus brings the whole experiment back together in one workspace. Import data from GMS, TIA, Velox, Impulse and more, then visualize your TEM images alongside the electrical and thermal signals on a shared timeline and correct any time offset between datasets. Process the data in the same project with the bundled Python scripts for drift removal, smoothing, peak detection and FFT, or with your own, and the results come back onto the timeline ready to plot and re-run. Annotated videos and figures combining images, graphs and metadata export straight out of it.

Li-ion battery research

Most technologically important electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries are essentially lithium ions plus a transition-metal oxide framework, yet their atomic and electronic structure evolution during electrochemical cycling remains poorly understood. Here the authors report the in situ observation of the three-dimensional structural evolution of the transition-metal oxide framework in an all-solid-state battery.

The in situ studies of LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ from various zone axes reveal the evolution of both atomic and electronic structures during delithiation, driven by the migration of oxygen and transition-metal ions. The work sheds light on optimizing the structural stability and cycle-ability of all-solid-state batteries.

Configuration of the assembled all-solid-state lithium-ion battery and the atomic structure of LNMO. a Atomic scale HAADF-STEM of the pristine LNMO cathode along the <112> zone axis; the simulated HAADF-STEM image in the green rectangle agrees perfectly with the experimental result. b SEM image of the assembled all-solid-state lithium-ion battery, and its corresponding schematic (c). Yue, Gong et al., Nature Communications 9 (2018) 3341.

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Atomic scale HAADF-STEM of the pristine LNMO cathode, an SEM image of the assembled all-solid-state battery and its schematic

Memory & functional oxides

Oxygen ion transport is the key issue in redox processes, and visualizing oxygen ion migration at atomic resolution is highly desirable for designing devices such as oxidation catalysts, oxygen permeation membranes and solid oxide fuel cells. Here the authors show the process of electrically induced oxygen migration, and the subsequent reconstructive structural transformation, in a SrCoO_2.5−σ film by scanning transmission electron microscopy.

Evolution of lattice and oxygen occupancy in three states. Zhang, Qinghua et al., Nature Communications 8 (2017) 104.

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Atomic-resolution STEM panels showing the evolution of lattice and oxygen occupancy in three states

Ferroelectrics and multiferroics

Ferroelectric degradation, induced by cyclic electric loading, has been a major obstacle to using ferroelectrics in devices where reliability is crucial.

Here the authors discover the change of charge distribution in thin ferroelectrics during cyclic electric loading via our Lightning system. They find that charge accumulation at domain walls is the main reason for the formation of c domains, which are less responsive to applied electric fields. The rapid growth of these frozen c domains then leads to ferroelectric degradation, which gives guidance on the design of ferroelectric nanodevices.

A series of TEM images showing the evolution of domain structure in PMN-0.38PT under a cyclic electric field. Huang, Qianwei et al., Nature Communications 12 (2021) 2095.

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TEM images of the domain structure in PMN-0.38PT after 0, 130, 200 and 280 electrical cycles

Is there a procedure that can help me with FIB sample preparation?

Yes, there is a dedicated sample preparation protocol for heating and biasing nano-chips. Furthermore, every Wildfire and Lightning system includes a dedicated FIB stub that facilitates the process (FIB Stub 3.0: Sample Preparation | DENSsolutions).

What is the size of sample recommended for biasing experiments?

The required sample size depends on the specific experiment, the number of electrodes used, and the sample preparation method. Heating and Biasing Nano-Chips feature multiple locations with varying gaps between the electrodes, enabling the placement of samples ranging from 6 μm to 40 μm in length.

Do I need to remove SiN windows for biasing experiments?

When using heating and biasing nano-chips with SiN_x windows for biasing experiments, it is advised to remove the corresponding SiN_x window to avoid additional electron scattering. SiN windows can be seamlessly removed by the ion beam, which takes roughly a minute or so. It is highly recommended to remove the window prio to FIB lamella transfer to the nano-chip.

What preparation methods other than FIB could be usable for biasing experiments?

Focused Ion Beam (FIB) is the standard method for preparing lamellae directly onto the Nano-Chip. For alternative workflows, researchers can combine bulk preparation techniques, such as argon (Ar) ion milling or electropolishing with a FIB lift-out process to transfer thin sections. For low-dimensional specimens like nanowires and 2D materials, samples can be transferred to the nano-chip using in situ or ex situ micromanipulators and via standard wet or dry transfer methods, respectively.

What is the maximum temperature?

The maximum temperature for combined electrothermal in situ TEM experiments is 900 °C. For experiments requiring higher temperatures - up to 1300 °C, dedicated heating Nano-Chips need to be used.

Can I perform STEM-EBIC experiments?

Yes, the Lightning system is compatible with the Point Electronic EBIC solution. More information about EBIC experiments using a Lighting system can be found in the following publication: In‐Operando 4D‐STEM and STEM‐EBIC Imaging of Electric Fields and Charge Carrier Behavior in Biased Silicon p–n Junctions - Moynihan - 2026 - Advanced Electronic Materials - Wiley Online Library. Please contact us for more information.

Is it possible to apply electrical pulses?

Yes, it is possible to apply electrical pulses. A group from Argonne National Lab were able to successfully apply nanosecond voltage pulses to the sample using DENSsolutions Lightning holder. For more information, please check Nanosecond Structural Dynamics during Electrical Melting of Charge Density Waves in | Phys. Rev. Lett.

Correlate processing, structure, and performance

From sample preparation to publishable results

Simplified sample preparation

Reliable stimuli control

High impact results

Lightning application fields

Piezoelectrics

Memory & functional oxides

Solar cells

Solid state batteries

Thermoelectrics

Simultaneous heating & biasing

Nano-Chip

Sample holder

Hardware & software

Nexus

What researchers say

Research made possible with Lightning

Li-ion battery research

Memory & functional oxides

Ferroelectrics and multiferroics

Other top research using Lightning

Frequently asked questions

Brochure & application notes

Brochure

Download the Lightning brochure

Application notes

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