How Much Does TEM Analysis Cost? — Cost and Usage Guide for TEM Sample Preparation, Observation, and Analysis

Note: This page was translated by AI from the Japanese original. In case of any discrepancy, the Japanese version shall prevail.

About this article
This article is a piece written by AI, summarizing informal impressions from day-to-day operations and answers to questions we frequently receive. We hope you find it useful as background reading, but please note that it does not necessarily reflect finalized institutional policy. If anything is unclear, please feel free to contact us.

Introduction
The cost of TEM observation and analysis varies widely: from a few thousand to a few tens of thousands of yen when an experienced user prepares the TEM specimen themselves and uses the microscope on a self-use basis, up to several hundred thousand yen when bulk-sample TEM specimen preparation, observation, and analysis are all requested as a package.
When a general bulk specimen with no established processing conditions is requested as a full package, with no specification of preparation method or observation conditions, the Division uses about 2.5 days for TEM specimen preparation by focused ion beam (FIB), plus about 1 day for observation and analysis on JEM-ARM200F as its standard estimate of working days. In the early stages of budget planning, please use roughly ¥200,000-300,000 per specimen as a starting point.
The cost estimates in this article assume use within the university, or use under an ARIM project (with data sharing) for academic purposes with an expectation of published results. Other categories of use may be subject to a different fee structure, so please check the latest fee schedule at the time of use.
Note that the figures shown here are not fixed-rate prices. The required equipment time and technical support time will vary depending on the specimen’s condition, the observation/analysis objective, the usage category, and the scope of technical support required.

How TEM Analysis Costs Are Determined

The cost of TEM observation and analysis is not determined by the equipment usage fee for the TEM itself alone. Reaching the target data requires a number of process steps, depending on the condition of the specimen.

Specimen sampling/pre-treatment → TEM specimen preparation → preliminary observation → search for the observation area → adjustment of crystal orientation → acquisition of image/electron diffraction data → EDS/EELS analysis, etc. → additional observation/processing as needed

Total cost varies considerably depending on which steps the user handles and which steps are requested as technical support.

If a TEM specimen has already been prepared and an experienced user can judge the appropriate observation conditions for the purpose, the equipment can be self-used for only the time actually needed. On the other hand, if a bulk specimen is handed over and TEM specimen preparation, search for observation areas, orientation adjustment, and observation/analysis are all requested, this becomes specialized work on the order of several days.

Mode of use	Approximate cost	Main work involved
Self-use of an already-prepared TEM specimen	Roughly a few thousand to a few tens of thousands of yen	The user searches the observation area, sets conditions, acquires image/electron diffraction data, and performs analysis
Self-use plus partial technical support	From roughly tens of thousands of yen	The user leads the observation/analysis and uses technical support only for the steps needed
Requesting everything from FIB specimen preparation through observation/analysis on JEM-ARM200F	Roughly ¥200,000-300,000 as a starting point	Staff carry out specimen preparation through observation/analysis as technical support over several days
Preparation from multiple locations, specimens that are difficult to process, detailed analysis, additional observation	Increases with the amount of work	Additional equipment time and technical support time are required

Standard Workflow and Turnaround Time for Requested Use

For a general bulk specimen where the specimen preparation method, processing conditions, equipment, and observation/analysis conditions are not specified and the Division designs the workflow, we currently use the following number of working days as a standard budgeting estimate.

• TEM specimen preparation by focused ion beam (FIB): about 2.5 days
• Observation/analysis on JEM-ARM200F: about 1 day
• Total: about 3.5 days per specimen

This is not a guaranteed turnaround time. It can be shortened when processing and observation conditions for a similar specimen have already been established, while specimens that are difficult to process, require reprocessing, need preparation from multiple locations, or require additional observation/analysis will take longer.

Why FIB Specimen Preparation Takes About 2-3 Days

If the sole goal is to obtain an electron-transparent thin specimen, applying a high beam-current condition to the rough-milling step of FIB can sometimes shorten the processing time.

On the other hand, for academic research specimens whose processing conditions have not been established, the specimen’s response to ion irradiation and the degree of processing damage are often not known in advance. Prioritizing processing speed too heavily can result in loss of the target area, processing damage, or specimen deformation, so that a TEM specimen suitable for observation cannot be obtained.

The Division’s equipment usage fees and technical support fees are not success-based; they are charged for the equipment use and technical support actually performed. For this reason, for specimens whose processing conditions have not been established, we prioritize the success rate of specimen preparation over processing speed, so that the fee the user bears is used as effectively as possible.

Users may also specify particular processing conditions. However, even if the specified conditions do not produce the expected specimen, fees for the equipment use and technical support actually performed will still apply.

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TEM Specimen Preparation Methods and How to Choose

The TEM specimen preparation method is chosen according to the specimen’s form, material, observation purpose, and the degree of positional/orientation selectivity required. The main methods used and offered at the Division are the dispersion method, the crushing method, electropolishing, ion milling, specimen preparation with the ion slicer, and focused ion beam (FIB).

Dispersion Method (Direct Mounting on Support Film)

For nanoparticle dispersions or powder specimens that can be dispersed in a solvent, the dispersion method – mounting the specimen directly on a support-film TEM grid – can be applied. Among TEM specimen preparation methods, this tends to keep direct costs relatively low.

Typically, the specimen is dispersed in a suitable solvent, the dispersion state is adjusted with ultrasonication if needed, and then a drop is placed on a support-film TEM grid and thoroughly dried before observation. The direct cost is mainly the TEM grid and solvent.

This method suits particle size/shape, dispersion/aggregation state, determining whether a material is crystalline or amorphous, and high-resolution observation without a specified orientation. On the other hand, the position and crystal orientation of particles mounted on the support film generally cannot be chosen. When targeting a specific zone axis, phase, or interface, specimen preparation itself may be low-cost, but searching for the observation area and adjusting crystal orientation on the TEM can take considerable time.

Crushing Method

This method mechanically crushes a bulk specimen and mounts the resulting electron-transparent flakes or fine particles on a support-film TEM grid. Since it requires no dedicated thin-film processing equipment, it can allow simple, low-cost preparation of TEM specimens for some materials and purposes.

However, the sampling location and crystal orientation cannot be specified. Plastic deformation, fracturing, and surface damage caused by crushing may also affect the observation results. For this reason, it may not be suitable when the aim is to evaluate the original bulk microstructure while preserving positional relationships.

Electropolishing

For metals and alloys, setting appropriate electrolyte and polishing conditions makes electropolishing an effective method for producing a relatively wide electron-transparent area at low cost. Labs that continuously handle the same or a similar material system can efficiently prepare many specimens once they establish the electrolyte composition, applied voltage, temperature, and polishing end-point conditions.

The Division’s electropolishing equipment was transferred from a now-closed in-house lab. Because the Division did not previously operate electropolishing as a common-use menu item, know-how on electrolyte and polishing conditions for each material system has not been systematically accumulated as shared-facility knowledge.

In addition, the Division does not have local exhaust equipment (a fume hood) for running electropolishing on an ongoing basis, nor a dedicated environment for consolidated storage/management of chemicals and waste-liquid treatment. For this reason, we currently do not provide comprehensive support for requested specimen preparation with this method; instead, it is basically available for loan use by labs that have their own knowledge of electrolytes, polishing conditions, and chemical management.

Ion Milling

This method irradiates a specimen that has already been pre-thinned by mechanical polishing with an Ar ion beam to form an electron-transparent area. The Division has ion milling instruments including a Gatan PIPS II (B) and a Fischione Model 1010.

It is widely used for TEM specimen preparation of oxides, ceramics, composite materials, and the like, and where processing conditions for a given material are established, it can produce specimens at a lower direct cost than FIB. On the other hand, the specimen normally needs to be thinned sufficiently by mechanical polishing before being loaded into the instrument, and this pre-processing step also requires skill appropriate to the material.

The Division previously provided comprehensive support for requested specimen preparation by ion milling, but because no dedicated technical staff member is currently assigned, we no longer devote resources to ongoing requested specimen preparation by this method. At present, technical support staff mainly operate the instrument as needed to maintain its condition and confirm that it is working properly.

Specimen Preparation with the Ion Slicer

The Division has a JEOL EM-09100IS ion slicer. A feature of the ion slicer is that ion-beam processing can begin from a relatively thick specimen, which makes it especially suited to preparing cross-sectional TEM specimens from bulk materials.

Because processing can start from a thicker state than with ordinary ion milling, it is also effective for brittle materials that are difficult to finish thin by mechanical polishing. Labs that continuously prepare cross-sectional specimens from the same or similar bulk materials can readily standardize specimen dimensions, pre-polishing, mounting method, and ion irradiation conditions, making this method well suited to standardizing and routinizing specimen preparation at the lab level.

As with ion milling, the Division previously provided comprehensive support for requested specimen preparation with the ion slicer, but because no dedicated technical staff member is currently assigned, we no longer devote resources to ongoing requested specimen preparation by this method. At present, technical support staff mainly operate the instrument as needed to maintain its condition and confirm that it is working properly.

Why FIB Is the Standard Method for Requested Specimen Preparation

This does not mean methods other than FIB are technically inferior. When a lab continuously handles the same or a similar material system and has accumulated specimen-preparation conditions and experience in-house, electropolishing, ion milling, and similar methods can be lower-cost and more efficient.

On the other hand, at a shared facility handling specimens with unestablished processing conditions one at a time, repeating pre-processing, optimizing processing conditions, confirming the transparent area by TEM, and additional processing for each material makes it difficult to estimate the required amount of work and time in advance.

FIB offers the following advantages:

• A TEM specimen can be prepared from a specified location
• Processing location and state can be checked using an SEM image as work proceeds
• A target area such as an interface, precipitate, or defect can be selected for thinning
• Even for specimens with unestablished processing conditions, the workflow can be relatively well standardized

For this reason, except for materials that are clearly susceptible to ion-beam damage or nanoparticles for which the dispersion method is suitable, the Division uses FIB as the standard method for requested specimen preparation from bulk specimens whose processing conditions have not been established.

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Choosing a TEM/STEM Instrument for Your Observation/Analysis Purpose

The Division operates several TEM/STEM instruments and selects among them according to the observation/analysis purpose. The choice takes into account not just the equipment usage fee, but also the spatial resolution, specimen tilt, electron diffraction, EDS/EELS analysis, and ease of handling required.

Instrument	Main role
JEM-2000EXII	A general-purpose TEM with a LaB6 gun. Suited to high-tilt observation making use of its large pole-piece gap, electron diffraction, bright-field (BF)/dark-field (DF) observation, and similar work
EM-002B	A TEM/STEM with a LaB6 gun. Its removable pole piece is used for observing specimens, such as magnetic materials, where ease of instrument recovery matters
JEM-2100plus	A general-purpose TEM/STEM for standard TEM observation, electron diffraction, and high-resolution TEM observation; the main instrument used for self-use training and skill-building
JEM-ARM200F(S)/JEM-ARM200F(W)	Supports high-resolution observation by aberration-corrected STEM, HAADF-STEM, EDS, EELS, etc.; used from initial screening of morphology/composition through to atomic-resolution observation and detailed analysis

Instrument Selection for Specimens with Undetermined Observation Conditions

If you have sufficient experience with the material system and TEM observation, and the required observation method is clear, choosing the instrument that is just sufficient for the purpose can keep usage fees down.

On the other hand, for a requested specimen whose observation target and conditions have not been established, observing first on a general-purpose TEM and then moving to JEM-ARM200F can require re-searching the observation area and re-adjusting conditions each time the instrument changes. For this reason, unless there is a clear reason not to, our standard approach is to use JEM-ARM200F from the start to acquire HAADF-STEM images at low magnification, combine this with STEM-EDS mapping as needed to relate morphology and composition, and then narrow down the target area.

In choosing an instrument, it is important to consider not just the equipment’s hourly rate, but the total working time to obtain the target data, the total cost, the risk of specimen damage, and the reliability of data acquisition.

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Self-Use as the Basic Operating Policy

The Division is not a contract-analysis facility that performs measurements on behalf of users exclusively; it operates as a user facility where users themselves operate the equipment to carry out their research. Accordingly, where a user can acquire the necessary skills, self-use is our basic approach.

Self-use offers the following advantages:

• You can use the equipment you need for only as long as you need it
• The researcher who best understands the specimen can choose the observation area
• You can change the next observation/analysis conditions on the spot, depending on the results
• Technical support fees can be kept down
• Continued use accumulates specimen-preparation, observation, and analysis skills and experience within your lab

Especially for research specimens whose observation conditions have not been established, having the researcher directly involved in observation allows on-the-spot decisions about which target phase or area to select and whether additional observation/analysis is needed. Self-use is therefore advantageous not only in terms of cost, but also in obtaining data appropriate to the research purpose.

TEM Training and How We Think About Proficiency

The Division provides standardized skills training and license certification in the basic operations needed to use the shared TEMs safely, without causing equipment trouble, and by following the prescribed procedures on your own.

At the same time, mastering equipment operation is not the same thing as being able to obtain the data your research actually needs.

Actual TEM observation requires selecting the observation area, judging the specimen’s condition, adjusting orientation to a zone axis or two-beam condition, setting imaging, electron diffraction, and STEM conditions, setting EDS/EELS analysis conditions, and then deciding the next observation direction based on the results obtained. Because these depend heavily on the material system and the research purpose, it is difficult to standardize lab-specific observation know-how as common training content.

For this reason, after completing the equipment-operation training, it becomes important to accumulate material-specific observation and analysis experience through attended observation sessions with your own research specimens and continued self-use.

License certification does not certify the ability to observe and analyze any specimen; it certifies that a user can safely operate the shared equipment on their own, within a defined scope.

Safe Use and Upkeep of the Shared TEMs

A TEM is a precision analytical instrument built from a high-voltage power supply, a high-vacuum system, a precision specimen stage, various apertures, a specimen holder, and highly sensitive detectors. A mistaken operation can not only halt the instrument temporarily but also damage the vacuum system, specimen stage, or detectors, resulting in extended downtime.

Past training materials used by the Division illustrate the potential impact of operational accidents on the equipment with examples such as: about ¥3 million for EDS detector damage, about ¥1 million for a deformed specimen holder, tens of thousands to about ¥1 million for aperture/vacuum-system damage, and a possible ¥5-10 million for burn-in of a camera detector.

These figures are not current repair estimates or amounts that would be charged to a user; they are examples used in past skills training to explain the scale of impact equipment damage can have. Actual handling of failures and any associated costs are determined case by case, based on the cause, the circumstances, and applicable regulations.

For this reason, our skills training covers not only operating procedures but also in-house operating rules, specimen conditions, checking the vacuum state, inserting/withdrawing the specimen holder, protecting the detectors, and how to respond to abnormal situations.

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How Equipment Usage Fees Are Set for a Shared Facility

The Division’s equipment usage fees are set based on the university’s lending/fee-calculation standards, using the costs required to maintain and operate the equipment and an estimated number of usage hours as the basis.

Conceptually, this can be expressed as unit usage cost ≈ annual maintenance/operating cost ÷ estimated usage hours.

Annual maintenance/operating costs include maintenance contracts, repairs, electricity, cooling water, air conditioning, and similar items. The unit cost also varies depending on how the annual usage hours are estimated: the same maintenance cost yields a different unit price depending on whether the calculation is based closer to the theoretical maximum available hours, actual operating hours, or billable hours.

The Division uses an estimated usage time roughly midway between billable hours and actual operating hours, and does not recover the full cost of maintenance and operation through equipment usage fees alone. Nor is the fee set to include a profit margin.

Where fees differ from other facilities, this can reflect not only equipment prices but also differences in how maintenance costs are borne, institutional subsidies, and the method used to estimate usage hours. For detailed calculation grounds and financial figures, please refer to the Division’s published materials.

How Technical Support Fees Are Determined for Requested Use

The Division operates on the basis of self-use, and its staffing is not structured around requested analysis as the main business. In self-use, the user performs equipment operation, searches for observation areas, and judges observation/analysis conditions, so staff time is not continuously tied up in these tasks. Requested specimen preparation and requested observation/analysis, on the other hand, require the assigned staff member to secure dedicated working time for each case.

The technical support fee is set based on the idea of charging, roughly, the portion of hourly staff labor cost corresponding to the time the assigned staff member’s schedule is committed to the requested work. Whereas the equipment usage fee relates to the cost of maintaining and operating the equipment, the technical support fee has the character of a cost for securing human resources that would not normally be needed for self-use.

At present, the Division has no dedicated technical staff member assigned, and faculty must also prioritize equipment management and maintaining the shared-use environment. If requested observation and analysis were accepted free of charge on an ongoing basis under this staffing, we could not handle every request and would be forced to select which cases to accept, which would make fair shared use difficult. For this reason, requested use and technical support are handled mainly under the CINTS/ARIM support framework, with a set technical support fee corresponding to the scope of support provided.

For requested specimen preparation by FIB, even during automated processing, checking the processing state, judging progress, responding to abnormalities, and changing conditions as needed are all required, and the assigned staff member cannot fully step away from the case to other work. For this reason, in principle, the Division counts the FIB equipment usage time and the technical support time as the same duration for requested use.

On the other hand, when a self-use user normally operates the equipment themselves and requests technical support only for a specific step, only the time actually spent providing support is counted as technical support time, so equipment usage time and technical support time do not necessarily match.

How Joint Research Relates to Requested Use

TEM observation and analysis can also be carried out as joint research, but joint research is not a fee scheme that substitutes for requested analysis.

Whether to accept a joint research proposal is decided case by case by the faculty member, taking into account the research content, its academic significance, the faculty member’s expertise, and the balance with their research, education, and equipment-management duties. Unlike ordinary shared-facility use, not every case that meets certain conditions is automatically accepted.

Equipment usage fees and the like also apply in principle even for joint research. The main difference from ordinary requested use is that, beyond equipment operation and data acquisition, the faculty member is involved as a co-researcher in the research plan, the observation/analysis policy, data analysis, and the academic interpretation of the results.

ARIM/CINTS Shared-Use Support and External Use

External use also requires equipment operating time and staff time, and it does use a portion of the shared facility’s finite usage capacity. At the same time, when evaluating the Division’s shared-use system, it is not appropriate to consider the equipment time occupied by external use in isolation.

The Division’s core equipment includes instruments installed through ARIM and its predecessor projects. Staff assigned under the ARIM/CINTS project also provide the technical support, and revenue from equipment usage fees and technical support fees contributes, as a result, to the stable maintenance and operation of the shared facility as a whole.

Accordingly, when considering the impact of external use, the relevant comparison is not “the current equipment, staffing, and funding maintained while only external use is removed,” but rather “what the situation would be without the equipment, staffing, and funding support provided through ARIM/CINTS.”

The Division publishes information on the funding for equipment and on its finances. Please refer to the published materials for details.

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Ways to Reduce Your Usage Cost

The key to reducing usage cost is not simply comparing the per-hour rate of different instruments, but reducing the total amount of specimen preparation, equipment use, and technical support needed to obtain the target data.

1. Make Use of Self-Use

When the user handles equipment operation, choice of observation area, and observation/analysis condition judgments, technical support fees can be kept down and the equipment can be used only for the time actually needed. Because the researcher can judge the observation results on the spot, this is advantageous not only in terms of cost but also for the speed of research decision-making.

2. Build Up Specimen-Preparation Conditions Within Your Own Lab

When continuously handling the same or a similar material, it is effective to establish specimen-preparation conditions – for dispersion, mechanical polishing, electropolishing, ion milling, and so on – within your own lab and accumulate them as a reproducible procedure. If specimen preparation can be done in-house, you can concentrate your use of the shared facility on the observation/analysis steps you actually need it for.

3. Clarify the Purpose of Observation/Analysis

Making your research question concrete when making a request can reduce time spent searching observation areas and performing unnecessary analysis. For example, it helps to clarify what information you need in specific terms, such as “is there a compositional difference at this interface” or “is this particle crystalline” or “I want to confirm the precipitation morphology of a specific phase.”

4. Standardize Conditions for the Same Material System

Continuously handling similar specimens allows you to accumulate FIB processing conditions, criteria for selecting observation areas, methods for adjusting crystal orientation, imaging conditions, and EDS/EELS analysis conditions. When handling multiple specimens, establishing the specimen-preparation and observation conditions on a representative specimen first, and then applying the same conditions to the rest, can reduce trial and error.

5. Choose an Instrument That Is Adequate for the Purpose

If you have sufficient experience with the material system and observation method, choosing among JEM-2100plus, JEM-2000EXII, EM-002B, and similar instruments as appropriate can sometimes let you obtain the data you need without using JEM-ARM200F. On the other hand, for a requested specimen whose observation conditions have not been established, trying instruments in order from the lowest usage fee does not necessarily reduce the total cost.

6. Check Available Support Programs

Tohoku University has support programs for shared-facility use aimed at, among others, early-career researchers. Since the content and eligibility of such programs can change, please check the latest program information when considering use.

For labs that use TEM on an ongoing basis, building up specimen-preparation and observation/analysis skills in-house, and using the shared facility only for the steps that are truly needed, is what reduces total cost.
Beyond fees, the Division recommends self-use wherever possible, from the standpoint of the quality of the researcher’s own judgment and the accumulation of skills within your lab.

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Before You Contact Us

It is fine to contact us even if you have not yet decided on a specimen-preparation method or which instrument to use.

When you do, please let us know, as far as possible:

• What you want to find out from your research
• What kind of specimen it is
• What location, phase, or interface you want to observe
• What specimen-preparation/observation steps your lab can carry out
• Any known processing conditions or past observation results

Based on this information, we will consider the combination of specimen-preparation method, instrument, and self-use/attended support/requested use that best fits your case.

Rather than choosing the cheapest instrument, judge by the total amount of work and total cost needed to obtain the data you want.

For related information, please also see our FAQ, “TEM Observation, Sample Preparation, and Usage Fees: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).”

※ This post was created by an AI agent.