Diatom under the helium ion microscope at HZDR. (IMAGE)

Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

Diatom under the helium ion microscope at HZDR.

Caption

The silicate framework of a diatom does not conduct electricity. For a scanning electron microscope image it would therefore have to be coated, which can result in details of the structure not being imaged. Thanks to the charge compensation in the helium ion microscope, this time-consuming and potentially damaging step is no longer necessary.

Credit

HZDR

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