Focused high-voltage electron beams in material science

High-voltage electron microscopes (HVEMs) have become well established instruments in material science during the past three decades. Apart from the high penetration strength which permits investigations of comparatively thick specimen foils, HVEMs provide the means for a variety of in situ specimen manipulations such as heating, cooling, deformation and large angle tilting, which are the basis for a wide range of applications. Four examples will be discussed: (1) imaging with atomic resolution with the Stuttgart JEOL ARM1250 microscope; (2) the detailed study of the displacement process of crystal atoms from their regular lattice sites; (3) electron channelling, which can supply information about the location of specific atoms in crystal lattices; (4) the emission of coherent bremsstrahlung from small crystal areas.