The Hummingbird Scientific TEM MEMS Heating + Biasing Sample Holder enables simultaneous high-temperature heating and electrical biasing during in-situ TEM experiments. Microfabricated MEMS chips deliver closed-loop heating above 1000 °C with on-chip temperature sensing, while nine direct-chip electrical contacts support electrical biasing and measurements. Single- and double-tilt configurations provide orientability for a wide range of in-situ materials and device characterization workflows.
The system supports operando studies of semiconductor devices, battery materials, catalysts, phase-change materials, low-dimensional materials, nanoparticles, and thin films. Simultaneous heating and electrical biasing enable direct correlation of nanoscale structural, chemical, and electrical changes during phase transformations, electrical transport, nanoscale diffusion, and failure analysis.
From routine characterization to application-specific experiments, the platform is engineered to expand experimental capability as research evolves. Screw-free direct MEMS chip insertion streamlines sample loading. Standard MEMS Heating, Electrical Biasing, Heating + Biasing, and FIB lift-out MEMS chips support a broad range of experimental requirements, while cross-compatible MEMS chips enable seamless workflows across Hummingbird's TEM, SEM, and synchrotron X-ray platforms. Custom MEMS chip designs further expand the platform to support emerging materials, novel device architectures, and specialized in-situ applications.
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The TEM MEMS Heating + Biasing Sample Holder combines Hummingbird Scientific's in-house microfabricated MEMS chips, direct electrical contacts, and closed-loop temperature control to create a stable platform for simultaneous in-situ heating and electrical biasing inside the TEM. Samples are mounted directly onto a MEMS chip and inserted into the holder using a screw-free loading mechanism, enabling fast, reproducible experiment setup.
During operation, the MEMS microheater delivers temperatures up to above 1000 °C, while on-chip 4-point resistance sensing enables closed-loop temperature control for stable real-time imaging and analysis. Heating + Biasing MEMS chips support simultaneous thermal and electrical stimulation, while biasing MEMS chips dedicate all nine contacts to electrical measurements when heating is not required.
The double-tilt configuration adds high-accuracy beta tilt controlled by dedicated tilting software, enabling precise sample orientation for diffraction, crystallographic, and analytical in-situ TEM experiments.
Load MEMS chips quickly with reliable electrical contact and simplified experiment setup
Perform low-noise in-situ electrical measurements with nine direct chip electrical contacts and individually shielded coaxial cables
Achieve stable high-temperature experiments with rapid MEMS heating and precise temperature control alongside concurrent biasing
Optimize sample orientation for atomic resolution, zone axis orientation, diffraction, crystallography, and analytical TEM workflows using the double-tilt holder configuration
Correlate heating, electrical biasing, and imaging data across TEM, SEM, and X-ray microscopy platforms
Keep experiments moving with in-stock MEMS chips for heating, electrical biasing, and advanced in-situ TEM characterization
Extend electrical characterization capabilities with specialized biasing hardware and chip configurations for up to 1 kV electrical biasing
Annealing of 2D MoS2 at different heating rates shows different phase transformations from MoS2 to either a highly ordered crystalline island structure that is composed of both 2H and 3R phases (a-c) or to nanocrystalline and amorphous regions (a,d-e).
Heating-rate-dependence of phase transformations in atomically thin MoS₂ observed by in-situ STEM
The Hummingbird Scientific TEM MEMS Heating + Biasing sample holder was used to directly visualize structural transformations in atomically thin MoS2 during controlled thermal annealing. Using aberration-corrected STEM and a high-frame rate camera, researchers tracked the evolution of the material at the atomic scale at different temperatures. The holder’s rapid and precisely controlled heating capability enabled comparison of equilibrium and non-equilibrium transformation pathways. Fast heating rates produced highly ordered sub-10 nm crystalline islands composed of mixed 2H and 3R phases, while slower heating resulted in nanocrystalline and amorphous structures. These observations revealed how sulfur evaporation and redeposition govern phase evolution in 2DMoS2, providing new insight into the synthesis and engineering of layered nanomaterials.
Reference: Pawan Kumar, et al. npj 2D Materials and Applications (2020).DOI: 10.1038/s41699-020-0150-2
Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Atomic-scale diffusion between two quantum dots heated to 650 °C in-situ inside the TEM using the Hummingbird Scientific TEM MEMS Heating + Biasing sample holder. Diffusion proceeds primarily through the bridge until the particles coalesce.
In-situ TEM atomic-scale diffusion between two quantum dots at high temperature
High-temperature in-situ TEM allows researchers to directly observe how nanoscale materials transform under thermal stimulus. In this video, two quantum dots are heated to 650 °C using the Hummingbird Scientific TEM MEMS Heating + Biasing sample holder. Atomic diffusion appears to occur primarily through the bridge between the particles and continues until the two particles coalesce into one larger particle.
This experiment demonstrates why real-time MEMS heating inside the TEM is valuable: researchers can connect temperature, nanoscale structure, diffusion pathway, and final morphology in a single operando experiment rather than relying only on post-mortem characterization.
Hummingbird Advantages
Reference: HBS internal/customer data provided by Pawan Kumar, Deep Jariwala, and Eric Stach at the University of Pennsylvania.
Spend less time managing equipment and more time generating results. Hummingbird Control™ Software provides intuitive control of heating and biasing functions, including temperature set points, closed-loop heating behavior, and voltage sweep workflows when configured with the system.
Hummingbird Connect™ can support the broader software strategy by connecting holder operation, microscope context, imaging workflows, and experiment metadata. Together, these software tools help improve reproducibility, experiment setup, data organization, and long-term usability for in-situ TEM heating and biasing experiments.
Hummingbird Scientific designs, machines, assembles, tests, and services its products in-house. Our integrated in-house engineering, precision manufacturing, microfabrication, software development, applications, and service teams enable rapid prototyping and iteration, custom modifications, and direct technical support throughout the life of the instrument. This vertically integrated approach allows researchers to adapt experimental platforms to unique scientific requirements while maintaining the performance and reliability required for advanced in-situ microscopy experiments.
The TEM MEMS Heating + Biasing Sample Holder reflects this engineering approach by combining MEMS-based heating, electrical biasing, and integrated holder, chip, and controller technologies into a unified platform for reproducible operando in-situ TEM experiments and advanced materials characterization.
Need something unique? Our engineers can customize existing products or develop new solutions to support specialized MEMS chip designs, electrical configurations, sample geometries, and emerging research challenges.
