HISTORY

Nagoya University installed Japan’s first 500,000-volt electron microscope at the School of Science in 1965. In 1972, the School of Engineering introduced a 1 million-volt electron microscope followed by a 1.25 million-volt ultra-high voltage electron microscope in 1982. The technologies gained during the development of the first electron microscope triggered subsequent research and development of ultra-high voltage electron microscopes, which culminated in the adoption of Japanese electron microscopes of the same type around the globe. Research of ultra-high voltage electron microscopes continues to flourish today.

Research on ultra-high voltage electron microscopes conducted at Nagoya University is characterized by its wide-ranging applied research fields and the joint development of new equipment in collaboration between researchers who advance applied research and those who develop ultra-high voltage equipment. The ultra-high voltage equipment installed in 1982 was equipped with a scanning functionality, high permeability, and excellent detection efficiency. It offers high performance in observations and analyses, including amorphous specimen observations without specimen damage and analyses of minute and local areas. As such, this microscope attracts much international attention as it offers functionalities that complement the capabilities of conventional equipment. Nagoya University has shared such equipment within the University and has realized many outstanding research outcomes. The University also serves as a key microscope center in the Tokai area. With the addition of a reaction science high-voltage scanning transmission electron microscope, Nagoya University’s role will be enhanced as a next-generation nanomaterial analysis center.

The High Voltage Electron Microscope Laboratory (HVEM) is operated as a joint use facility that belongs to the Institute of Materials and Systems for Sustainability (IMaSS) of Nagoya University.