Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons

Macro photo from under a microscope Copyright: © GFE - Central Facility for Electron Microscopy

From nanotechnology to the newest materials, from energy engineering to memory chips – the capacity for new innovations requires targeted insight into the atomic world, since the interactions of individual atoms determine the traits of materials and elements. The Ernst Ruska Centre provides researchers from science and industry with access to the most powerful electron miscroscopes of our time.

Insights into the Nanoworld: Infrastructure & Methods for the Material Science of Tomorrow

In order to develop high-performance materials, researchers must look in small unimagineable areas, beyond nanometers, in fractions of a millionth millimeter. To accomplish this, they need maximum resolution microscopes.

Insights into the Nanoworld: Infrastructure & Methods for the Material Science of TomorrowForschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen have jointly run the Ernst Ruska Center for high resolution microscopy and spectroscopy with electrons since 2004.

The center provides researchers from science and industry with access to the most powerful electron miscroscopes of our time and enables them to further develop future technology such as nanoelectronics.

The national center of excellence, situated on the campus of Forschungszentrum Jülich, works closely together with the German Research Foundation (DFG), guaranteeing not only proximity to the university but also a focus on application.

Fifty percent of the time the ER-C is available to universities, research institutions, and the industry. The remaining time is allotted to RWTH Aachen and Forschungszentrum Jülich.

PICO Enables Hitherto Imposible Insights into the Structure of Matter

On February 20, 2012 the Ernst Ruska Center has a new electron microscope with unique capabilities: "PICO" achieves a record resolution of fifty picometers, i.e. fifty billionths of a millimeter, making it possible for researchers from academia and industry to investigate atomic structures with the highest possible presision. This opens up opportunities for progress in arease such as energy research and information technologies.

With PICO, RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich, which jointly operate the Center, continue to strengthen their position at the forefront of ultrahigh-resolution electron microscopy.

Funding of about €15 million for PICO, further scientific devices and a new building was provided by the German federal government, the federal state of NRW, the German Research foundation (DFG), and the Helmholtz Association.

Electron microscope
PICO Electron Microscope