Thin Films & Physics of Nanostructures

In operando analytical high resolution transmission electron microscopy

Group of Dr. Inga Ennen

My field of research is the advanced techniques of transmission electron microscopy, which make it possible to explore intricate details on the nanoscale. The possibility of using modern electron microscopy techniques to decipher the interplay between the microstructure and the magnetic properties of materials is fascinating and important for understanding and further improving, for example, spin-dependent electronic transport in thin films and nanostructures. One of my current topics is the investigation of the microstructure in stress-coupled thin film systems, especially in combination with martensitic phase transitions. In another project, we are exploiting the potential of combining magnetic imaging and micromagnetic simulations to decipher the switching behaviour of nanostructured magnetoresistance sensors. In order to obtain the most comprehensive picture possible, we combine the data from high-resolution TEM imaging with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and/or electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS/EFTEM) to determine the elemental composition, chiral electron energy loss dichroism (EMCD) for element-specific measurement of magnetic moments, differential phase contrast (DPC) for mapping the magnetic or electronic landscape of the sample and Lorentz microscopy for imaging of the domain walls and other state-of-the-art TEM-based techniques.

Please, do not hesitate to contact me (ennen@physik.uni-bielefeld.de) for further information.

Bachelor- and Masterthesis

Please contact me directly via email (ennen@physik.uni-bielefeld.de) to ask for the latest opportunities for bachelor's and master's theses.

PhD and PostDoc positions

All open positions can be found here.

Vita

Dr. Inga Ennen studied physics and completed her doctorate at the Bielefeld University. From 2009 to 2011, she worked as a research assistant in the group of Prof. Peter Schattschneider at the Vienna University of Technology. Here she explored new techniques in the field of EELS, enabling the measurement of magnetic spin and orbital moment at the highest resolution using a transmission electron microscope. In 2012, she returned to the “Thin Films and Physics of Nanostructures” group. In addition to sample preparation and maintenance of the electron microscope, her focus is on the application of modern TEM techniques to answer interdisciplinary research questions.

List of publications