Selected Area Electron Diffraction

Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) is a crystallographic technique in transmission electron microscopy that obtains electron diffraction patterns from micron-sized or sub-micron crystalline regions. Developed from fundamental principles of electron wave behavior and integrated into TEM instruments by the mid-20th century, SAED enables direct observation of reciprocal space, crystal symmetry, and defect structures with spatial resolution unattainable by X-ray diffraction. It is essential for studying local crystal structure, phase identification, and characterizing nanoscale materials.