We have developed a new HD-2700 (Hitachi High-Technologies Corp., Japan) scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) that includes an automatic aberration correction function, and a large-solid-angle energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy detector that enables high-resolution and sensitive analysis. For observation with atomic resolution, using spherical-aberration-corrected STEM, in order that satisfactory performance of the device can be achieved readily, and within a short time, irrespective of the operator's skill level, a spherical-aberration-correction device with an automatic aberration-correction function was developed. This automatic aberration-correction function carries out the entire correction-related process (aberration measurement, selection and correction) automatically, with automatic selection of the aberrations that require correction, and automatic measurement of the appropriate corrections.

In the present study, microstructural evolution in CuCrFeNi, CuCrFeNiMn, and CuCrFeNiMnAl alloys has been investigated. The as-cast CuCrFeNi alloy consists of a single fcc phase with the lattice parameter of 0.358 nm, while the as-cast CuCrFeNiMn alloy consists of (bcc+fcc1+fcc2) phases with lattice parameters of 0.287 nm, 0.366 nm, and 0.361 nm. The heat treatment of the cast CuCrFeNiMn alloy results in the different type of microstructure depending on the heat treatment temperature. At $900^{\circ}C$ a new thermodynamically stable phase appears instead of the bcc solid solution phase, while at $1,000^{\circ}C$, the heat treated microstructure is almost same as that in the as-cast state. The addition of Al in CuCrFeNiMn alloy changes the constituent phases from (fcc1+fcc2+bcc) to (bcc1+bcc2).

The reaction kinetics of the growth of Ni germanide in the Ni/Zr-interlayer/Ge system was investigated using isothermal in situ annealing at three different temperatures in a transmission electron microscope. The growth rate of Ni germanide in the Ni/Zr-interlayer/Ge system was determined to be diffusion controlled and depended on the square root of the time, with the activation energy of $1.04P{\pm}0.04eV$. For the Ni/Zr-interlayer/Ge system, no intermediate or intermixing layer between the Zr-interlayer and Ge substrate was formed, and thus the Ni germanide was formed and grew uniformly due to Ni diffusion through the diffusion path created in the amorphous Zr-interlayer during the annealing process in the absence of any intermetallic compounds. The reaction kinetics in the Ni/Zr-interlayer/Ge system was affected only by the Zr-interlayer.

Dark field (DF) transmission electron microscopy image has become a popular characterization method for two-dimensional material, graphene, since it can visualize grain structure and multilayer islands, and further provide structural information such as crystal orientation relations, defects, etc. unlike other imaging tools. Here we present microstructure of graphene, particularly, using DF imaging. High-angle grain boundary formation wass observed in heat-treated chemical vapor deposition-grown graphene on the Si substrate using patch-quilted DF imaging processing, which is supposed to occur by strain around multilayer islands. Upon the crystal orientation between layers the multilayer islands were categorized into the oriented one and the twisted one, and their local structure were compared. In addition information from each diffraction spot in selected area diffraction pattern was summarized.

The microstructural features of FeCoCrNi, FeCoCrNiAl and FeCoCrNiSix (x=0, 5, 10, 15, 20) alloys have been investigated in the present study. The microstructure of FeCoCrNi alloy changes dramatically with equiatomic addition of Al. The fcc irregular shaped grain structure in the as-cast FeCoCrNi alloy changes into the bcc interconnected structure with phase separation of Al-Ni rich and Cr-Fe rich phases in the as-cast FeCoCrNiAl alloy. The microstructure of FeCoCrNi alloy changes with the addition of Si. With increasing the amount of Si, the fcc structure of the grains is maintained, but new phase containing higher amount of Si forms at the grain boundary. As the amount of Si increases, the fraction the Si-rich grain boundary phase increases.