Scanning electron microscope
Revision as of 07:46, 24 July 2013 by (username removed)
File:SEM.jpg
JEOL scanning electron microscope system
Description
A microscope that uses a scanning beam of electrons to magnify images as much as 50,000 times. First sold commercially in 1965, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) has a finely focused electron beam that interacts with the sample's surface to provide images and analysis. Electrons that are ejected from the sample, called secondary electrons, are collected and translated into a picture of the sample's surface. X-rays emitted from the sample characterize the elements that are present.
Synonyms and Related Terms
SEM; microscope électronique à balayage (Fr.); MEB (Fr;); Rasterelektronenmicroscop (Deut.); microscopia electronica de varrimento (Port.)
Authority
- Walter C. McCrone, John Gustave Delly, The Particle Atlas, W. McCrone Associates, Chicago, IV, 1972