Give a brief description of applications of SEM.
Answers
A scanning electron microscope, or SEM, is a powerful microscope that uses electrons to form an image. It allows for imaging of conductive samples at magnifications that cannot be achieved using traditional microscopes. Modern light microscopes can achieve a magnification of ~1,000X, while typical SEM can reach magnifications of more than 30,000X. Because the SEM doesn’t use light to create images, the resulting pictures it forms are in black and white.
Conductive samples are loaded onto the SEM’s sample stage. Once the sample chamber reaches vacuum, the user will proceed to align the electron gun in the system to the proper location. The electron gun shoots out a beam of high-energy electrons, which travel through a combination of lenses and apertures and eventually hit the sample.