0% found this document useful (0 votes)
30 views26 pages

Scanning Electron Microscope

This document provides information about a scanning electron microscope (SEM). It describes that an SEM uses a beam of electrons to generate signals from a sample's surface, allowing examination of morphology, microstructure, and composition. Key components discussed include the electron gun, electromagnetic lenses, detectors for secondary electrons and backscattered electrons, the sample chamber, sample preparation procedures, and the vacuum system. Applications include materials science, biology, and geology.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
30 views26 pages

Scanning Electron Microscope

This document provides information about a scanning electron microscope (SEM). It describes that an SEM uses a beam of electrons to generate signals from a sample's surface, allowing examination of morphology, microstructure, and composition. Key components discussed include the electron gun, electromagnetic lenses, detectors for secondary electrons and backscattered electrons, the sample chamber, sample preparation procedures, and the vacuum system. Applications include materials science, biology, and geology.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 26

Scanning Electron

Microscope
Prathap .A
BP220408
Chemistry department
What is SEM ?
• SEM= Scanning Electron Microscope
• Is a type of electronic microscope
• Uses to focus beam of high energy electrons to generate a variety of
signals at the surface of the solid specimens.
Usage Area
• Morphology
• Topology
• Microstructure studies
• Solid state physics
• Geology
• Biology
Principle
• When the accelerated primary
electron strick the sample , it
produce secondary electrons.
• These secondary electrons are
collected by a positive charge
electron detector. Which is turns
to give 3-dimensional image of
the sampling
Working procedure
• The beam of electron produced at the top of the microscope by
heating of a metallic filament.
• The electron beam follows a vertical path through the column of the
microscope .
• It makes way through electromagnetic lenses which focus and direct
the beam of electrons down towards the sample.
• Once it hits the sample, other electrons (backscattered & secondary)
are ejected from the sample .
• Detectors collect the secondary or backscattered electrons, and
converted them to a signal that is send to a viewing screen similar to
the one ordinary television .
Thermionic electron gun (tungsten filaments)
• W wire > 100 um in diameter and form a
v- shaped “hairpin” shape
• The electron gun fixed at the top of the
instrument
• Tungsten is popularly used as a filament
due to unique property
• it has a highest melting point 3422 c and
lower vapour pressure and higher
operating temperature.
• The higher voltage 1-40kv in the w
filament its produced highly accelerated
electrons that is primary electrons
Tungsten filament gun
• The highly accelerated electron is move towards the anode
• LaB6 (lanthanum hexa borate) CeB6 also used for an electron gun, it
is highly expensive and low resolution when compared with W.
Electro Magnetic Lens
• The electron optical system in the Scanning electron microscope
consists of electromagnetic lenses
• Lenses are used to produced clear and detail image
• condenser lens (reduces the diameter of the electron beam)
• Objective lens (focuses the electron beam into the sample)
• The diameter need to reduce to a probe size 0.5 um to 10 nm
Sample chamber
• Sem is so sensitive to vibration
that they are placed in bottom of
instrument
• The specimen get fix throughout
the analysis still produce image.
• They also manipulate a
specimen and placing in different
angles
Sample preparation
For organic materials
• Fixation (to preserve structure)
• Drying (moisture must be removed)
• coating (to conductive the sample)
For metals
• no need for preparation . For non metals need to be coated(sputter
coating)
Sputter coating
• Makes non metallic samples conductive
• Metal fall into sample and coat the material
• The commonly Carbon, Gold, Platinum, iridium ,chromium or some
other metal alloy
• Carbon – elemental analysis
• Metal coating- high resolution imaging application
• Coating depends on material properties i.e hardness ,beam sensitivity
• Thickness 5-10nm for low magnification 2-3nm for high resolution.
Spider with coating of gold
Detector
• A secondary electron detector or
SED is used to produce a
topographic Sem image
• It is used to detect the secondary
and backscattered electrons
• BSD a backscattered electron
detects elastically scattered
electrons
• The electrons in higher in energy
in the form of atoms below on
the sample surface
• BSD used its only allow lower
• Secondary electrons emitted from the specimen are detected using a
scintillator-photomultiplier, Everhart-Thornley detector
• The topographical aspects of a secondary electrons image depends on how
many of electrons reach the detector
• Low energy secondary electrons are emitted in all directions
• They are gather by a charge collector grid, which can be biased from -50 to
+300 v. this collects the secondary electrons towards the scintillator.
• The scintillator is a thin plastic disk coated with a short-persistence phosphor
that is highly efficient at converting the electrons into ultraviolet photons
(4000A)
• The response of time the phosphor is fast and permits high resolution
scanning.
• signals are collected and signals is amplified into display.
Vacuum Chamber
• An ultra high vacuum system is used in SEM in
order to avoid the scattering on the electron beam
and the contamination of the electron gun.
• The minimum pressure of 10-4 pa in the gun area
• In case absence of vacuum chamber
A. Electron filament would be damaged or
destroyed.
B. Other gas molecules would cause collisions with
electrons
C. Sample would react with gas
• The corresponding image shows turbo vacuum
system and also oil vacuum system is used
Limitation
• Sample must be solid
• Size of the analyte
I. vertically <40 mm
II. horizontally <100 mm
• Stable in vacuum
• Designed to prevent any electrical and magnetic interference
• Can not detect low elements (lighter than Na-11) like most of analysis
microscopy
Advantages
• High resolution and magnification
• 3-D Topographical imaging
• Compatible with PC technologies and software
• Fast Analysing
• Store data in digital from
• Easier sample preparation technique
Disadvantages
• Can not analysis fluid or gas compounds
• Expensive instrumentation
• Wasting time on sample preparation
• Constant voltage throughout the analysis
…….THANK YOU…….

You might also like