Sample Dimensions: <2.5cm in diameter, <3cm tall, no magnetic samples
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) uses an electron beam than scans across a sample, allowing for much higher magnifications compared to optical microscopy. The electrons are reflected off the sample (either elestically or ineleastically) and collected by a detector, yielding an image. The MILL currently owns two benchtop SEM systems: an older Phenom ProX and a new PhenomXL G2 (acquired May 2021). Both SEMs have backscattered electron detectors (BSD) for imaging and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) systems for elemental identification. The new PhenomXL contains an additional secondary electron detector (SED), which gives the images it captures better depth of field.
