Scanning Electron Microscopy
| PhenomXL G2 SEM | Phenom ProX G5 SEM | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 | ||
| Magnification Range: | 160x to 200,000x | 40,000x to 100,000x | |
| Accelerating Voltages: | 4.8kV to 20kV (advanced mode) | 5, 10, or 15kV | |
| Feature Resolution: | < 50nm | < 500nm | |
| Detectors: | Secondary (SED) & Backscatter (BSD) | Backscatter only | |
| Capabilities: | EDS, AIM, 3DRR | EDS | |
| Sample Dimensions: | < 10cm in diameter, <4cm tall | < 2.5cm in diameter, <3cm tall |
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.