1. Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM) Sam de Poortere, Ariel Riveros, Lauren Kelly, Mariella Piacenti, Irina Erickson & Tom Hughes

2. Source of Image ● SEM stands for scanning electron microscope ● the SEM is a microscope that uses electrons instead of light to form an image

3. Type of Image The most common configuration for an SEM produces a single value per pixel, with the results usually rendered as black-and-white images. However, often these images are then colorized, in either true color or false color, by using a colour look-up table, through the use of feature-detection software, or simply by hand-editing using a graphics editor. SEM is a type of electron microscope that images the sample surface by scanning it with a high-energy beam of electrons in a raster scan pattern. The electrons interact with the atoms that make up the sample producing signals that contain information about the sample's surface topography, composition and other properties such as electrical conductivity,electron microscopeelectronselectrical conductivity

4. Magnification Magnification in a SEM can be controlled over a range of up to 6 orders of magnitude from about 10 to 500,000 times

5. Preparation of Specimen, Special Concerns, and Limitations ● Specimen must be coated in gold to prevent the accumulation of an electrostatic charge ● SEMs are very large and expensive and must be housed in a facility with no electric, magnetic, and vibration disturbances ● If specimens are not handled properly artifacts will show up in the image