Scanning Electron Microscopes

compiled by Luke Portera (lportera3)

This page seeks to explain the principle behind scanning electron microscopes. Scanning Electron Microscopes are widely used in biologically based research in order to create high definition photos of microscopic subjects.

The Main Idea

Scanning Electron Microscopes create high definition photos of these microscopic subjects by exposing them to a constant ray of electrons. When exposed to this beam of electrons, the subjects emit secondary electrons which are in turn detected and captured via image.

A brief Summary

Manfred Von Ardenne captured the first image of a microscopic subject using the Scanning Electron technique. Scanning Electron Microscopes are one of the most widely used scanning microscopes because they eliminate what is known as chromatic aberration. Chromatic aberration is when the lens of the microscope does not capture all colors emitted when the subject is exposed to an electron beam.

A Mathematical Model

For the electrons to be emitted, the machine must first create a potential across two surfaces that causes the electrons to move in a concentrated beam. We learned the equation for potential difference:

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