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…….