Electron-Microscopy Introduction

Lab Work

For the following section, you will need to use the Scanning Electron Microscope Simulator.

Procedure:

1. Open the Scanning Electron Microscope Simulator.
2. Open the "All Samples" menu.
3. Click the "Scan" button on the simulator screen to scan the sample.
4. You can use the stage position controls to move the sample. You can also zoom in/out and adjust the brightness and contrast using the respective controls.
5. Record your observations about the sample.
6. Repeat steps 2-5, with five other samples, drawing diagrams of at least two different samples.

Evaluation:

1. Could a magnifying glass or a laboratory microscope have been just as effective? Why or why not?
2. What other tests might have been more economic? more time-efficient? less technologically dependent? more environmentally friendly? less collaborative? less fun?

Review:

1. From your research of SEMs, explain why is it necessary to place the sample on graphite paper?
2. Why can a wet sample not be used in a SEM?
3. Why does the SEM sample-chamber have to be evacuated with a vacuum pump?
4. Why can an SEM provide a more clear, more 3D focused, and more magnified image than a light microscope?