Electron Microscope

Imagine looking at the Earth from the Moon and being able to distinguish the leaves on the trees. An **electron microscope** has a comparable approximation. With its help, scientists can observe samples with a resolution in **nano-meter units**, ie. billionths of a meter. How is it possible?



The **electron beam** emitted from the **cathode** is focused by a **capacitor** into the **aperture**, thereby determining the **magnitude of the electron beam current**. The **electron beam** is further corrected by a **stigmator** and its movement on the sample is ensured by **scanning coils**. Just before it hits the sample, the beam is focused by the objective so that the **electrons** on the sample **collide** in as small area as possible, called the **electron trace**. During scanning, the signals of **secondary** and **reflected electrons** are evaluated using **detectors**. These signals are rendered to the user in an image form on the monitor.



Today's **electron microscopes** are operated using powerful computers with special software. Despite the fact that these are very complex devices, their operation is relatively simple.



There are no colors in the **nanoworld** because **plating** is the most common method of sample preparation. Therefore, all **electron microscope** images are in shades of gray and, depending on further use, can be **colored** manually or by using an automatic program.



In addition to information about the structure of the sample surface, special detectors also make it possible to detect the **chemical composition** of the internal structure of the examined sample.