Our new JEOL JSM IT800HL Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) is equipped with several detectors and software options that allow for imaging at a range of scales, from features <10 nm in size, through to large-scale mapping of samples several cm across (please see separate page on large scale mapping).
Secondary Electron Imaging
Below are a series of images of frustules, intricately patterned shells made of biogenic opal (hydrated SiO2) produced by Diatoms, a type of phytoplankton. These images reveal structures in these shells at scales of ~10 nm.
These images represent an example of the image resolution achieved by Secondary Electron imaging in the ‘standard’ operating mode of the JEOL JSM IT800HL. Even higher resolution images can, however, be achieved by utilizing smaller working distance and our in-lens ‘Upper-Electron Detector’ as seen in the images below.
Backscatter Electron Imaging
If you’re interested in first-order estimates of sample chemistry, and/or identifying chemical zoning within your samples, our retractable Backscatter Electron Detector (BSE) can provide high quality images of features larger than ~100-200nm. Most BSE imaging on our instrument focuses on larger-scale features such as zoning in magmatic crystals as shown below (orthopyroxene crystal from Mauna Loa, Hawai’i, with both sector zoning and core-rim zoning).
Cathodoluminescence Imaging
Out JEOL JSM IT800HL SEM is equipped with a retractable Deben Centaurus Cathodoluminescence detector. This technique works by detecting luminescence form minerals or other materials that are ‘stimulated’ by the electron beam. It is an incredible powerful technique in many fields allowing for visualization of crystal defects, twinning, and growth zoning (e.g., in zircon as shown below). Cathodoluminescence can be especially useful in minerals where the CL signal is controlled by the concentration of trace components, which cannot be easily detected by other SEM-based techniques.
