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Gulf Coast Repository

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)

Overview

Thumbnail image of scanning electron microscopes The SEC SNE-4500M Plus and the HITACHI TM3000 scanning electron microscopes (SEM) generate high-magnification images by scanning a focused electron beam across a specimen within a vacuum or low vacuum chamber. These instruments are used to examine surface morphology, microstructural features, and compositional contrast at the microscale across a wide range of samples.

Instrument Make & Model

SEC SNE-4500M Plus
HITACHI TM3000

Estimated Measurement Time

  • Sample Preparation: 5–45 mins/sample
  • Sample Measurement: SEM measurement time varies depending on sample type, preparation requirements, and the level of analytical detail required. Rapid imaging sessions may take only a few minutes, while more detailed analyses involving multiple magnifications, areas of interest, or high-resolution imaging can require several hours per sample.

Measurement Resolution

SEC SNE-4500M PLUS

  • Highest resolution: 5–8 nm
  • Magnification: 20x to ~150,000x

HITACHI TM3000

  • Highest resolution: 30 nm
  • Magnification: 15x to ~30,000x

Principles & Analytical Capabilities

SEC SNE-4500M PLUS

The SNE-4500M PLUS is a high-performance scanning electron microscope designed for advanced imaging of a wide range of materials. It is equipped with secondary (SE) and backscatter (BSE) electron detectors, providing high resolution surface and compositional contrast imaging. The system supports “live” magnification up to 150,000× and operates in both high and low vacuum modes.

The instrument has a fully motorized 5-axis (XYZTR) stage, with tilt from –45° to 90° and full 360° rotation, allowing precise positioning and repeatable imaging through sample coordinate memory. Stage travel accommodates samples up to 20 mm × 20 mm × 40 mm, with full coverage for specimens up to 80 × 80 × 35 mm.

Additional capabilities include variable apertures, software-controlled spot size, and automated focus and brightness control, and multiple imaging modes (SE, BSE, dual, and composite). Images can be captured at resolutions up to 5120 × 3840 pixels.

Hitachi TM3000

The Hitachi TM3000 is a tabletop SEM designed for rapid observation and evaluation of samples with minimal preparation. It operates under low-vacuum conditions and uses an electron beam accelerated at 5 or 15 kV, allowing imaging of non-conductive samples without coating in many cases.

The TM3000 is equipped with a high-sensitivity semiconductor backscattered electron detector optimized for compositional contrast imaging. The specimen chamber accommodates samples up to 70 mm in diameter and 50 mm in thickness, with stage motion in the X and Y directions. Image acquisition supports two save modes: a quick-save option at 640 × 480 pixels and a standard save option at 1280 × 960 pixels.

Data Generated

Image files:

  • SEC SNE-4500M PLUS
    • JPG: scanning electron microscope image (available as PNG, BMP, or TIFF upon request)
  • Hitachi TM3000
    • JPG: scanning electron microscope image (available as BMP or TIFF upon request)

Raw files:

  • SEC SNE-4500M PLUS
    • Metadata file (TXT): instrument settings and image metadata
  • Hitachi TM3000
    • Metadata file (TXT): instrument settings and image metadata

Data Example

Graph of scanning electron microscopes images of foraminifera from Hole U1617A.
Scanning electron microscopes images of foraminifera from Hole U1617A of IODP Expedition 402 in the Tyrrhenian Sea.1

Procedures & Manuals

References

1  Malinverno, A., Zitellini, N., Estes, E. R., Abe, N., Akizawa, N., Bickert, M., Cunningham, E. H., Di Stefano, A., Filina, I. Y., Fu, Q., Gontharet, S. B. L., Kearns, L. E., Koorapati, R. K., Lei, C., Loreto, M. F., Magri, L., Menapace, W., Morishita, T., Pandey, A., … Zhao, X. (2025). IODP Expedition 402 Scanning electron microscope images [Data set]. International Ocean Discovery Program. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15238680