scanning electron microscope

noun

1. a device in which the specimen is examined point by point directly in a moving electron beam, and electrons reflected by the specimen are used to form a magnified, three-dimensional image on a television screen. : SEM

scanning electron microscope

noun

1. a type of electron microscope that produces a three-dimensional image

scanning electron microscope

/ skăn′ĭng /

1. An electron microscope that moves a narrowly focused beam of electrons across an object and detects the patterns made by the electrons scattered by the object and the electrons knocked loose from the object. From these patterns a three-dimensional image of the object is created.

Word History and Origins

Origin of scanning electron microscope¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

To make the map, the teams sliced donated tissue into 5,300 sections, each 30 nanometers thick, and imaged them with a scanning electron microscope at a resolution of 4 nanometers.

From Singularity Hub