Low Magnification Photography with the SEM

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) can be used to take good, three dimensional, black and white photographs of small objects or subjects. An example that most people are familiar with are the numerous photographs published in the news media (when they haven't anything better to report) of ticks, fleas, bedding mites, etc. Indeed at high magnifications, these "monsters" are fearsome.

An example of using an SEM in low magnification photography is shown in the following photograph. A piece of debris, presumably left in the patient's nasal cavity following surgery, is shown in Photograph A, taken with a digital camera.

Photograph A Overall view of a piece of debris left in a patient's nasal cavity.

Although the digital photograph shown in A above is very revealing, a much better three-dimensional view (although only in black and white) is shown in Photograph B.

Photograph B Scanning electron micrograph of debris left in nasal cavity (mag 20x).

This SEM photograph is at a magnification of 20x and shows the topography (shape) of the subject debris in great detail.

Another use of the SEM for low magnification photography was an investigation involving fuel clip failures from a truck fuel injector. An overall macroscopic photograph of a failed injector clip is shown in Photograph C.

Photograph C Overall view of a failed truck engine fuel injector clip.

An SEM view of the failed end of the fuel nozzle clip is shown in the SEM scanning electron micrograph shown in Photograph D.

Photograph D Scanning electron micrograph of the failed end of a fuel injector clip (mag 35x).

Even at a magnification of only 35x in Photograph D, it is evident that the fracture made is intergranular cracking.