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SEM & FIB microscopies

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) enables us to produce images of a sample surface, with a magnification of up to 1,000,000 times and a resolution in the nanometer range.

This microscope uses an electron beam to scan the surface of the sample, point by point. The electron-matter interaction then generates different emissions (electrons and photons), collected by detectors and used to create an image of the sample surface.

SEM is also very useful for related peripheral techniques, such as Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), which provides information on the chemical elements present in the sample and their respective masses.

With its dual ion and electron column, the FIB (Focused Ion Beam) allows the observation of the sample by conventional scanning electron microscopy and/or subjecting it to ion beam abrasion (surface machining of the sample), in particular for the preparation of thin sections which will then be characterized by TEM microscopy.

Our SEM and FIB instruments

Zeiss Crossbeam 550L SEM-FIB

JEOL JSM 7600F FEG-SEM

JEOL JSM 5800LV SEM

Zeiss Merlin FEG-SEM

Zeiss Leo 1450VP SEM

Keyence VHX 2000 digital microscope

Zeiss Axio Imager optical microscope

To know the rates and have access to our SEM & FIB instruments, please contact us by email:

The SEM/FIB equipment is part of CIMEN (Centre Interdisciplinaire de Microscopie Electronique de Nantes).

Nantes-based research organizations Arc’Antique, Mines-Télécoms and the Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences took part in the renewal of the SEM/EDS equipment (Lombarderie Campus). They are among the companies that regularly use PLASSMAT electron microscopes, as well as CEISAM, ISOMer and SUBATECH.

Collaboration with the RMeS laboratory (Laboratoire Médecine Régénératrice et Squelette) to develop methods for 3D visualization of biomaterials for bone regeneration (FIB and SEM under cryogenic conditions).

Examples and applications

Example of a 3D SEM/FIB study

Microalgae upgrading involves a filtration step to separate biomolecules which will have a variety of uses, from food supplements to green fuels, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The membranes performance is essential in this process, as they must not become clogged with filtered products.

Characterization of polymer membranes using 3D FIB acquisition enables us to detail pore structure and the behavior of filtered products in their structure by visualizing the interior of the material they are made of. To achieve this, the FIB ion beam successively abrades a large number of material layers, while the electron beam images these layers as it abrades. The result is a stack of images which, when reassembled by software, provides a 3D view of the volume explored, enabling dimensional measurements of porosity.

Example of EBSD study on SEM/FIB

Joining thick parts by welding generates unwanted deformations and stresses. The lifespan of the assembly is affected, as is its quality. Electron BackScattered Diffraction (EBSD) was used to characterize the weld microstructure after using different mix of stainless steel filler metals, whose different coefficients of expansion can enhance the studied defects. The results showed the effectiveness of a three-phase mixture (austenite, ferrite and martensite) in reducing unwanted deformations by 67%.

Example of an EDS study with the 5800LV: EDS mapping

The recycling of radioisotopes of iodine, a highly volatile element, has not yet been mastered. One solution seems to be immobilization in a glass-ceramic under high-pressure conditions. The 5800LV was used to characterize the solutions tested at the Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences de Nantes and highlight the different chemical phases, after coating and polishing the samples. The EDS detector carried out elemental mapping of chemical elements, highlighting the existence and distribution of iodinated chemical compounds in the glass, which could solve the problem.