scanning electron microscope
noun
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. Abbreviation: SEM
Origin of scanning electron microscope
First recorded in 1950–55
Words nearby scanning electron microscope
scandinavian shield,
scandium,
scandium oxide,
scanner,
scanning disk,
scanning electron microscope,
scanning force microscope,
scanning line,
scanning probe microscope,
scanning tunneling microscope,
scansion
British Dictionary definitions for scanning electron microscope
scanning electron microscope
noun
a type of electron microscope that produces a three-dimensional image
Medical definitions for scanning electron microscope
scanning electron microscope
[ skăn′ĭng ]
n.
An electron microscope that forms a three-dimensional image on a cathode-ray tube by moving a beam of focused electrons across an object and reading both the electrons scattered by the object and the secondary electrons produced by it.
Scientific definitions for scanning electron microscope
scanning electron microscope
[ skăn′ĭng ]
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.