A new type of scanning electron microscope using the coaxial backscattered electrons.

A new coaxial detection system for backscattered electrons in SEM is described. This coaxial detection system allows us to collect only the backscattered electrons that have lost a small percentage of the primary energy, emerging from the sample surface with a take-off angle defined by the objective lens. This new configuration reinforces the atomic-number contrast and suppresses effectively the topographic contrast. The simulation and experimental results confirm these expectations: this new type of SEM is very suitable for observing differences in atomic number. Moreover, by associating the obtained image with a conventional secondary electron image, we build a third (color) image that allows us to give finally at the same time, in a single image, both of the chemical and topographic information.