ABSTRACT
Performing scanning electron microscopy on a sample is generally a relatively undemanding task. Only one surface of the sample must be accessible, so there is no major constraint on the sample size. However, as we saw in Chapter 5, the spatial resolution of microanalysis is limited, both in the SEM and the electron microprobe, not by the size of the electron probe but by the volume of the sample into which the probe diffuses. We also saw the difficulties associated with performing quantitative analysis on anything but carefully prepared polished surfaces.
