Significant technological advances in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been achieved over the past years. Different SEMs can have significant differences in functionality and performance. This work presents the perspectives on selecting an SEM for research on bulk inorganic materials. Understanding materials demands quantitative composition and orientation information, and informative and interpretable images that reveal subtle differences in chemistry, orientation/structure, topography, and electronic structure. The capability to yield informative and interpretable images with high signal-to-noise ratios and spatial resolutions is an overall result of the SEM system as a whole, from the electron optical column to the detection system. The electron optical column determines probe performance. The roles of the detection system are to capture, filter or discriminate, and convert signal electrons to imaging information. The capability to control practical operating parameters including electron probe size and current, acceleration voltage or landing voltage, working distance, detector selection, and signal filtration is inherently determined by the SEM itself. As a platform for various accessories, e.g. an energy-dispersive spectrometer and an electron backscatter diffraction detector, the properties of the electron optical column, specimen chamber, and stage greatly affect the performance of accessories. Ease-of-use and ease-of-maintenance are of practical importance. It is practically important to select appropriate test specimens, design suitable imaging conditions, and analyze the specimen chamber geometry and dimensions to assess the overall functionality and performance of an SEM. For an SEM that is controlled/operated with a computer, the stable software and user-friendly interface significantly improve the usability of the SEM. SCANNING 38:864-879, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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信息或分辨率：SEM 需要哪一项来研究大块无机材料？

在过去的几年中，扫描电子显微镜 (SEM) 的技术取得了重大进展。不同的 SEM 在功能和性能上可能存在显着差异。这项工作提出了选择 SEM 来研究散装无机材料的观点。了解材料需要定量的成分和方向信息，以及能够揭示化学、方向/结构、地形和电子结构方面细微差异的信息丰富且可解释的图像。产生具有高信噪比和空间分辨率的信息丰富且可解释的图像的能力是 SEM 系统作为一个整体的整体结果，从电子光学柱到检测系统。电子光学柱决定探针性能。检测系统的作用是捕捉、过滤或区分，并将信号电子转换为成像信息。控制实际操作参数的能力，包括电子探针尺寸和电流、加速电压或着陆电压、工作距离、探测器选择和信号过滤，本质上是由 SEM 本身决定的。作为能量色散光谱仪、电子背散射衍射检测器等各种附件的平台，电子光柱、样品室、载物台的性能对附件的性能影响很大。易于使用和易于维护具有实际意义。选择合适的测试样品、设计合适的成像条件并分析样品室的几何形状和尺寸以评估 SEM 的整体功能和性能实际上很重要。对于计算机控制/操作的扫描电镜，稳定的软件和友好的用户界面显着提高了扫描电镜的可用性。扫描 38:864-879, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.