In contrast to light microscopy, which employs visible light, electron microscopy uses accelerated electron beams to illuminate and examine objects. Given that the wavelength of an electron could be 100,000 times shorter than that of visible light, the resolving power of electron microscopes is as low as 50 pm, whereas for light microscopes it is about 100 nm.

There are two major types of electron microscopes: Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEMs) and Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEMs). TEMs, which are used more in the life sciences, focus a beam of electrons through a finely cut sample. SEMs scan a beam of electrons across a rectangular area (so-called raster scanning) of a sample, which can range from microchips to living cells.

Upon electron bombardment of a specimen, the incoming electrons interact with atoms in the sample and lose energy. This energy is released in various forms, including secondary electrons, backscattered electrons, x-ray emission and heat. To construct an image, SEMs mainly rely on secondary electrons and backscattered electrons.

Since their inception in the 1930s and 1940s, electron microscopes have been designed to target high-end research applications. However, in response to growing number of customers seeking higher-resolution microscopy, tabletop SEMs entered the market in April 2005, led by Hitachi High-Technologies. With single-digit nanometer resolution, these instruments are less powerful than their full-size counterparts but more powerful than even the best light microscopes. Furthermore, they are cheaper, smaller and much easier to operate than traditional SEMs and TEMs.

Numerous industries deploy tabletop SEMs, including semiconductor and electronics, materials and metallurgy, life sciences, minerals and mining, industrial manufacturing, forensics, environmental testing and academia. In many cases, these devices are involved in the QA and QC processes for which an inspection, rather than a meticulous analysis, of the sample or product is required.

The total market for tabletop SEMs was close to $100 million in 2016. Although this segment comprises less than 5% of the total electron microscopy market, it grew 9.0% last year. The growth is driven by ever-tightening regulatory requirements across industries, increasing standards in developing countries, in particular, China, and the popularity of nanotechnologies.

The top supplier of tabletop SEMs is Hitachi High-Technologies, offering two lines of products, the TM3030 and TM3030Plus. The second leading competitor, Phenom, provides a more diversified product portfolio, addressing different market niches with each. The company sells the Phenom Pure model for entry-level customers, the Phenome Pro and Phenome XL as the standard models, the Phenome ProX model for x-ray analysis, the Phenome GSR model for forensics applications, and the Delphi, which combines fluorescence and electron microscopy. JEOL released the third generation of its desktop SEM product, the JCM-6000Plus NeoScope, in August 2015. The big three, Hitachi High-Technologies, JEOL and Phenom, together control over 50% of the market. Other major suppliers are Keysight Technologies, Nikon and Seron Technologies.

Tabletop SEM at a Glance:

• Leading Suppliers:

  • Hitachi High-Technologies
  • Phenom
  • JEOL

• Largest Markets:

  • Electronics
  • Materials
  • Academia 

• Instrument Cost

  • $35,000­­–$125,000