The diagram in Figure 1 shows the major components of an SEM. These components are part of seven primary operational systems: vacuum, beam generation, beam manipulation, beam interaction, detection, signal
processing, and display and record. These systems function together tode termine the results and qualities of a
micrograph such as magnification, resolution, depth of field, contrast, and brightness. The majority of the course is spent discussing these seven systems.
A brief description of each system follows: