resolving power

The term of "resolution" of the secondary electron image or the backscattered electron image for morphological observation has meant the spatial resolution, that is, the minimum distance between two adjacent points at which these points appear to be distinguished. In the case of X-ray spectroscopy using the energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) or the wavelength dispersive X-ray spectrometer (WDS), the resolution has meant the energy resolution, that is, the minimum energy of a spectral peak that can be resolved.
However recently for the definition of the SEM spatial resolution, a new approach by which the sharpness of the image is converted into a numeral, has been gradually introduced.

Related Term(s)