Abstract

The application of different scanning electron microscopy techniques such as cathodoluminescence, scanning electron acoustic microscopy, and the secondary electron mode, to study structural and physical properties of high critical temperature superconductors are discussed. When all the mentioned techniques are considered the results show that scanning electron microscopy can provide space resolved information of different features as phase distribution, inhomogeneity in oxygen content, optical transitions. structural transitions at different temperatures or behavior in the superconducting transition. As in the case of semiconductors, scanning electron microscopy can become a powerful characterization technique tor high-temperature superconductors.