The first Cambridge scanning electron microscope (SEM), photographed at Cambridge University in 1953. The SEM was built following the decision of Sir Charles Oatley of the University's Engineering Department to commence a research project on scanning electron microscopy in 1948. The device was first used in 1951 to image a specimen of abraded mild steel at an angle of 30 degrees, using 25 KeV electrons. Further improvements enabled the first high-quality micrographs to be made, leading to the building of a fully engineered SEM in 1960. The first commercial SEM, the Stereoscan, was marketed by the Cambridge Instrument Company in 1965. Reference: MICROCOSMOS, page 189.