Low-temperature scanning electron microscopy for studying inhomogeneities in thin-film high-T c superconductors

Low-temperature scanning electron microscopy can provide important information on the local superconducting properties of thin-iilm high-T_c superconductors. The principle of this method is outlined, including the spatial resolution limit. The spatial variations observation of the local values of the critical temperature and of the critical current density represent highly important applications of this method. The spatial variations of flux pinning and flux flow can be also studied.