[en] A suspended-thin-sample (STS) approach for signal selection and contrast separation is developed in scanning electron microscopes with commonly used primary beam energies and traditional detectors. Topography contrast, electron channeling contrast and composition contrast are separated and largely enhanced from suspended thin samples of several hundred nanometers in thickness, which is less than the escape depth of backscattered electrons. This imaging technique enables to detect relatively pure secondary electron and elastic backscattered electron singles, whereas suppress multiple inelastic scattering effects. The provided contrast features are different from those of bulk samples, which are largely mixed with inelastic scattering effects. The STS imaging concept and method could be expected to have more applications in distinguishing materials of nanostructures, multilayers, compounds and composites, as well as in SEM-based electron backscatter diffraction, cathodoluminesence, and x-ray microanalysis. - Highlights: ●We developed a suspended-thin-sample (STS) method for contrast separation in the SEM. ●The STS method greatly enhances electron channeling contrast and composition contrast. ●Contrast separating was achieved by commonly utilized beam energies and detectors. ●The STS method provides higher resolution and much lower image noise