Abstract

The microscope is arguably the most indispensable and widely used scientific instrument. There are few science or engineering disciplines that do not utilize microscopes or the data they provide to understand processes and material's properties as well as test and develop new theories. Industrial applications of the microscope continue to grow as the scale of electronic devices has passed from the micrometer to nanometer level. Microscopes are used routinely in such diverse fields as forensic science, analytical chemistry, microbiology, pathology, materials science, mineral exploration, and environmental science. It is the intent of this article to provide a concise summary of the various forms of microscopy. A great amount of discussion is devoted to the three most common types of microscopes: light microscopes; electron microscopes; and scanned probe microscopes; however, other forms of microscopy such as X-ray, acoustic and atom probe microscopes are also discussed. For each form of microscopy there is a discussion of the principles of image formation, areas of application and strengths and weaknesses.