Types of Microscopes
Light Micrscopes
Optical microscopes are essential instruments in both scientific research and education, allowing for the visualization of small objects and structures that are invisible to the naked eye. They use visible light and a system of lenses to magnify specimens, providing detailed images that can reveal intricate details. There's 3 main types of optical microscopes that include: Optical Microscopes, Stereo/Dissecting Microscopes, and Digital Microscopes.
Electron Microscopes
Instead of using visible light waves, electron microscopes employ focused beams of electrons, which have much shorter wavelengths, to visualize the atomic-scale world at submicron levels. This allows them to achieve magnifications ranging from 100 to 1,000,000 times greater than their optical counterparts. Scanning Electrion Microscopes (SEM) scan with a zigzag electron beam whereas Transmission Electrion Microscopes (TEM) shine beams that are ultrathin.
Scanning Probe Microscopes
Instead of relying on light or electron beams, scanning probe microscopes (SPMs) use an extremely sharp tip just a few nanometers wide to scan sample surfaces, much like scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). This finely tuned tip is capable of sensing atomic and nanoscale forces, structures, properties, and manipulations with exceptional precision. There's two types, Scanning Tunneling Microscopes (STMs) and Atomic Force Microscopes (AFMs).
X-Ray Microscope
X-ray microscopes direct beams at specimens, producing fluorescence maps, diffraction patterns, or magnified images detailing buried structures and densities.
