Microscopes

Scanning Helium Ion Microscope (SHIM or HeIM)

It's a new imaging technology which uses a beam of Helium ions beams to generate an image. This technology has several advantages over the traditional electron microscopes; one advantage lies in the fact that the sample is left mostly intact (due to the low energy requirements) and that it provides a high resolution. The first commercial systems were released in 2007.

Scanning Electron Microscope

It's characterized as a microscope that has lower magnifying power but can provide 3 dimensional viewing of objects. It captures the image of the object in black and white after being stained with gold and palladium.

Confocal Laser scanning microscope

These are reserved for research organizations. Such microscopes are able to scan a sample also in depth. A computer can then assemble the data to create a 3D image.

Reflection Electron Microscope

also designed on the principle of electron beams but they are characteristically different from transmission and scanning electron microscopes since that it is built to detect electrons that have been scattered elastically.

Stereo Microscope (dissecting microscope)

an optical microscope which magnifies up to about maximum 100x and provides a 3-dimensional view of the specimen. They're highly useful for observing opaque objects.

Electron Microscopes

are the most advanced microscopes used in modern science. They essentially function on the principle of a beam of electrons that strikes any objects that comes to its path to magnify it. They're designed specifically for studying cells and small particles of matter, as wells as large objects.

Compound Microscope

built of two systems of lenses for greater magnification (an objective and an ocular: eyepiece). The utmost useful magnification of a compound microscope is about 1000x.

X-ray Microscope

uses a beam of x-rays to create an unparalleled high resolution 3D image. Due to the small wavelength, the image resolution is higher as compared to optical microscopes. The greatest useful magnification is also higher and it lies between the optical microscopes and electron microscopes. They hold significant importance in science and research and have got one special advantage over electron microscopes- it allows observing the structure of the living cells. It is good at slicing together thousands of images to generate a single 3D X-ray image.

Optical Microscopes

uses visible light (or UV light in the case of fluorescence microscopy) to sharply magnify the samples. The light rays refract with optical lenses. Dating back to the first microscopes that were invented, it is found that they belonged to this category. Optical microscopes can be further subdivided into several categories