Electron microscope

Electron microscope is a type of microscope that uses a beam of electrons to create an image of the specimen. It is capable of much higher magnifications and has a greater resolving power than a light microscope, allowing it to see much smaller objects in finer detail. They are large, expensive pieces of equipment, generally found in professional laboratories.

History

The electron microscope was first developed in the 1930s by the German physicists Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll. Ruska, in particular, is often credited with the invention of the electron microscope. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986 for his work.

Types of Electron Microscopes

There are two main types of electron microscopes:

• Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM): This type of microscope transmits a beam of electrons through a very thinly sliced piece of specimen. The electrons interact with the atoms in the specimen which changes the beam's direction and speed. These changes are detected and turned into an image.

• Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM): This type of microscope scans a beam of electrons across the surface of a specimen. Secondary electrons are emitted from the specimen's surface as a result of the electron beam. These secondary electrons are detected and turned into an image.

Applications

Electron microscopes are used in a variety of scientific fields. They are used in biology to study cells and tissues, in material science to study materials at the nanoscale, and in geology and metallurgy to study the properties of minerals and metals.

See Also

• Microscope
• Optical microscope
• Scanning tunneling microscope
• Atomic force microscope

References

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