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Related Concept Videos

Overview of Microscopy Techniques01:22

Overview of Microscopy Techniques

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The early pioneers of microscopy opened a window into the invisible world of microorganisms. In 1830, Joseph Jackson Lister created an essentially modern light microscope. The 20th century saw the development of microscopes that leveraged nonvisible light, such as fluorescence microscopy that uses an ultraviolet light source and electron microscopy that uses short-wavelength electron beams. These advances significantly improved magnification, image resolution, and contrast. By comparison, the...
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Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy01:37

Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

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Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (SRFM) provides a better resolution than conventional fluorescence microscopy by reducing the point spread function (PSF). PSF is the light intensity distribution from a point that causes it to appear blurred. Due to PSF, each fluorescing point appears bigger than its actual size, and it is the PSF interference of nearby fluorophores that causes the blurred image. Various approaches to achieving higher resolution through SRFM have recently been...
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Transmission Electron Microscopy01:15

Transmission Electron Microscopy

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In 1931, physicist Ernst Ruska—building on the idea that magnetic fields can direct an electron beam just as lenses can direct a beam of light in an optical microscope—developed the first prototype of the electron microscope. This development led to the development of the field of electron microscopy. In the transmission electron microscope (TEM), electrons are produced by a hot tungsten element and accelerated by a potential difference in an electron gun, which gives them up to 400...
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Overview of Electron Microscopy01:25

Overview of Electron Microscopy

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The wavelengths of visible light ultimately limit the maximum theoretical resolution of images created by light microscopes. Most light microscopes can only magnify 1000X, and a few can magnify up to 1500X. Electrons, like electromagnetic radiation, can behave like waves, but with wavelengths of 0.005 nm, they produce significantly greater resolution up to 0.05 nm as compared to 500 nm for visible light. An electron microscope (EM) can create a sharp image that is magnified up to 2,000,000X.
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Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy01:05

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy

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Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy or TIRF is an advanced microscopic technique used to visualize fluorophores in samples close to a solid surface with a higher refractive index, such as a glass coverslip. TIRF only allows fluorophores in proximity to the solid surface to be excited. When light from a medium with a lower refractive index (such as air) hits the glass coverslip at a critical angle, the light undergoes total internal reflection stead of passing through the glass.
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Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction01:07

Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction

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Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can be used to determine the 3D structure of biological samples with the help of techniques such as electron microscope tomography and single-particle reconstruction. While single-particle reconstruction can examine macromolecules and macromolecular complexes in vitro conditions only, tomography permits the study of cell components or small cells in vivo.
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 5, 2026

Using Synchrotron Radiation Microtomography to Investigate Multi-scale Three-dimensional Microelectronic Packages
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Using Synchrotron Radiation Microtomography to Investigate Multi-scale Three-dimensional Microelectronic Packages

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Contact microscopy with synchrotron radiation.

B J Panessa-Warren1

  • 1Department of Allied Health Resources, State University of New York, Stony Brook, 11794, Stony Brook, NY.

Biological Trace Element Research
|November 21, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Soft X-ray contact microscopy uses synchrotron radiation to image delicate biological samples, offering high resolution and elemental analysis capabilities beyond conventional electron microscopy techniques.

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Microscopy
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Conventional electron microscopy (TEM, STEM, SEM) has limitations for imaging certain biological specimens.
  • These limitations include issues with hydrated samples, electron beam sensitivity, and low contrast.
  • There is a need for advanced imaging techniques to overcome these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present an overview of soft X-ray contact microscopy (SXCM) applications in biological research.
  • To highlight the advantages of synchrotron radiation for SXCM.
  • To showcase current research results using monochromatic synchrotron radiation for biological sample imaging.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing soft X-ray contact microscopy with synchrotron radiation.

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Synchrotron X-ray Microdiffraction and Fluorescence Imaging of Mineral and Rock Samples
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  • Employing monochromatic synchrotron radiation for optimized imaging and microanalysis.
  • Imaging of various biological specimens, including hydrated and low-contrast samples.

    • Main Results:

    • SXCM achieves spatial resolutions comparable to Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM).
    • The technique allows for morphological studies of specimens unsuitable for conventional electron microscopy.
    • Compositional (elemental) information can be obtained alongside morphological data.
    • Synchrotron radiation offers tunable wavelengths for specific sample optimization.

    Conclusions:

    • Soft X-ray contact microscopy with synchrotron radiation is a powerful tool for biological imaging.
    • It overcomes limitations of conventional electron microscopy for specific sample types.
    • The technique provides high-resolution morphological and elemental analysis capabilities for biological research.