Some history and technology of scanning microscopy

We briefly review some of the history and technology of scanning microscopy. The common threads that connect these different scanning microscopies are higlighted. In the case of far-field scanning microscopy, the resolving power is governed by the Abbe criterion. In the case of near-field scanning microscopy, the Abbe limit can clearly be surpassed. The invention of the Scanning Tunneling Microscope has provided some of the confidence necessary to broaden and enhance the capabilities of near-field scanning microscopies. The paper concentrates on the history and technology of selected scanning near-field and far-field microscopies. © 1988 SPIE. All Rights Reserved. © 1988, SPIE.