This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of scanning optical microscopy for scientists and engineers. These microscopes have been designed to overcome the problems associated with submicrometer imaging of complex three-dimensional structures. The book concentrates mainly on two of these instruments: the confocal scanning optical microscope (CSOM), and the optical interference microscope (OIM). In these instruments a defocused image disappears rather than blurs as it does in a standard microscope. As a result, researchers can visualize submicrometer structures, determine their surface profiles, and observe a selected cross section of transparent materials withut cutting the sample into thin slices. A comprehensive discussion of the theory and design of the near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) is also given.
The text also discusses the practical aspects of building a confocal scanning optical microscope or optical interference microscope and also considers the applications of these instruments to phase imaging, biological imaging, and semiconductor inspection and metrology. A comprehensive theoretical discussion of the depth and transverse resolution is included, with emphasis placed on the practical results of the theoretical calculations and their uses in understanding the operation of these microscopes.