The Optical Microscope

Most treatments of polarised light in transmission are to be found in the mineralogical literature, but a fine book presenting the subject in relation to crystal identification and structure analysis is by Bunn (1945). 

In the second half of the 20th century, a number of advanced variants of optical microscopy were invented. They include phase-contrast microscopy (invented in France) and multiple-beam interference microscopy (invented in England), methods 

This chapter describes briefly the basic construction and characteristics of the modern transmission electron microscope and discusses its principal modes of operation. Because the electron microscope is an analogue of the optical (or light) microscope, we also consider briefly the basic features of the optical microscope this will also provide a link with our earlier discussion of the optical principles of image formation by a lens. 

The objective lens ultimately determines the performance of the microscope. Any detail that is not revealed in the intermediate image I formed by this lens cannot be added later by the eyepiece. The limit of resolution is set, therefore, by the effective size of the aperture in the back focal plane of the objective. From Eq. (1.28), the resolution is 

R /f is the numerical aperture (N.A.) and is marked on all objective lenses, together with the magnification. For example, a x25 objective with N.A. = 0.5 is expected to resolve detail of the order of 2X 1 m, ideally. Equation (2.1) has been derived by considering diffraction by a coherently illuminated periodic object. Rayleigh s well-known criterion of resolution, derived for a nonperiodic object incoherently illuminated, gives nearly the same limit of resolution as that determined from the Abbe approach and need not be considered here (see, e.g., Giancoli 1984). 

Diffraction lens Intermediate lens Projector lens 

For a more detailed account of the construction of the optical microscope and the characteristics of its various component parts, the reader is referred to Southworth (1975) and the references cited there. 

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One of the most important uses of specific surface determination is for the estimation of the particles size of finely divided solids the inverse relationship between these two properties has already been dealt with at some length. The adsorption method is particularly relevant to powders having particle sizes below about 1 pm, where methods based on the optical microscope are inapplicable. If, as is usually the case, the powder has a raiige of particle sizes, the specific surface will lead to a mean particle size directly, whereas in any microscopic method, whether optical or electron-optical, a large number of particles, constituting a representative sample, would have to be examined and the mean size then calculated. 

Optical properties also provide useful stmcture information about the fiber. The orientation of the molecular chains of a fiber can be estimated from differences in the refractive indexes measured with the optical microscope, using light polarized in the parallel and perpendicular directions relative to the fiber axis (46,47). The difference of the principal refractive indexes is called the birefringence, which is illustrated with typical fiber examples as foUows. Birefringence is used to monitor the orientation of nylon filament in melt spinning (48). 

Traditionally, the first instrument that would come to mind for small scale materials characterization would be the optical microscope. The optical microscope offered the scientist a first look at most samples and could be used to routinely document the progress of an investigation. As the sophistication of investigations increased, the optical microscope often has been replaced by instrumentation having superior spatial resolution or depth of focus. However, its use has continued because of the ubiquitous availability of the tool. 

For the purpose of a detailed materials characterization, the optical microscope has been supplanted by two more potent instruments the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Because of its reasonable cost and the wide range of information that it provides in a timely manner, the SEM often replaces the optical microscope as the preferred starting tool for materials studies. 

It is often observed that crystals do not exist as discrete entities but, especially when viewed under the optical microscope, appear to comprise agglomerated particles. Even a cursory glance at the literature quickly shows that the subject of agglomeration spans several disciplines including crystallography, materials... 

Perikinetic motion of small particles (known as colloids ) in a liquid is easily observed under the optical microscope or in a shaft of sunlight through a dusty room - the particles moving in a somewhat jerky and chaotic manner known as the random walk caused by particle bombardment by the fluid molecules reflecting their thermal energy. Einstein propounded the essential physics of perikinetic or Brownian motion (Furth, 1956). Brownian motion is stochastic in the sense that any earlier movements do not affect each successive displacement. This is thus a type of Markov process and the trajectory is an archetypal fractal object of dimension 2 (Mandlebroot, 1982). 

The difference between this principle and that of the optical microscope methods is that the whole field is not illuminated simultaneously, but is scanned by a fine light spot. Interruption of the illumination is measured electronically... 

The various techniques which may be used to provide optimum conditions for the examination of specimens have been described [202—205]. If the sample is opaque, then microscopic investigation is limited to the surface. The depths of penetration for the study of transparent crystals are controlled by the limited depth of field of the optical microscope at high magnifications. This limitation can sometimes be overcome by cleavage of the crystal at an appropriate value of a and examination of the surfaces exposed [120],... 

The resolution of an acoustic lens is determined by diffraction limitations, and is 7 = 0.51 /N.A [95], where is the wavelength of sound in liquid, and N.A is the numerical aperture of the acoustic lens. For smaller (high-frequency) lenses, N.A can be about 1, and this would give a resolution of 0.5 Kyj. Thus a well designed lens can obtain a diameter of the focal spot approaching an acoustic wavelength (about 0.4 /Ltm at 2.0 GHz in water). In this case, the acoustic microscope can achieve a resolution comparable to that of the optical microscope. 

A nano scratch tester (CSEM) was employed to carry out the scratch test. A Rockwell diamond tip with a radius of 2 fim was used to draw at a constant speed 3 mm/min across the coating/substrate system under progressive loading of 130 mN maximum at a fixed rate 130 mN/min. The total length of the scratch scar is 3 mm. The critical load (L ) here is defined as the smallest load at which a recognizable failure occurs. The failure can be observed both by the built-in sensors and by the optical microscope. 

Figure 35 shows the optical microscopic images of the first crack point on the sample surface. The scratch scar of monolayer Sample 1 has the feature of brittleness. However, there is an obvious crack along the scratch scar of Sample 2 before the coating delamination. This indicates that mono-layer Sample 2 has the feature of ductility, and the adhesion between the film and the substrate is poor. However, there is no obvious crack before the delamination in the scratch scars of other samples. The feature of multilayer Samples 3 and 4 is different from monolayer Samples 1 and 2. There are no obvious cracks in the scratch scars of Samples 5 and 6, except several small cracks along the edge of the scars. These... 

The computer age has brought about considerable innovation in the operation of laboratory instrumentation. One consequence of this is the wider acceptance and utilization of the optical microscope as a quantitative analytical instrument. A brief literature survey illustrates the diversity of disciplines and optical methods associated with the development of computer interfaced optical microscopy. This is followed by a description of how our methods of fluorescence, interferometry and stereology, nsed for characterizing polymeric foams, have incorporated computers. 

Experimental Materials. All the data to be presented for these illustrations was obtained from a series of polyurethane foam samples. It is not relevant for this presentation to go into too much detail regarding the exact nature of the samples. It is merely sufficient to state they were from six different formulations, prepared and physically tested for us at an industrial laboratory. After which, our laboratory compiled extensive morphological datu on these materials. The major variable in the composition of this series of foam saaqples is the aaK>unt of water added to the stoichiometric mixture. The reaction of the isocyanate with water is critical in determining the final physical properties of the bulk sample) properties that correlate with the characteristic cellular morphology. The concentration of the tin catalyst was an additional variable in the formulation, the effect of which was to influence the polymerization reaction rate. Representative data from portions of this study will illustrate our experiences of incorporating a computer with the operation of the optical microscope. 

RHODES AND NATH HORST Computers and the Optical Microscope... 

In the present experiment Tx = 80 °C was chosen and Ts = 213 °C was determined from the optical microscopic observation which will be explained in Sect. 4.2, and so Tx/Ts = 0.73. Hence, the lower relation of Eq. 1 would be expected, which agrees well with the observed relation. 

The advantage of the optical microscope method is that it provides direct and absolute information on the particles under characterization. Its chief disadvantage is that it can only provide data on the particles on the slide, and it can therefore be biased by the method used to prepare the slide. 

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