Tabletop Microscope Is As Easy To Use As A Digital Camera

The new TM-1000 Tabletop Microscope from Hitachi High-Technologies is set to transform the field of basic microscopy.

This novel instrument gives a performance far in excess of an ordinary optical microscope, requires no special sample preparation for hydrated, oily or non- conducting samples, and is as easy to use as a digital camera.

With 10x improvement in resolution and magnification range as well as 100x improvement in depth of field compared to conventional optical microscopes, this new instrument produces high quality images and bridges the gap between optical and electron microscopy. It provides a real alternative to optical microscopes, stereo microscopes and confocal laser scanning microscopes. It has applications in a host of sectors, including life science, food, cosmetics, healthcare, pharmaceutical, textiles, materials science, semiconductor and education.

The TM-1000 utilises scanning electron microscope (SEM) technology, greatly simplified for ease of use, while retaining remarkably powerful imaging capabilities. Not only does it show surface morphology in stereoscopic detail, it also shows contrast due to different average atomic number composition within the sample. This allows different phases in materials to be distinguished or heavy metal-labelled areas in a specimen to be located with ease. A built-in measurement function allows dimensional information to be acquired quickly and easily.

This compact instrument accepts samples up to 70 mm in diameter and 20 mm thickness. It is equipped with autofocus, auto-brightness and auto-contrast functions and features a magnification range of 20 – 10,000x using standard imaging and up to 40,000x using digital zoom capabilities. All images are recorded digitally on a computer for easy access. The extensive functionality of this simple-to-use microscope enables even non-specialists to effortlessly obtain images of outstanding quality.