Optical Microscopy
(Micrograph of a visually transparent, colorless mineral sample using polarized light technique)
What Is It?
Optical Microscopy (OM) encompasses all of the laboratory techniques that use visible light, including macro camera, stereo binocular, and compound microscopes.
Why Should I Use It?
Because many OM techniques consume sample, or add other materials, the order in which analyses using multiple techniques are done is important.
What Do I Get Out of It?
Optical Microscopy produces a micro graph: a picture of the sample under normal or enhanced conditions.Photos may be annotated with text and measurement data.
Applications Include:
- Photo Documentation
- Correlative Imaging in combination with monochromatic techniques, such as
- Correlative OM/SEM
- Materials Evaluation and Development
- Failure Analysis and Quality
- Art and Advertising