Each year, the Microscopy Society of America (MSA) provides several major awards for outstanding contributions to the fields of microscopy and microanalysis and for service to the Society. While recipients of these awards are listed under the tab Awards & Scholarships – Society Awards | Microscopy Society of America on the MSA homepage, little information as to why awards were bestowed is provided. In this initial installment of what will become an annual contribution to Microsocopy Today, Miaofang Chi, Chair of the MSA Awards Committee, and I provide a perspective on the important contributions of the 2020 Award winners. The information presented here represents a short summary of information provided in the awardees’ nomination packages. Guidelines, including deadlines for nominating individuals for these and other MSA awards, can be found by following the above link.

Fluorescence in vivo endomicroscopy (FIVE) is a state-of-the-art endoscopy technique used to image tissue interactions and molecular events in a cell. In Part 1 of this series, the history, types of confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE), and limitations of the technology were discussed. In Part 2 of the series, we describe several applications of FIVE technology, including advances in cancer, gastrointestinal, liver, rectal mucosal barrier function, acute lung injury, and brain imaging. Future perspectives for the technology are also presented.

For materials characterization, obtaining insight through 3D imaging has been extremely helpful in improving our understanding of complex systems. X-ray computed tomography (CT) has proven to be an extremely useful technique in this field, allowing for non-destructive interrogation of samples of all types across many length scales. In this article we look at how micro-CT is moving from static 3D imaging into the realm of 4D data collection through dynamic CT, where CT data are collected on samples undergoing change in an uninterrupted matter.

2-D junction characterization by dual lens electron holography, scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM), and scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM) on a variety of semiconductor devices is reported, including optical modulators, regular complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices, and SiGe hetero-junction bipolar transistors. In most cases these techniques provide comparable results, while in some instances one technique has advantages over the other and vice versa. Advantages and disadvantages of each technique are discussed.

This paper presents a proof of concept for the discrimination of several nanoparticle populations mixed in consumer products. The methodology proposes correlation of AFM, SEM, and EDS data to obtain structural and chemical information on each particle in a mixed population. To this end, emphasis is placed on sample preparation, imaging specifications for each instrument, and data correlation with adapted software.

Sideband Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) uses the intermodulation of an electrostatic drive force and a mechanical drive force to upconvert the electrostatic frequency to the first flexural resonance, where the high-quality factor of the resonance yields a more sensitive measurement. The sideband KPFM signal is calculated using a local interaction between the tip apex and the sample, rather than a total interaction between the cantilever and the sample, improving the spatial resolution over other technique variations. This paper covers the sideband KPFM details, including trade-offs and imaging of semi-fluorinated alkanes, such as F14H20, and self-assembled molecular nanostructures.

Different aspects of electron-beam damage are summarized, together with some quantitative evaluation. TEM and STEM are compared in terms of information-to-damage ratio. Electron-beam fabrication is briefly considered in terms of resolution and writing speed.

Stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy is a powerful tool for the study of sub-micron samples, especially in biology. In this article, we show a simple, straightforward method for modeling a STED microscope using Zemax geometrical optics ray tracing principles, while still achieving a realistic spot size. This method is based on scattering models, and while it employs fast ray-tracing simulations, its output behavior is consistent with the real, diffractive behavior of a STED de-excitation spot. The method can be used with Zemax Black Boxes of real objectives for analysis of their performance in a STED setup and open perspective of modeling, tolerancing performance, and then building advanced microscope systems from scratch. In an example setup, we show an analysis method for both XY and Z excitation and de-excitation intensity distributions. This method can simplify the design of custom STED setups by proper modeling of the resolution performance.