Compound Inverted Microscopes
Compound inverted microscopes are designed with the objectives below the stage so the lower surfaces of vessels or microplates can be viewed and magnified.
These specialty microscopes are used when space above the specimen is needed to manipulate samples and tools, as in metallurgical applications.
More often, inverted microscopes are used to observe living cells or organisms at the bottom of tissue culture flasks and other containers. This allows the cells to be seen in their growth habitat rather than transferred to a microscope slide.
Inverted microscopes are also used for Microscopic Observation Drug Susceptibility assays (MODS) and especially for Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria.
An inverted microscope stage is usually fixed; the focus is adjusted by moving the objective lens vertically. Four to six objectives in a rotating turret vary the magnification, and accessories for cameras, illumination, scanning, and other applications are also available.
More recently, digital inverted microscopes form the basis for automated imaging systems that offer multiple functions, including image capture, processing, analysis, and publishing.
Some automatic and semi-automatic microscopy systems may have:
- Multi-mode detection
- Scanning options
- High-resolution single or dual cameras
- Time-lapse photography
- Fluorescent, transmitted-light, and other color imaging
- Sophisticated software packages
- Cloud data storage and image-sharing capabilities