With the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope in 1982 by
Binnig and Rohrer and the subsequent award of the Nobel Prize, the field
of scan- ning microscopy was given a strong boost in view of its wide
range of ap- plications. In particular, expanding the capability to
access nature's foundations at the atomic level is now recognized as
having the potential for major impact in Infonnation Technology. This
third volume of the ESPRIT Basic Research Series provides a well
structured overview of the state of the art of scanning microscopy and
re- cent advances including results of ESPRIT Basic Research Actions
3109 and 3314. April 1992 G. Metakides Preface The IMO Symposium Fall
'90, Wetzlar, FRO, October 1/2, 1990, brought together leading
scientists and researchers in scanning microscopy from re- search
institutes and industries, each of whom was invited to contribute a
lecture which was followed by a discussion. The resulting contributions
are contained in this proceedings. Microscopic techniques are used not
only for research work in material and life science but also for routine
applications in almost any vital section of our everyday life. The
demand for coming to a better understanding of materials and their
behaviour under different conditions and environments as well as all
aspects of human life initiated an ongoing development for improved
microscopic techniques.