Resolution in scanning IR infrared microprobe analysis

The scanning infrared microprobe was critically analyzed in terms of both its imaging and its compositional resolution. Fundamentally, resolution is the act or process of breaking something into its constituent parts or elements. Separating parts of the image is the point-to-point resolution of an imaging system. In interferometry and profilometry, the separation of heights is an additional criterion for resolution. Microprobe analysis has extended-resolution requirements that consist of the break-up of the sample's image into its chemical parts. In scanning infrared microprobe analysis, resolution has several meanings: resolution of the visual image, the spatial resolution of the analyzed domain, and the resolution of the chemistry within the analyzed sample. The point-to-point resolution of the visual image is limited by diffraction, as in all classical microscopy. The resolution, in terms of the area defined for spectral analysis, is limited by both diffraction effects and spectrometer sensitivity. The chemical resolution of the SIRM is compared with other microprobe techniques.