Preface

 

An occasional feature of these Advances is historical material, of which the present volume is a fresh example. In the past, biographical articles about Ernst Ruska, Bodo von Borries and Jan le Poole have appeared, as well as two entire volumes: The Beginnings of Electron Microscopy (Supplement 16) and Growth of Electron Microscopy (vol. 96). Here, the beginnings of the scanning electron microscope are traced in more detail than has been attempted before and its subsequent penetration into many areas is described.

The whole volume is centred on Sir Charles Oatley and is timed to coincide with the centenary of his birth. Although Oatley was not the first person to champion the scanning principle, it was his enthusiasm and persistence that overcame the widespread indifference to the idea of such an instrument in the post-war years and led to the first commercial exploitation. Two of the guest-editors, D. McMullan and K. C. A. Smith are pioneers of the instrument; with B. C. Breton, who worked on the SEM alongside Sir Charles for many years, they have succeeded in gathering contributions from the majority of Oatley's SEM research students as well as other workers, both in university and industry. Much of the new material is complemented by early articles by the same authors, reprinted entire or, in a few cases, confined to excerpts.

 

I am very pleased that the guest editors agreed to publish their centenary celebration collection in these Advances and am confident that it will awake many memories among older readers from the SEM world and attract considerable interest among younger generations.

 

Peter Hawkes