Biology

1.4 - Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopes

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How a laser scanning confocal microscope works

2 min

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Laser scanning confocal microscopes

Laser scanning confocal microscopy is a type of fluorescence microscopy.

Diagram showing the components and light path of a laser scanning confocal microscope including laser, confocal pinholes, mirror, objective lens, and specimen.

Diagram showing the components and light path in a laser scanning confocal microscope, including detector and confocal pinholes.

These microscopes use a laser beam (a single spot of focused light) to scan a specimen that has been tagged with a fluorescent dye.

The pinhole blocks any out-of-focus light so the microscope can produce clearer images than a light microscope. However, these microscopes have a lower resolution than electron microscopes.

Laser scanning confocal microscopes can be used to:

Look at different depths within a specimen.
Observe living specimens.

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