Microscope with which atoms can be seen

[ForumMember]

TL;DR

Summary: What is the cheapest microscope from which atoms can be seen in?

The lowest price for a microscope that can...

What is the cheapest (no not a cheap one but the cheapest) microscope from which atoms can be seen in? I don't need a big zoom into an atom. If possible I would just a zoom enough to see atoms as tiny spheres no structure. Example bellow (this one has a high zoom but something similar).

 

[Baluncore]

Welcome to PF.
Is this the sort of thing you are looking for?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_force_microscopy

How much does an atom microscope cost? Between $100,000 to $500,000.

 

[nasu]

In order to achieve atomic rezolution with an Atomic Force Microscope you need to work in ultra high vacuum. The cost of the vacuum system may be much higher than that of the AFM itself. And you need to lean the surface and remove contamination. The images you can find are show images. You don't get such an image as a routine result. Don't expect that you get a system and you look at ordinary objects to see atoms.

 

[bigfooted]

Thor Labs has an educational AFM kit for 13k . The resolution is only 10 nm, but maybe this is a good place to start:
https://www.thorlabs.com/newgrouppage9.cfm?objectgroup_id=10756

If you do not have the budget, but want to have some experience anyway, maybe you can contact a lab group that already has one.

 

[Twigg]

To give some context to @bigfooted's post, to observe atoms in a solid, you need resolution at least as low as 0.1nm.

 

[Philip Koeck]

What about a field emission microscope?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field-emission_microscopy
Would that be useful?

Requires good vacuum and high voltage though.

 

[Vanadium 50]

What an odd necropost. The OP is long gone.

The point remains - the operating environment and sample preparation cost a lot, likely much more than the microscope itself.