Three basic types of fluorescence microscopy and recent improvement

Abstract

Fluorescence microscopy is one of the most used imaging modalities in molecular biology and living specimens. To increase image contrast and spatial resolution, different type of fluorescence microscopy has been developed. This review introduces three main types of fluorescence microscopy: wild-field microscopy, confocal microscopy, and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. The basic principles are similar but with different modifications, which also indicates their attributes and limitation. The recent improvement on these microscopies is also discussed. Some most recent techniques show advance in overcoming common fluorescence microscopy's weakness, and future perspectives are also discussed.