What is "field emission microscopy"

n. (context physics English) a technique that uses field emission of electrons or positive ions from the needle-shaped tip of an emitter to produce a magnified image of the emitter surface (showing each atom) on a fluorescent screen

Field emission microscopy (FEM) is an analytical technique used in materials science to investigate molecular surface structures and their electronic properties. Invented by Erwin Wilhelm Müller in 1936, the FEM was one of the first surface analysis instruments that approached near- atomic resolution.