Ernst Ruska (1906-1988)

Electron microscope

In 1931, Ernst Ruska developed a model of the first electron microscope at the Technical College in Berlin. Studying the optical behaviour of electron beams, he concluded that magnetic lenses must influence electron rays in the same way as optical lenses influence rays of light.

As the new technology needed resources that went far beyond the capacities of a university institute, Ruska went to the Siemens&Halske company in Berlin. There he developed the first customized electron microscopes, opening up an area for pure and applied research in nearly all fields of science and industry and 35 electron microscopes had been put into use in different institutions by 1945. He published over 100 original scientific papers in the field of electron optics and electron microscopy. His leadership in this area had considerable impact on the development of modern micro-electronics, in particular in the verification phases of silicon chip fabrication.

Ruska won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1986.

Image: Library and Archives Canada

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