This book discusses the various principles in confocal scanning microscopy which has become a useful tool in many practical fields including biological studies and industrial inspection. The methodology presented in this book is unique and is based on the concept of the three-dimensional transfer functions which have been developed by the author and his colleagues over the last five years. With the 3-D transfer functions, resolving power in 3-D confocal imaging can be defined in a unified way, different optical arrangements can be compared with an insight into their inter-relationship, and...