If you want to image things that small without the need for high vacuum systems, etc. you should consider an Atomic Force Microscope[1] which uses physical cont

If you want to image things that small without the need for high vacuum systems, etc. you should consider an Atomic Force Microscope[1] which uses physical contact and a piezoelectric scanning arrangement, or Scanning Tunneling Microscopes[2] which send a very small tunneling current across the gap from a needle to the target. Those are more likely to be reached by the DIY crowd. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_force_microscopy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_force_microscopy [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scanning_tunneling_microscope https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scanning_tunneling_microscope