Scanning probe microscope assembly and method for making confocal, spectrophotometric, Near-Field, and Scanning probe measurements and associated images

1. A microscope assembly comprising:

• scanning and measurement means to;
  
  (a) scan an object;
  
  (b) make measurements of the object while the object is scanned; and
  
  (c) generate measurement data representing the measurements;
  
  a pointing device;
  
  a controller configured to;
  
  (a) control the scanning and measurement means in scanning and making measurements of the object;
  
  (b) generate object associated image data representing an image associated with the object in response to the measurement data, the object associated image data including data points with values that correspond to the measurements;
  
  (c) generate (1) color mapping tool image data in response to the object associated image data, the color mapping tool image data representing an image of a color mapping tool that includes (i) a histogram of the values, (ii) value range identifying cursors, (iii) a color strip of colors, and (iv) color range identifying cursors, and (2) a color mapping of a specific range of the colors in the color strip to a specific range of the values in the histogram when (i) the value range identifying cursors are manipulated with the pointing device to identify the specific range of values, and (ii) the color range identifying cursors are manipulated with the pointing device to identify the specific range of colors; and
  
  (d) format (1) the color mapping tool image data for display, and (2) the object associated image data for display by assigning colors to the data points of the object associated image data according to the color mapping; and
  
  a display configured to;
  
  (a) display the image of the color mapping tool in response to the formatted color mapping tool image data; and
  
  (b) display the image associated with the object colored with the assigned colors in response to the formatted object associated image data.