During the last few years, the structural analysis of materials has gone through a great advancement which is related to the development of Scanning Probe Microscopy techniques. Originated in the last decade, these techniques were strengthened and spread worldwide during the 90s. They constitute a new methodology of analysis, involving both knowledge and technology from a multitude of different areas. Their large application spectrum is due, mainly, to: large nanometric-scale resolution; capability of operation in air, liquid or in vacuum environments; and the great quantitative magnification in the z direction. In this paper, the basic ideas concerning the most utilized techniques are described. Applications of each technique, evidencing its potentialities in nanostructural analysis, are also illustrated by some examples of works carried out at the Laboratório de Nanoscopia of the Fundação Centro Tecnológico de Minas Gerais - CETEC.
