Apparatus and method for detection with a scanning microscope

• US 20070063153A1
• Filed: 09/19/2006
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leica Microsystems Gmbh (Danaher Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Leica Microsystems Gmbh (Danaher Corporation)
• Inventors: Widzgowski, Bernd, Birk, Holger
• Granted Patent: US 7,495,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/461.200
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0036 Scanning details, e.g. scanning stages
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/008 Details of detection or image processing, including general computer control

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for detection with a scanning microscope (1) are disclosed. The scanning microscope (1) encompasses a scanning device (7) that guides an illuminating light beam (3) through a scanning optical system (12) and a microscope optical system (13) and over or through a specimen (15). A digital circuit (30), which periodically interrogates the detected signals within a pixel (P_x,y) and calculates an average therefrom, is placed after the detector unit (19).

Claims

1. An apparatus for detection with a scanning microscope that possesses a scanning device (7) that guides an illuminating light beam (3) through a scanning optical system (12) and a microscope optical system (13) and over or through a specimen (15), the illuminating light beam (3) illuminating the specimen (15) in multiple pixels;

and a detector unit (19) that receives the light emanating from the specimen (15) and generates detected signals,

wherein there is placed after the detector unit (19) a digital circuit (30) that periodically interrogates the detected signals within a pixel (P_x,y) and calculates an average therefrom.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the digital circuit contains a summing element (31) that periodically sums the multiple detected signals within a pixel;

and the digital circuit (30) contains a dividing element (32) that divides the sum of the multiple detected signals by the number of detected signals within the respective pixel (P_x,y).

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a multiplying element (33) is placed before the summing element (31) and dividing element (32) in the digital circuit (30).

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the multiplying element carries out an amplification of the detected signals, thereby increasing the numerical precision of the summing element and the dividing element.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scanning microscope is equipped with an adjusting element for the gain, thus producing a combination of the digital and the analog amplification of the digital circuit and the detector unit (19).

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the scanning microscope is equipped with an adjusting element for the gain, thus producing a combination of the digital and the analog amplification of the digital circuit and the detector unit (19).

7. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the scanning microscope is equipped with an adjusting element for the gain, thus producing a combination of the digital and the analog amplification of the digital circuit and the detector unit (19).

8. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the scanning microscope is equipped with an adjusting element for the gain, thus producing a combination of the digital and the analog amplification of the digital circuit and the detector unit (19).

9. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the analog amplification of the detector unit (19) can be compensated for by corresponding multiplication in the digital circuit.

10. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the analog amplification of the detector unit (19) can be compensated for by corresponding multiplication in the digital circuit.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the analog amplification of the detector unit (19) can be compensated for by corresponding multiplication in the digital circuit.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the analog amplification of the detector unit (19) can be compensated for by corresponding multiplication in the digital circuit.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the detector unit (19) possesses a characteristic curve that, by means of the amplification in the digital circuit, achieves an enhancement of the dynamics of the sensitivity of the detector unit (19).

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the detector unit (19) possesses a characteristic curve that, by means of the amplification in the digital circuit, achieves an enhancement of the dynamics of the sensitivity of the detector unit (19).

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the detector unit (19) possesses a characteristic curve that, by means of the amplification in the digital circuit, achieves an enhancement of the dynamics of the sensitivity of the detector unit (19).

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the detector unit (19) possesses a characteristic curve that, by means of the amplification in the digital circuit, achieves an enhancement of the dynamics of the sensitivity of the detector unit (19).

17. The apparatus according to claims 1, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

18. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

19. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

20. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

21. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

22. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

23. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

24. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

25. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

26. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

27. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

28. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

29. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

30. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

31. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

32. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the scanning microscope is a laser scanning microscope.

33. A method for detection with a scanning microscope, the scanning microscope possessing a scanning device (7) that guides an illuminating light beam (3) through a scanning optical system (12) and a microscope optical system (13) and over or through a specimen (15), the specimen (15) being illuminated in multiple pixels (P_x,y) with the illuminating light beam (3), and the light emanating from the specimen (15) being received with a detector unit (19), and detected signals being generated, characterized by the following steps:

the detected signals of the detector unit (19) are periodically interrogated and summed by means of a digital circuit; and

the sum of the detected signals is divided by the number of summed detected signals.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the digital circuit contains a summing element with which the multiple detected signals within a pixel are periodically summed;

and the digital circuit contains a dividing element with which the sum of the multiple detected signals is divided by a number of detected signals within the respective pixel.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein a multiplying element is placed before the summing element and dividing element in the digital circuit.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein an amplification of the detected signals is carried out with the multiplying element, thereby increasing the numerical precision of the summing element and the dividing element.

37. The method according to one of claims 33, wherein the scanning microscope is equipped with an adjusting element for the gain, so that a digital amplification of the digital circuit and an analog amplification of the digital circuit (19) are combined.

38. The method according to one of claims 34, wherein the scanning microscope is equipped with an adjusting element for the gain, so that a digital amplification of the digital circuit and an analog amplification of the digital circuit (19) are combined.

39. The method according to one of claims 35, wherein the scanning microscope is equipped with an adjusting element for the gain, so that a digital amplification of the digital circuit and an analog amplification of the digital circuit (19) are combined.

40. The method according to one of claims 36, wherein the scanning microscope is equipped with an adjusting element for the gain, so that a digital amplification of the digital circuit and an analog amplification of the digital circuit (19) are combined.

41. The method according to claim 37, wherein the analog amplification of the detector unit (19) is compensated for by corresponding multiplication in the digital circuit.

42. The method according to claim 38, wherein the analog amplification of the detector unit (19) is compensated for by corresponding multiplication in the digital circuit.

43. The method according to claim 39, wherein the analog amplification of the detector unit (19) is compensated for by corresponding multiplication in the digital circuit.

44. The method according to claim 40, wherein the analog amplification of the detector unit (19) is compensated for by corresponding multiplication in the digital circuit.

45. The method according to claim 41, wherein the detector unit (19) possesses a characteristic curve whose dynamics are elevated by means of the amplification in the digital circuit.

46. The method according to claim 42, wherein the detector unit (19) possesses a characteristic curve whose dynamics are elevated by means of the amplification in the digital circuit.

47. The method according to claim 43, wherein the detector unit (19) possesses a characteristic curve whose dynamics are elevated by means of the amplification in the digital circuit.

48. The method according to claim 44, wherein the detector unit (19) possesses a characteristic curve whose dynamics are elevated by means of the amplification in the digital circuit.

49. The method according to. Claim 33, wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.

50. The method according to claim 34, wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.

51. The method according to claim 35, wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.

52. The method according to claim 36, wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.

53. The method according to claim 37, wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.

54. The method according to claim 38, wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.

55. The method according to claim 39, wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.

56. The method according to claim 40, wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.

57. The method according to claim 41 wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.

58. The method according to claim 42, wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.

59. The method according to claim 43, wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.

60. The method according to claim 44, wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.

61. The method according to claim 45, wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.

62. The method according to claim 46, wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.

63. The method according to claim 47, wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.

64. The method according to claim 48, wherein the scanning microscope (1) is a laser scanning microscope.