BROAD-SPECTRUM ILLUMINATOR FOR MICROSCOPY APPLICATIONS, USING THE EMISSIONS OF LUMINESCENT MATERIALS

• US 20140233095A1
• Filed: 11/05/2013
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DiCon Fiber Optics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: DiCon Fiber Optics Incorporated
• Inventors: Lee, Ho-Shang
• Granted Patent: US 9,235,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/385
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6458 Fluorescence microscopy fluorescence microscopes per se G02B21/0076 and G02B21/16
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0076 arrangements using fluorescence or luminescence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/06 Means for illuminating specimens

Abstract

A broad-spectrum, multiple wavelength illuminator comprises a luminescent body, and a plurality of semiconductor chips spaced apart from the luminescent body emitting light within one or more wavelength ranges towards the luminescent body, causing the luminescent body to emit light of one or more wavelength ranges. An optical element adjacent to the luminescent body collects light emitted by the luminescent body. An optical device collects light collected by the optical element. An aperture located between the optical element and the optical device passes the light emitted by the luminescent body along an optical axis, wherein light collected by the optical element and the optical device and passed by the aperture forms a beam of light illuminating a target. Alternatively, instead of being spaced apart from the chips, the luminescent body may be a layer adjacent to the chips.

Claims

1. A broad-spectrum, multiple wavelength illuminator for providing light along an optical axis, comprising:

a luminescent body;

a plurality of semiconductor chips emitting light within one or more wavelength ranges towards said luminescent body, causing said luminescent body to emit light of one or more wavelength ranges, said plurality of semiconductor chips spaced apart from said luminescent body; and

an optical element adjacent to the luminescent body that collects light emitted by the luminescent body; and

an optical device that collects and directs light emitted by the luminescent body and collected by said optical element along said optical axis.

2. The illuminator of claim 1, said plurality of semiconductor chips spaced apart from said luminescent body by at least 2 mm.

3. The illuminator of claim 1, said plurality of semiconductor chips including light emitting diode chips, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, or organic light emitting diodes.

4. The illuminator of claim 1, said plurality of semiconductor chips including vertical cavity surface emitting laser chips, wherein light provided by said vertical cavity surface emitting laser chips is directed to the luminescent body along an optical path without any optical elements in said optical path.

5. The illuminator of claim 1, said plurality of semiconductor chips including LED chips.

6. The illuminator of claim 1, wherein said at least some of the semiconductor chips emit light in the indigo to blue wavelength range.

8. The illuminator of claim 3, wherein said luminescent body emits light from a light emitting area having a diameter that is not more than 15 mm.

9. The illuminator of claim 3, wherein said luminescent body emits light from a light emitting area having a diameter that is in a range of about 2-10 mm.

10. The illuminator of claim 3, wherein said luminescent body emits light from a light emitting area having a diameter that is in a range of about 2-4 mm.

11. The illuminator of claim 1, said luminescent body comprising one or more types of phosphors or quantum dots, emitting light of one or more wavelength ranges.

12. The illuminator of claim 1, said luminescent body emitting light of substantially uniform intensity across a broad spectrum, including the range of about 400-700 nm.

13. The illuminator of claim 1, said luminescent body emitting light of multiple wavelengths or multiple wavelength ranges.

14. The illuminator of claim 1, further comprising an aperture located in the optical axis between the optical element and the optical device passing the light emitted by the luminescent body along said optical axis, wherein light collected by said optical element and said optical device and passed by the aperture forms a beam of light illuminating a target.

15. The illuminator of claim 1, further comprising a reflector that supports the luminescent body and that reflects light emitted by said plurality of semiconductor chips towards said optical element, said optical element collecting and directing light emitted by the plurality of semiconductor chips and light emitted by the luminescent body along said axis towards said aperture and said optical device.

16. The illuminator of claim 15, wherein the light emitted by the plurality of semiconductor chips supplements the light emitted by the luminescent body to provide light of substantially uniform intensity across a broad spectrum.

17. The illuminator of claim 1, further comprising a diffusing/scattering/homogenizing element located in a path of the beam between the luminescent body and the aperture so that the beam illuminating the target is substantially spectrally uniform across an area of the target illuminated by the beam.

18. A method for providing light along an optical axis, comprising:

causing a plurality of semiconductor chips to emit light within different wavelength ranges towards a luminescent body spaced apart from said plurality of semiconductor chips, causing said luminescent body to emit light; and

collecting light emitted by the luminescent body;

passing the light collected from the luminescent body through an aperture to form a beam along the optical axis; and

collimating the beam and directing the collimated beam along said optical axis to a target.

7. The illuminator of claim 21, wherein said at least some of the semiconductor chips emit light in the 410-490 nm wavelength range.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said luminescent body is caused to emit light of substantially uniform intensity across a broad spectrum, including the range of about 400-700 nm.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said luminescent body is caused to emitting light of multiple wavelengths or multiple wavelength ranges.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising reflecting light emitted by said plurality of semiconductor chips, wherein said collecting collects and said collimating and directing collimates and directs said reflected light from the plurality of semiconductor chips and light emitted by the luminescent body along said axis towards said target.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the light emitted by the plurality of semiconductor chips supplements the light emitted by the luminescent body to provide light of substantially uniform intensity across a broad spectrum.

23. A broad-spectrum, multiple wavelength LED array illuminator for providing light along an optical axis, comprising:

a substrate;

at least one array of multiple LED chips without individual packaging supported by said substrate, wherein the LED chips are distributed laterally with respect to said axis over an area, said LED chips having light emitting surfaces for emitting light in directions transverse to said area;

a luminescent layer on at least some of the LED chips, said luminescent layer emitting light in the yellow region of the visible spectrum in response to light emitted by said at least some of the LED chips; and

an optical element adjacent to the light emitting surfaces of the LED chips in said at least one array that collects and directs light emitted by the LED chips of the at least one array and by the luminescent layer along said axis towards a target, wherein the light received by the target from the optical element is of substantially uniform intensity across a broad spectrum.

24. The illuminator of claim 23, said at least one array occupying an area of the substrate having a diameter in a range of about 2-15 mm.

25. The illuminator of claim 23, wherein said at least one array emits light from a light emitting area having a diameter that is not more than 15 mm.

26. The illuminator of claim 23, wherein said at least one array emits light from a light emitting area having a diameter that is in a range of about 2-10 mm.

27. The illuminator of claim 23, wherein said at least one array emits light from a light emitting area having a diameter that is in a range of about 2-4 mm

28. The illuminator of claim 23, said luminescent layer comprising one or more types of phosphors or quantum dots, emitting light of one or more wavelength ranges.

29. The illuminator of claim 23, said at least one array and the luminescent layer emitting light of substantially uniform intensity across a broad spectrum.

30. The illuminator of claim 23, said at least one array and the luminescent layer emitting light of multiple wavelengths or multiple wavelength ranges.

31. The illuminator of claim 23, further comprising a diffusing/scattering/homogenizing element located in a path of the beam between said at least one array and the luminescent layer and the aperture so that the beam illuminating the target is substantially spectrally uniform across an area of the target illuminated by the beam.

32. The illuminator of claim 23, wherein said at least some of the LED chips emit light in the indigo to blue wavelength range.

33. The illuminator of claim 23, wherein said at least some of the LED chips emit light in the 410-490 nm wavelength range.