MICROSCOPY APPARATUS

• US 3,705,755 A
• Filed: 08/24/1970
• Issued: 12/12/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Stephen Charles Baer
• Original Assignee: Stephen Charles Baer
• Inventors: Baer, Stephen Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Schonberg, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sherman, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US05/066,293
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 350/6,285 356/201,203 250/229,83HP,71.5S,234,235,236 178/7.6
• US Class Current: 359/202.1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0024 Confocal scanning microscopes (CSOMs) or confocal "macroscopes"; Accessories which are not restricted to use with CSOMs, e.g. sample holders
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0048 scanning mirrors, e.g. rotating or galvanomirrors, MEMS mirrors

Abstract

Images of areas of selected planes of an object or field to be viewed are provided by apparatus including means for focusing an incident beam of radiation onto a point in the selected plane, a pinhole aperture, means directing radiation emanating from the irradiated point onto said aperture, means synchronously scanning the incident and emanating beams in a raster pattern across said selected plane, means producing a third beam of radiation with an intensity proportional to the intensity of the radiation from said emanating beam directed onto said pinhole aperture, means focusing said third beam upon a point in an image plane, and means scanning said third beam across said image plane in synchronization with the scanning of said irradiated point across said selected plane, to produce an image of said selected plane at said image plane.

Claims

1. In an image producing microscope wherein an entrance beam of radiation is focused to a small spot in a selected plane of a specimen and an exit beam formed from a portion of the radiation emanating from such small spot is focused to an exit pinhole aperture, the intensity of such exit beam varying in accordance with variations in characteristics of the specimen, and focusing means are provided for focusing a beam of radiation, the intensity thereof being a function of the intensity of the radiation focused to the exit pinhole aperture, to a point in an image plane, the improvement comprising:

a. means for maintaining the speciMen stationary; and

, b. means for scanning the entrance beam and the exit beam to move the small spot over the stationary specimen in the selected plane while the exit beam remains focused to the exit pinhole aperture, and, synchronously therewith for scanning the beam of radiation focused to the point in the image plane to move such point over such image plane.

2. The improvement recited in claim 1, having, additionally, beam splitting means for causing the entrance beam and the exit beam to be coincident as each one thereof passes between the scanning means and the stationary specimen.

3. The improvement recited in claim 1 including additionally a spatial filter disposed at a point along an optical path, such optical path being defined by the path of the entrance beam and the path of the exit beam.

4. The improvement recited in claim 1 wherein the said focusing means includes means for causing the beam of radiation focused to the point in the image plane to be coincident with the entrance beam at the scanning means.

5. The improvement recited in claim 1 wherein the scanning means includes a reflecting element, such reflecting element being disposed in the path of the entrance beam and the beam of radiation focused to the point in the image plane.

6. The improvement recited in claim 1 wherein the said focusing means includes means for causing the beam of radiation focused to the point in the image plane to be formed from a portion of the radiation of the entrance beam.

7. In an image producing microscope wherein an entrance beam of radiation is focused to a small spot in a selected plane of a specimen and an exit beam, having a central axis, formed from a portion of the radiation emanating from such small spot is focused by an objective lens having an optical axis to an exit pinhole aperture, the intensity of such exit beam varying in accordance with variations in characteristics of the specimen, and, means are provided for focusing a beam of radiation, the intensity thereof being a function of the intensity of radiation focused to the exit pinhole aperture, to a point in an image plane, the improvement comprising:

a. means for maintaining the specimen stationary; and

, b. means for scanning the entrance beam and the exit beam to move the small spot over the stationary specimen in the selected plane while the exit beam remains focused to the exit pinhole aperture in a manner that the central axis of such exit beam passes through the objective lens at varying angles with respect to the optical axis, and synchronously therewith, for scanning the beam of radiation focused to the point in the image plane to move such point over such image plane.

8. The improvement recited in claim 7 having additionally beam splitting means for causing the entrance beam and the exit beam to be coincident as each one thereof passes between the scanning means and the stationary specimen.

9. In an incident illumination microscope wherein an entrance beam of illuminating radiation is focused to a small spot in a selected plane of a specimen and an exit beam formed from a portion of the radiation emanating from the small spot is focused to an exit pinhole aperture, the improvement comprising:

a. means for maintaining the specimen stationary;

b. means for scanning the entrance beam and the exit beam to move the small spot over the stationary specimen in the selected plane while the exit beam remains focused to the exit pinhole aperture; and

c. beam splitting means for causing the entrance beam and the exit beam to be coincident as each one thereof passes between the scanning means and the stationary specimen.

10. The improvement recited in claim 9 including additionally a spatial filter disposed at a point along an optical path, such optical path being defined by the path of the entrance beam and the path of the exit beam.

11. In an incident illumination microscope wherein an entrance beam of illuminating radiation is focused to a small spot in a selected plane of a specimen and an exit beam, having a central axis, formed from a portion of the radiation emanating from such small spot, is focused by an objective lens having an optical axis to an exit pinhole aperture, the improvement comprising:

a. means for maintaining the specimen stationary;

b. means for scanning the entrance beam and the exit beam to move the small spot over the stationary specimen in the selected plane while the exit beam remains focused to the exit pinhole aperture in a manner that the central axis of such exit beam passes through the objective lens at varying angles with respect to the optical axis; and

c. beam splitting means for causing the entrance beam and the exit beam to be coincident as each one thereof passes between the scanning means and the specimen.