Scanning differential phase contrast microscope
First Claim
1. A scanning microscope for observing an object placed in an object plane, comprising a coherent radiation source, an objective system for focussing radiation emitted by the radiation source to a radiation spot in the object plane and a radiation-sensitive detection system comprising two radiation detectors which are arranged in such a way that radiation from the two discrete halves of the radiation beam originating from the radiation spot is detected by different respective detectors, characterized in that the detectors are point detectors separated from each other, in that a beam divider is arranged in the radiation path from the object plane to the radiation detectors and in that an imaging system with which the object plane is imaged on the detector is arranged between the object plane and each detector.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An objective system (20) focusses the radiation from a radiation source (10) to a diffraction-limited spot (A) which is imaged on two point detectors (61, 62) by an imaging system (40) and a beam divider (60). By using this confocal principle, a differential phase contrast microscope is obtained having a low sensitivity to details which are out of focus, an increased resolution in the object plane and little crosstalk between the two detectors.
55 Citations
7 Claims
- 1. A scanning microscope for observing an object placed in an object plane, comprising a coherent radiation source, an objective system for focussing radiation emitted by the radiation source to a radiation spot in the object plane and a radiation-sensitive detection system comprising two radiation detectors which are arranged in such a way that radiation from the two discrete halves of the radiation beam originating from the radiation spot is detected by different respective detectors, characterized in that the detectors are point detectors separated from each other, in that a beam divider is arranged in the radiation path from the object plane to the radiation detectors and in that an imaging system with which the object plane is imaged on the detector is arranged between the object plane and each detector.
Specification