Microscope stage

• US 5,781,338 A
• Filed: 11/17/1995
• Issued: 07/14/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung
• Original Assignee: Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung
• Inventors: Lichtenberg, Claus, Kapitza, Hans-Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THONG Q
• Application Number:
  US08/579,024
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 359/368, 359/385, 359/391-398
• US Class Current: 359/398
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/06 Means for illuminating specimens
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/26 Stages; Adjusting means therefor

Abstract

A stage for microscopes has a transparent ceramic glass plate on the working region on its object side and a brightly colored, light-scattering layer between the ceramic glass plate and the metallic base portion of the stage. Light is coupled into end faces of the ceramic glass plate by means of lamps or a glass fiber arranged in the base portion. The stage has outstanding resistance to wear and scratches due to the ceramic glass. By the additional illumination of the ceramic glass, the specimen regions lying outside the illuminating field of the condenser are weakly illuminated against a bright background, so that the observer can select visually, without magnification, object regions of interest and then push them into the illuminating field of the condenser. The ceramic glass covers the condenser opening in the base portion of the stage, so that the condenser is protected against falling contamination. The front lens of the condenser is arranged directly on the side of the parallel-plane ceramic glass plate that is remote from the object. An enlarged illuminating aperture is thereby obtained.

Claims

1. A microscope stage comprising:

a base portion,

a transparent ceramic glass portion having an upper side for placing specimens at least in a partial region on said upper side, and

a brightly colored, light-scattering layer between said transparent ceramic glass portion and said base portion.

2. A microscope stage according to claim 1, further comprising illumination means for illumination of said brightly colored, light-scattering layer.

3. A microscope stage according to claim 2, wherein said transparent ceramic glass portion has end-faces, and said illumination means comprises light-coupling means for coupling light into said transparent ceramic glass portion at said end-faces.

4. A microscope stage according to claim 3, wherein said light-coupling means comprises glass fibers for coupling light from a transmitted light illumnation into said transparent ceramic glass portion.

5. A microscope stage according to claim 3, wherein said light-coupling means comprises light-emitting diodes.

6. A microscope stage according to claim 5, wherein said base portion has recesses therein and said light-emitting diodes are arranged in said recesses.

7. A microscope stage according to claim 1, wherein said base portion has a recess or depression therein and said transparent ceramic glass portion comprises a plane-parallel plate inserted in said recess or depression.

8. A microscope stage according to claim 7, wherein said base portion has a condenser bore with an end facing towards said specimen, and said transparent ceramic glass portion is arranged to cover said condenser bore on said specimen facing end of said condenser bore.

9. A microscope stage according to claim 8, wherein said plane-parallel plate has a side remote from said specimen and a lens on said remote side.

10. A microscope stage according to claim 1, having a plurality of sides, in combination with a microscope with a microscope stand, wherein said microscope stage is arranged to be received on said mictoscope stand on at least one of said sides.