Process and arrangement for confocal microscopy
First Claim
1. A process for confocal microscopy comprising the steps of:
- coupling the laser light of different spectral ranges into a microscope beam path deflected in at least two coordinates and directing it successively with respect to time onto locations of a specimen;
permitting the specimen to be acted upon, location by location and line by line, by the laser light in at least one plane and generating an image of the scanned plane from light returned from the irradiated locations;
changing at least one of the spectral composition and the intensity of the laser light coupled into the microscope beam path while the deflection is continued without interruption, so that at least two adjacent locations of the specimen are acted upon by light of at least one of different spectral characteristics and different intensity.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A process for confocal microscopy is disclosed in which laser light is coupled into a microscope beam path, directed successively with respect to time onto different locations of a specimen, and an image of the scanned plane is generated from the light reflected and emitted by the irradiated locations. A change in the spectral composition and in the intensity of light is carried out during the deflection of the laser beam from location to location, while the deflection continues in an uninterrupted manner. In this way, at least two locations of the specimen located next to one another are acted upon by light with different spectral characteristics and by laser radiation of different intensity. By periodically interrupting the coupling in of the laser light during the deflection of the microscope beam path, it is made possible that only selected portions of the image field are acted upon by the laser radiation. A laser scanning microscope for carrying out this process is also disclosed.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A process for confocal microscopy comprising the steps of:
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coupling the laser light of different spectral ranges into a microscope beam path deflected in at least two coordinates and directing it successively with respect to time onto locations of a specimen;
permitting the specimen to be acted upon, location by location and line by line, by the laser light in at least one plane and generating an image of the scanned plane from light returned from the irradiated locations;
changing at least one of the spectral composition and the intensity of the laser light coupled into the microscope beam path while the deflection is continued without interruption, so that at least two adjacent locations of the specimen are acted upon by light of at least one of different spectral characteristics and different intensity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A laser scanning microscope for carrying out a process for confocal microscopy comprising the steps of:
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coupling the laser light of different spectral ranges into a microscope beam path deflected in at least two coordinates and directing it successively with respect to time onto locations of a specimen;
permitting the specimen to be acted upon, location by location and line by line, by the laser light in at least one plane and generating an image of the scanned plane from light returned from the irradiated locations;
changing at least one of the spectral composition and the intensity of the laser light coupled into the microscope beam path while the deflection is continued without interruption, so that at least two adjacent locations of the specimen are acted upon by light of at least one of different spectral characteristics and different intensity, said microscope comprising;
a laser module for generating laser light with different selectable spectral components;
single-mode fibers for coupling the laser light into the microscope beam path;
a scanning device which deflects in at least two dimensions;
a microscope objective which focuses the laser light on a specimen;
a plurality of detectors for the reception of different spectral components of the light returned by the specimen;
an evaluation circuit which is connected subsequent to outputs of the detectors;
a plurality of individually controllable single-wavelength and multiple-wavelength lasers;
at least one of a filter which can be influenced acousto-optically and an acousto-optic modulator being provided in the laser module;
photomultipliers being provided as detectors;
color splitters which are arranged on drivable exchanging devices and which can be substituted for one another being provided for branching the reflection radiation and emission radiation proceeding from the specimen into individual detection channels; and
control inputs of the laser module, scanning device and exchanging devices being connected with the outputs of the evaluation circuit. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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Specification