Contact microscope using point source illumination

• US 7,936,501 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Barton A., Zimmerman, Thomas F.
• Primary Examiner(s): FINEMAN, LEE A
• Application Number:
  US12/059,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20080259444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 359/368
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0008 Microscopes having a simple construction, e.g. portable microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/02 Illuminating scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/41 Extracting pixel data from a plurality of image sensors simultaneously picking up an image, e.g. for increasing the field of view by combining the outputs of a plurality of sensors

Abstract

The embodiments of the invention include a microscope having a transparent specimen holder and a digital imaging device positioned within the transparent specimen holder. The digital imaging device can include a wireless transmitter. The transparent specimen holder can have a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the transparent specimen holder is completely transparent between the top surface and the bottom surface. Thus, the transparent specimen holder is completely transparent above and below the digital imaging device. Furthermore, a processor is operatively connected to the digital imaging device, wherein the processor produces an image of a specimen positioned on the specimen holder. A display is operatively connected to the processor, wherein the display displays the image.

Claims

1. A contact microscope, comprising:

at least one point light source positioned above a specimen supporting region; and

an imager that contacts and underlies said specimen supporting region, said imager comprising;

a glass plate that forms a top surface of said imager, wherein a portion of said top surface of said glass plate comprises said specimen supporting region;

a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) imager die located beneath said glass plate, wherein said CMOS imager die receives an optical image of said specimen that does not pass through an optical lens; and

a circuit board, which lies beneath said CMOS imager die,

said specimen supporting region intersects a unidirectional path of light from said at least one point light source to said CMOS imager die.

2. The contact microscope of claim 1, wherein said at least one point light source comprises an Light Emitting Diode (LED) coupled through a first end of a thin fiber optic and a second end of said thin fiber optic is positioned above said specimen supporting region.

3. The contact microscope of claim 2, wherein said LED is a blue LED.

4. The contact microscope of claim 1, wherein said at least one point source comprises a surface mount LED.

5. The contact microscope of claim 1, wherein said CMOS imager die comprises pixels of about 2 μ

m size.

6. A contact microscope, comprising:

at least one point light source positioned above a specimen supporting region, wherein said at least one point light source comprises a Light Emitting Diode (LED) coupled through a first end of a thin fiber optic and a second end of said thin fiber optic is positioned above a specimen supporting region; and

an imager that contacts and underlies a specimen supporting region, said imager comprising;

a glass plate that forms a top surface of said imager, wherein a portion of said top surface of said glass plate comprises said specimen supporting region;

a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) imager die located beneath said glass plate, wherein said CMOS imager die receives an optical image of said specimen that does not pass through an optical lens; and

a circuit board, which lies beneath said CMOS imager die,

said specimen supporting region intersects a unidirectional path of light from said at least one point light source to said CMOS imager die.

7. A contact microscope, comprising:

at least one point light source positioned above a specimen supporting region; and

an imager that contacts and underlies said specimen supporting region, said imager comprising;

a glass plate that forms a top surface of said imager, wherein a portion of said top surface of said glass plate comprises said specimen supporting region;

a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) imager die located beneath said glass plate, wherein said CMOS imager die receives an optical image of said specimen that does not pass through an optical lens, and wherein said CMOS imager die comprises pixels of about 2 μ

m size; and

a circuit board, which lies beneath said CMOS imager die,

said specimen supporting region intersects a unidirectional path of light from said at least one point light source to said CMOS imager die.