Biodynamic microscopes and methods of use thereof
US10642014B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 11, 2016 |
| Grant date | May 5, 2020 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 29, 2036 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03H2222/24
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus for viewing a biological sample that functions as both a microscope and an interferometer. A short-coherence light source directs light onto the sample. A Fourier transform lens and a pixel-array detector are positioned to collect light scattered by the sample. An optic fiber assembly conveys a reference beam from the short-coherence light source. The detector collects the reference beam and the signal beam and uses coherence gating to acquire interferometric image data. In some embodiments the axis of the incident light striking the sample and the axis of collected scattered signal light form an angle of less than 180 degrees and advantageously an angle between 120 and 150 degrees. A method of converting a microscope into an interferometer is also disclosed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.