Assembly for increasing the resolution of a laser scanning microscope

US11525988B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Kai Wicker · Jena, DE
• Ralf Netz · Jena, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 25, 2018
• Grant date: Dec 13, 2022
• Expiry date: Nov 8, 2039

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B21/0072
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An arrangement for increasing resolution of a laser scanning microscope has a simplified adjustment and lower susceptibility to errors. The pupil beam from the laser scanning microscope is coupled into a shortened common path interferometer, to make wavefronts of a pupil image mirrored at at least one axis and wavefronts of an unchanged pupil image interfere. The area of a pupil from the pupil beam is split into two complementary portions P and Q producing two partial beams separately supplied to at least one beam deflection means by total-internal reflection along the common path interferometer. The light of the interferometer branches from transmitted light of the one interferometer branch and reflected light of the other interferometer branch is made to interfere at a partly transmissive beam splitter layer to cause constructive interference C and destructive interference D of the wavefronts from the two different portions P and Q of the pupil.