Method and microscope for determining the refractive index of an optical medium

US11635608B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• LEICA MICROSYSTEMS CMS GMBH · DE

Inventors

• Alexander W. Weiss · Linden, DE
• Christian Schumann · Gießen, DE
• Ronja Capellmann · Wetzlar, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 11, 2019
• Grant date: Apr 25, 2023
• Expiry date: Jun 1, 2040

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B21/06
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method is useable for determining a refractive index of an optical medium in a microscope, which has an objective facing toward a sample chamber. The optical medium is one of two optical media, which border two opposing surfaces of a cover slip or object carrier in the sample chamber and form two partially reflective interfaces, which are arranged at different distances from the objective. The method includes: deflecting a measurement light beam by the objective with oblique incidence on the cover slip or object carrier; generating two reflection light beams spatially separated from one another by the measurement light beam being partially reflected at each of the interfaces; receiving the two reflection light beams by the objective and conducting them onto a position-sensitive detector; registering intensities by the position-sensitive detector; and determining the refractive index of the optical medium based on the registered intensities.