Confocal microscope
US5161053A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 29, 1991 |
| Grant date | Nov 3, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 29, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B21/18
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A diffraction limited confocal microscope (30) includes an energy source (31) to provide focussable illuminating energy and a single mode energy guide (34) comprising a core, an energy receiver (33) and an energy exit (35). The energy guide is operatively associated with the energy source so that illuminating energy from the energy source is received by the energy receiver and coupled into the core and guided to the energy exit so as to emerge from the core at the energy exit. A first focusser (39) is operatively associated with the energy exit to focus at least a portion of the illuminating energy emerging from the core into a diffraction limited spot pattern volume having a central portion which in use intersects an object (40). A second focusser (39) is operatively associated with the first focusser to collect outgoing energy from the volume resulting from interaction between the illuminating energy in the volume and the object and/or resulting from transmission or reflection of illuminating energy from the volume. The microscope includes a detector (45) having an aperture and a detecting element wherein the detector is operatively associated with the second focusser whereby the…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.