Fiber-coupled, angled-dual-axis confocal scanning microscopes for imaging in a scattering medium
US6351325B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 28, 2000 |
| Grant date | Feb 26, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 28, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S359/90
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
This invention provides an angled-dual-axis confocal scanning microscope comprising a fiber-coupled, angled-dual-axis confocal head and a vertical scanning unit. The angled-dual-axis confocal head is configured such that an illumination beam and an observation beam intersect optimally at an angle &thgr; within an object. The vertical scanning unit causes the angled-dual-axis confocal head to move towards or away from the object, thereby yielding a vertical scan that deepens into the object, while keeping the optical path lengths of the illumination and observation beams unchanged so to ensure the optimal intersection of the illumination and observation beams in the course of vertical scanning. The angled-dual-axis confocal scanning microscope may further comprises a transverse stage, causing the object to move relative to the angled-dual-axis confocal head along transverse directions perpendicular to the vertical direction, thereby producing a transverse scan. By assembling various transverse and/or vertical scans in a suitable manner, two-dimensional transverse and/or vertical cross-section images of the object can be obtained. A three-dimensional volume image of the object can be…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.