Fiber-coupled, high-speed, integrated, angled-dual-axis confocal scanning microscopes employing vertical cross-section scanning
US6423956B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 28, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jul 23, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 12, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B21/0024
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
This invention provides an angled-dual-axis confocal scanning microscope comprising a fiber-coupled, angled-dual-axis confocal scanning head and a vertical scanning unit. The angled-dual-axis confocal scanning head is configured such that an illumination beam and an observation beam intersect optimally at an angle &thgr; within an object and the scanning is achieved by pivoting the illumination and observation beams using a single scanning element, thereby producing an arc-line scan. The vertical scanning unit causes the angled-dual-axis confocal scanning head to move towards or away from the object. By integrating the angled-dual-axis confocal scanning microscope of the present invention with fiber-optic components and a fiber-coupled laser, the present invention also provides an assembly of fiber-based angled-dual-axis confocal scanning systems that can be particularly powerful tools in biological and medical imaging applications, such as instruments for performing optical coherence microscopy and in vivo optical biopsies.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.