Patent · US Expired

Dual field of view optical system for microscope, and microscope and interferometer containing the same

US6459490B1 · kind B1 · utility

7Cited by
1References
31Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 26, 2000
Grant dateOct 1, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 26, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B21/14
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A dual field of view optical system and a single, lower cost detector are utilized, rather than using a large CCD camera or multiple CCD cameras, to view a sample that has two or more small areas that need to be measured, which are too far apart to fall on the detector but are within the field of view of the objective, or to measure a long, narrow strip that is too long for the detector, but whose total area is less than the detector area. The dual field of view optical system is employed in a microscope which comprises: (1) an illuminator arm with an illumination source and a field stop, (2) a beam splitter, (3) an objective, (4) a sample plane for location of a sample to be observed, and (5) a detector arm, with the illuminator arm configured to illuminate the sample plane through the beam splitter and the objective and with the detector arm configured to receive an image of the sample and including the dual field of view optical system. The dual field of view optical system comprises two beam splitters, two mirrors and one detector, the two beam splitters in the same plane and the mirrors disposed on either side of the beam splitters, an entrance portion for receiving the image …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.