Patent · US Expired

Method for illuminating an object with light from a laser light source

US6864989B2 · kind B2 · utility

9Cited by

5References

25Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Leica Microsystems Heidelberg GmbH · DE

Inventors

Rafael Storz · Heidelberg, DE
Johann Engelhardt · Bad Schönborn, DE
Holger Birk · Meckesheim, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Aug 28, 2001
Grant date	Mar 8, 2005
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Jan 6, 2022

Classification

Technology area (CPC G)Physics
CPC primaryG02B21/0056
WIPO fieldOptics
WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method for illuminating an object with light (2) from a laser light source (3), preferably in a confocal scanning microscope (1). With the method according to the invention, it is possible to reduce the coherence length of the laser light, so that disruptive interference phenomena can be substantially eliminated. Should interference phenomena nevertheless be formed, these are to be influenced in such a way that they have no effect on the detection. The method according to the invention is characterized in that the phase angle of the light field is varied by a modulator in such a way that interference phenomena do not occur in the optical beam path, or occur only to an undetectable extent, within a predeterminable time interval.

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