EP1656578A1 - Dispositif optique et microscope comprenant un dispositif optique pour realiser la combinaison colineaire de faisceaux lumineux de longueurs d'onde differentes - Google Patents

Dispositif optique et microscope comprenant un dispositif optique pour realiser la combinaison colineaire de faisceaux lumineux de longueurs d'onde differentes

Info

Publication number
EP1656578A1
EP1656578A1 EP04766443A EP04766443A EP1656578A1 EP 1656578 A1 EP1656578 A1 EP 1656578A1 EP 04766443 A EP04766443 A EP 04766443A EP 04766443 A EP04766443 A EP 04766443A EP 1656578 A1 EP1656578 A1 EP 1656578A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
optical device
microstructured
light
light beam
microstructured element
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP04766443A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Volker Seyfried
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Leica Microsystems CMS GmbH
Original Assignee
Leica Microsystems CMS GmbH
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Leica Microsystems CMS GmbH filed Critical Leica Microsystems CMS GmbH
Publication of EP1656578A1 publication Critical patent/EP1656578A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B27/00—Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00
    • G02B27/10—Beam splitting or combining systems
    • G02B27/12—Beam splitting or combining systems operating by refraction only
    • G02B27/126—The splitting element being a prism or prismatic array, including systems based on total internal reflection
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B21/00—Microscopes
    • G02B21/0004—Microscopes specially adapted for specific applications
    • G02B21/002—Scanning microscopes
    • G02B21/0024—Confocal scanning microscopes (CSOMs) or confocal "macroscopes"; Accessories which are not restricted to use with CSOMs, e.g. sample holders
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B26/00—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements
    • G02B26/08—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements for controlling the direction of light
    • G02B26/0816—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements for controlling the direction of light by means of one or more reflecting elements
    • G02B26/0833—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements for controlling the direction of light by means of one or more reflecting elements the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an optical device which collinearly combines light beams 10 and a microscope with an optical device.
  • dichroic beam splitters are usually used in optics.
  • a point light source for a laser scanning microscope and a method for coupling at least 15 two lasers of different wavelengths into a laser scanning microscope are known from German published patent application DE 196 33 185 A1.
  • the point light source has a modular design and contains a dichroic beam combiner, which combines the light of at least two laser light sources and couples it into an optical fiber leading to the microscope.
  • a beam combining device for semiconductor lasers is known from European Patent EP 0 473 071 B1, which contains both dichroic mirrors and a polarizing beam splitter prism. With the help of the polarizing beam splitter prism
  • Hf Light beams which have a linear polarization direction lying perpendicular to one another are combined to form a collinear light beam, which has both polarization directions.
  • This method of producing an illuminating light beam from two individual light beams can only be used to a limited extent for microscopy, since the predetermined polarization characteristic of the resulting one
  • Illumination light beam often limits the experimental conditions too much.
  • a sample is illuminated with a light beam in order to observe the reflection or fluorescent light emitted by the sample.
  • the focus of an exposure light beam is moved with the aid of a controllable beam deflection device, generally by tilting two mirrors, in an object plane, the deflection axes usually being perpendicular to one another, so that one mirror deflects in the x direction and the other in the y direction.
  • the mirrors are tilted, for example, with the help of galvanometer control elements.
  • the power of the light coming from the object is measured depending on the position of the scanning beam.
  • the control elements are usually equipped with sensors for determining the current mirror position.
  • confocal scanning microscopy in particular, an object is scanned in three dimensions with the focus of a light beam.
  • a confocal scanning microscope generally includes a light source, imaging optics with which the light from the source is focused on a pinhole - the so-called excitation diaphragm - a beam splitter, a beam deflector for beam control, microscope optics, a detection diaphragm and the detectors for detecting the detection - or fluorescent light.
  • the illuminating light is often coupled in via the beam splitter, which can be designed, for example, as a neutral beam splitter or as a dichroic beam splitter.
  • Neutral beam splitters have the disadvantage that, depending on the division ratio, a lot of excitation or a lot of detection light is lost.
  • the fluorescent or reflection light coming from the object reaches the beam splitter via the beam deflection device, passes it, and is then focused on the detection diaphragm behind which the detectors are located.
  • Detection light that does not originate directly from the focus region takes a different light path and does not pass through the detection aperture, so that point information is obtained which leads to a three-dimensional image by sequential scanning of the object.
  • a three-dimensional image is usually achieved by recording image data in layers, the path of the scanning light beam on or in the object ideally describing a meander.
  • samples are prepared with several markers, for example several different fluorescent dyes. These dyes can be excited sequentially, for example with illuminating light beams that have different excitation wavelengths. Simultaneous excitation with an illuminating light beam that contains light of several excitation wavelengths is also common.
  • EP 0 495 930 "Confocal microscope system for multicolor fluorescence", for example, an arrangement with a single laser emitting several laser lines is known. At present, such lasers are mostly designed as mixed gas lasers, in particular as ArKr lasers.
  • a device for adjustable coupling and / or detection of one or more wavelengths in a microscope is known from German published patent application DE 198 42 288 A1.
  • an optical device in which a dispersive element and an imaging optical system define a splitting level, in which a location is assigned to each light wavelength and in which a microstructured element is arranged that comes from different directions and corresponds to their wavelength Locates focused light rays via the imaging optics to the dispersive element that collinearly combines the light rays.
  • the invention has the advantage that light beams which contain a continuous spectrum can also be combined; even if wavelengths of one light beam are within the spectrum of the other light beam.
  • one of the light beams contains light of several wavelengths
  • this light beam is spatially split before it hits the microstructured element.
  • This can be done with a further dispersive element, for example with a prism or a grating, or with the dispersive element that combines the light emanating from the microstructured element.
  • the dispersive element can be designed, for example, as a grating or as a prism.
  • the imaging optics could, for example, be designed as lens optics or as mirror optics.
  • the dispersive element and the imaging optics are combined, for example, as a concave mirror grating.
  • the imaging optics can include both cylindrical and spherical optics.
  • the distance between the dispersive element and the imaging optics on the one hand and the distance between the imaging optics and the microstructured element on the other hand preferably corresponds to the focal length f of the imaging optics. If the imaging optics, for example in the form of a lens, have two different main planes or if, for some reason, a lens combination is preferred, the distances are preferably selected accordingly, so that the imaging of the
  • the imaging optics is preferably a telecentric imaging system, since there is then no parallel offset of the returning light.
  • the microstructured element has reflecting and transmitting regions.
  • the light of a first light beam is focused on the reflecting areas, while the light of a second light beam is focused on the transmitting areas.
  • the microstructured element could, for example, include a photolithographically partially mirrored glass substrate, to which the reflecting and the transmitting regions are applied in strips.
  • the stripe pattern is preferably perpendicular to the direction of splitting of the dispersive element.
  • the microstructured element has mirror surfaces of different inclinations.
  • the respective flat surface sections are preferably rotated out of the splitting plane about an axis of rotation lying in the splitting plane, the pivot axis advantageously running perpendicular to the direction of the spectral splitting.
  • the planar patches are rotated out of the splitting plane about axes of rotation running parallel to the splitting direction.
  • the microstructured element could consist of a correspondingly processed and mirrored glass material.
  • the microstructured element contains a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) or a micro-opto-electromechanical system (MOEMS).
  • MEMS micro-electromechanical system
  • MOEMS micro-opto-electromechanical system
  • a microstructured element designed in this way has the additional advantage that the local reflection angles can be changed by applying voltages.
  • a usable MDM mirror array is manufactured, for example, by Texas Instruments.
  • the microstructured element contains a microprism array composed of different prisms or an array with zones that have a different refractive index, which would be possible, for example, by suitably polarized lithium niobate in an electrical field.
  • This variant also enables specific control via the electrical field.
  • the beam combining technique according to the invention can be combined with other beam combining techniques, i. H.
  • additional beams can be combined to beams that have already been combined in advance.
  • the light output varying elements can be arranged, for. B. preferably an AOTF.
  • the optical device is preferably manufactured as a mechanical unit, which further components such. B. may include an AOTF or temperature stabilization.
  • the optical device is used to generate an illuminating light beam in a scanning microscope, in particular in a confocal scanning microscope.
  • Hf 1 shows an optical device according to the invention
  • Fig. 5 shows another optical device according to the invention.
  • Fig. 6 shows another optical device according to the invention.
  • FIG. 1 shows an optical device according to the invention with a dispersive element 1, which is designed as a prism 3, and with imaging optics 5, which together define a splitting plane 7, in which a microstructured element 9 is arranged.
  • the microstructured element 9 is designed as a strip-shaped reflecting glass substrate 11, the strips of the strip pattern being aligned perpendicular to the splitting direction of the prism 3.
  • a first light beam 13, which contains light of two wavelengths, is spatially split by the prism 3 and the resulting partial beams 15, 17 are focused by the lens 5 onto a mirrored strip of the glass substrate 11.
  • a second light beam 19 is focused by optics 21 onto a transmitting strip of the glass substrate 11.
  • the locations at which the partial beams 15, 17 and the second light beam 19 strike the glass substrate 11 correspond to their wavelength according to the splitting characteristic of the prism 3.
  • the partial beams 15, 17 reflected by the glass substrate 11 are guided together with the transmitted second light beam 19 via the lens 5 to the prism 3, which collinearly combines the partial beams 15, 17 and the second light beam 19 to form an output light beam 23.
  • the microstructured element 9 has a slight inclination with respect to the optical axis in order to spatially separate the first light beam 13 and the output light beam 23 from one another. Due to the inclination of the microstructured element 9, the output light beam 23 extends at an acute angle out of the plane of the drawing, which is not the case in the figure shown
  • FIG. 2 shows the microstructured element 9, which has already been mentioned with reference to FIG. 1.
  • the microstructured element 9 is designed as a glass substrate coated in the form of a strip and has regions 25 and transmitting regions 27.
  • the stripe pattern is, as indicated by the double arrow 29, arranged perpendicular to the direction of the spectral splitting of the dispersive element.
  • the microstructured element 9 shows a microstructured element 9 with plane mirror elements 31-43, which have different inclinations.
  • the plane mirror elements 31-43 can be rotated about axes of rotation which lie perpendicular to the spectral splitting direction in the splitting plane.
  • the microstructured element 9 is designed as a micro-opto-electro-mechanical system (MOEMS), so that the respective inclination angles can be changed by applying voltages.
  • MOEMS micro-opto-electro-mechanical system
  • FIG. 4 shows a microstructured element with microprisms 45-57.
  • the prisms are inclined about an axis of rotation that runs parallel to the spectral splitting direction.
  • FIG. 5 shows a further optical device according to the invention, which contains a fully reflecting microstructured element 9 which has a lamella structure 59.
  • the first light beam 13 strikes the microstructured element 9.
  • the second light beam 19 is focused by the lens 21 onto a first section of the microstructured element.
  • the partial beams 15, 17 meet other partial parts 63, 65, the partial parts 63, 65 having a different inclination than the partial part 61.
  • the inclinations of the partial parts 61-65 are selected such that the partial beams 15, 17 and the second light beam 19 are directed together via the lens 5 to the prism 3, which collinearly combines the partial beams 15, 17 and the second light beam 19 to form an output light beam 23.
  • FIG. 6 shows a development of the optical device shown in FIG. 5.
  • the second light beam 19 contains light of several wavelengths and is spatially spectrally split by an element 67, which is designed as a further prism 69, into the partial beams 71 and 73, which are focused by the lens 21 onto different locations of the microstructured element 9 .
  • the microstructured element 9 reflects the partial beams 15, 17 and the partial beams 71, 73 together via the lens 5 to form the prism 3, which combines the partial beams 15, 17, 71, 73 into a collinearly combined output light beam 23.
  • the invention has been described in relation to a particular embodiment. However, it is understood that changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
  • Microscoopes, Condenser (AREA)
  • Mechanical Light Control Or Optical Switches (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un dispositif optique qui comprend un élément de dispersion (1) et une optique de représentation (5) qui définissent un plan de dissociation (7) dans lequel un emplacement est associé à chaque longueur d'onde de la lumière. Dans le plan de dissociation se trouve un élément microstructuré (9) qui dirige des faisceaux lumineux (13, 19) qui proviennent de directions différentes et sont focalisés sur les emplacements correspondant à leur longueur d'onde, à travers l'optique de représentation (5), jusqu'à l'élément de dispersion (1) qui réalise la combinaison colinéaire des faisceaux lumineux.
EP04766443A 2003-08-14 2004-08-06 Dispositif optique et microscope comprenant un dispositif optique pour realiser la combinaison colineaire de faisceaux lumineux de longueurs d'onde differentes Withdrawn EP1656578A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE10337558A DE10337558A1 (de) 2003-08-14 2003-08-14 Optische Vorrichtung und Mikroskop mit einer optischen Vorrichtung
PCT/EP2004/051739 WO2005019898A1 (fr) 2003-08-14 2004-08-06 Dispositif optique et microscope comprenant un dispositif optique pour realiser la combinaison colineaire de faisceaux lumineux de longueurs d'onde differentes

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1656578A1 true EP1656578A1 (fr) 2006-05-17

Family

ID=34177600

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP04766443A Withdrawn EP1656578A1 (fr) 2003-08-14 2004-08-06 Dispositif optique et microscope comprenant un dispositif optique pour realiser la combinaison colineaire de faisceaux lumineux de longueurs d'onde differentes

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US20070070348A1 (fr)
EP (1) EP1656578A1 (fr)
JP (1) JP2007502443A (fr)
DE (1) DE10337558A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2005019898A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102013227105A1 (de) 2013-09-03 2015-03-05 Leica Microsystems Cms Gmbh Mikroskop und akustooptischer Strahlvereiniger für ein Mikroskop

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102007002583A1 (de) 2006-11-03 2008-05-08 Leica Microsystems Cms Gmbh Optische Anordnung und Verfahren zum Steuern und Beeinflussen eines Lichtstrahls
DE102007028337B4 (de) 2007-06-15 2019-08-29 Leica Microsystems Cms Gmbh Strahlvereiniger und eine Lichtquelle mit einem derartigen Strahlvereiniger

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DE102013227105A1 (de) 2013-09-03 2015-03-05 Leica Microsystems Cms Gmbh Mikroskop und akustooptischer Strahlvereiniger für ein Mikroskop

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE10337558A1 (de) 2005-03-10
JP2007502443A (ja) 2007-02-08
WO2005019898A1 (fr) 2005-03-03
US20070070348A1 (en) 2007-03-29

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