JP2006106336A - Scanning optical microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a scanning optical microscope which is easily controlled without a loss of light quantity due to a beam splitter or the like and is capable of easily corresponding to the size of a wavefront converting element without largely changing an optical arrangement of the conventional laser scanning microscope. <P>SOLUTION: The scanning optical microscope is provided with an optical source 11, a wavefront converting element optical system 2 including the wavefront converting element 24 that imparts arbitrary wavefront conversion to illumination light emitted from the optical source 11, a luminous flux scanning means 3 for scanning two orthogonal directions with the illumination light wavefront-converted by the wavefront converting element optical system 2, an objective lens 4 for condensing the illumination light having the travelling direction that is changed by the luminous flux scanning means 3 to an object O and a detector 53 for detecting signal light emitted from the object O, wherein a first reflection surface 211 for guiding luminous flux from the optical source 11 to the wavefront converting element 24 and a second reflection surface 212 for guiding luminous flux after the wavefront conversion to the luminous flux scanning means 3 are included in the wavefront converting element optical system 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a scanning optical microscope, and more particularly to a scanning optical microscope such as a laser scanning microscope that can easily switch between a form using a wavefront conversion element and a form not using it without loss of light amount due to a beam splitter or the like. It is.

  Conventionally, in order to obtain a three-dimensional image of an object to be observed in, for example, an LSM (laser scanning microscope), the object or objective lens is mechanically moved in the optical axis direction, and optical images on each surface inside the object. It was necessary to take in sequentially. However, since this method requires mechanical drive, it is difficult to achieve position control with high accuracy and reproducibility. Further, the method of moving the object has a problem that high-speed scanning cannot be performed when the object is large.

  Furthermore, when observing a biological object, if the objective lens is brought into direct contact with the object, or if the objective lens is scanned while the object is immersed in a culture solution, the adverse effects of the vibration will be exerted on the observed object. It is not preferable.

  As a method for solving these problems, there are apparatuses shown in Patent Document 1 (FIGS. 8 and 9) and Patent Document 2 (FIG. 10).

  The apparatus of Patent Document 1 is a microscope provided with an optical element (wavefront conversion element) capable of changing power, and its configuration diagram is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. In this configuration, the beam of the short-pulse laser KPL reaches the pre-chirp unit PCU, and from there it reaches the two adaptive mirrors AD1, AD2 via the beam splitter ST1 and the beam splitters ST2, ST3 and operates here. . The first adaptive mirror AD1 (coarse) is inserted for coarse adjustment of the wavefront, and thereby slides the focal point in the Z direction. In the second adaptive mirror AD2 (fine), the effects of wavefront distortion and propagation time difference (PTD) are corrected. The laser light reaches the object (object) O via the beam splitter DBS, the x / y scanning unit, the optical components SL, TL, the mirror SP, and the objective lens OL. The light coming from the object O returns to the detector PMT via the beam splitter DBS, the lens L, the pinhole PH, and the filter EF, and this detector PMT itself is similar to PCU, AD1, and AD2. Connected to the control unit. Accordingly, for example, the pre-chirp unit is adjusted in the same manner as the adaptive mirrors AD1 and AD2, and the maximum signal is applied to the detector PMT.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the apparatus of Patent Document 2 includes a light source 11, a wavefront conversion element 22 that applies arbitrary wavefront conversion to illumination light emitted from the light source 11, and the wavefront conversion element 22. An optical scanning means 3 for scanning the emitted light flux after wavefront conversion in two orthogonal directions, an objective lens 4 for condensing the light flux deflected by the optical scanning means 3 on the sample, and detecting signal light emitted from the specimen The scanning optical microscope includes a detector 53 that operates the wavefront conversion element 22 in synchronization with the optical scanning unit 3.

As described above, these apparatuses are microscopes equipped with optical elements (adaptive mirrors, wavefront conversion elements) capable of changing power and the like, and in these preceding examples, in the observation optical path and / or the illumination optical path. A wavefront conversion element is included, and the focal length of the optical system is changed using the wavefront conversion element, and an aberration caused by the change in the focal length is also corrected. By doing so, it is possible to form and move the focal point in the object space and to correct the aberration without changing the distance between the objective lens and the object.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-101942 JP 2004-109219 A JP 2000-292517 A

  In the above prior art, in the case of Patent Document 1, light is vertically incident on the wavefront conversion element using a beam splitter. However, in this method, a significant light loss is caused by the beam splitter. This is a big problem for observation.

  On the other hand, in order to eliminate the influence, Patent Document 2 discloses a method in which light is incident on the wavefront conversion element at a specific angle. In this method, the amount of light loss is small because the beam splitter is not used. However, since the angle of incidence on the wavefront conversion element is large, the shape of the light beam in the wavefront conversion element becomes an ellipse. Therefore, it becomes difficult to control the voltage applied to the wavefront conversion element. In order to facilitate the control of the wavefront conversion element, an elliptic wavefront conversion element is manufactured. However, it is difficult to manufacture the wavefront conversion element, and it is also difficult to align the wavefront conversion element.

  Furthermore, compared with the optical system in the case where the wavefront conversion element shown in FIG. 7 is not used, the change from FIG. 7 to FIG. 10 requires a large change in the arrangement of the optical system. For example, in order to make the width of the illumination light in the light beam scanning means 3 in FIG. 10 equal to the width of the illumination light in the light beam scanning means 3 in FIG. The specifications of the collimator lens 12 and the condenser lens 52 need to be changed, and the arrangement of the laser light source 11 and the detector 53 needs to be changed accordingly. On the other hand, if these specifications are to be made the same, the specifications regarding the size and shape of the wavefront conversion element 22 are limited, making it more difficult to manufacture.

  Therefore, once an apparatus that uses wavefront conversion elements is assembled, it is difficult to reproduce a system that does not use wavefront conversion elements. Along with this, a device that does not use the wavefront conversion element and a device that uses the wavefront conversion device must be manufactured as completely different devices, which increases the manufacturing effort.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and the purpose thereof is that there is no loss of light quantity due to a beam splitter or the like, and without increasing the angle of incidence on the wavefront conversion element. It is an object of the present invention to provide a scanning optical microscope that is easy to control and that can easily cope with the size of a wavefront conversion element without greatly changing the optical arrangement of a conventional laser scanning microscope.

  The scanning optical microscope of the present invention that achieves the above object includes a light source, a wavefront conversion element optical system including a wavefront conversion element that applies arbitrary wavefront conversion to illumination light emitted from the light source, and a wavefront in the wavefront conversion element optical system. Light beam scanning means for scanning the converted illumination light in directions orthogonal to each other, an objective lens for condensing the illumination light whose traveling direction has been changed by the light beam scanning means on the object, and detection for detecting signal light emitted from the object A first reflecting surface for guiding the light beam from the light source to the wavefront conversion element, and a second for guiding the light beam after wavefront conversion to the light beam scanning means. And a reflecting surface.

  In this case, in the wavefront conversion element optical system, two lens systems of a first transfer lens system and a second transfer lens system for causing the light beam reflected from the first reflection surface to enter the wavefront conversion element. The light beam reflected by the modulation from the wavefront conversion element is transmitted again through the second transfer lens system, and the light beam transmitted through the second transfer lens system is transmitted through the third transfer lens system. After that, it is configured to enter the second reflecting surface, and the central axis of the first transmission lens system or the third transmission lens system with respect to the central axis of the second transmission lens system. It is assumed that at least one of the central axes is arranged with a specific distance.

In this case, the distance between the center axis of the second transfer lens system and the center axis of the first transfer lens system included in the wavefront conversion element optical system is d1, and the center axis of the second transfer lens system And when the distance between the central axis of the third transfer lens system is d2, the larger of d1 and d2 is d, and the focal length of the second transfer lens system is f,
d / f <0.42 (2)
It is desirable to satisfy

  Further, the first reflection surface and the second reflection surface included in the wavefront conversion element optical system may be configured to be movable.

  In the scanning optical microscope of the present invention, two reflection surfaces are provided in the wavefront conversion element optical system, and the angle of incidence on the wavefront conversion element can be freely changed, thereby facilitating control with the wavefront conversion element. It becomes possible. Furthermore, it is possible to make the traveling directions of the light beam incident on the wavefront conversion element optical system and the light beam emitted from the wavefront conversion element optical system the same as the light beam modulated by the wavefront conversion element. Therefore, it is possible to construct a device using a wavefront conversion element only by adding the wavefront conversion element optical system to the basic configuration (FIG. 7) when the wavefront conversion element is not used.

  Furthermore, by appropriately determining the specifications of the three lens systems that constitute the wavefront conversion element optical system, it is possible to adjust the size of the light flux at the wavefront conversion element and to facilitate its control.

  In addition, by configuring the two reflecting surfaces to be movable, the same device can be used to easily and without the use of wavefront conversion elements, so it corresponds to the type of observation target and objective lens. Thus, the optimum observation can be easily realized.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the scanning optical microscope of the present invention will be described. In the drawings used for description, the same elements that are repeatedly used are denoted by the same symbols, and redundant description is not performed. Also, a laser scanning microscope (LSM) using a laser oscillator as a light source will be described as an example, with the incident direction of the light beam as the front side and the outgoing direction as the rear side.

  First, a scanning optical microscope according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of the laser scanning microscope according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, a laser light source 11 as a light source emits a laser beam as illumination light, and the illumination light is converted into a plane wave by a collimator lens 12. Next, the illumination light is reflected by the dichroic mirror 51 and then enters the wavefront conversion element optical system 2. The wavefront conversion element optical system 2 includes a reflection mirror 211 as a first reflection surface, a reflection mirror 212 as a second reflection surface, a first transmission lens system 22, a second transmission lens system 23, and a third transmission. It consists of a lens system 25 and a wavefront conversion element. As the wavefront conversion element, a variable shape mirror (hereinafter referred to as DFM) 24 in which the reflection surface of the mirror can be controlled by electrical control is used.

  The illumination light that has entered the wavefront conversion element optical system 2 is reflected by the reflection mirror 211 that is the first reflection surface, enters the first transfer lens system 22, and then enters the second transfer lens system 23. To do. The second transfer lens system 23 and the first transfer lens system 22 are separated from each other by a specific distance d1 with the center axes of the respective lenses not being coincident with each other. It arrange | positions so that the rear focal plane of the 1st transmission lens system 22 may correspond. For this reason, the illumination light transmitted through the first transfer lens system 22 is transmitted through the second transfer lens system 23 and is substantially a collimated light beam whose traveling direction is a light beam directed toward the rear focal point of the second transfer lens system 23. Become.

  In the vicinity of the rear focal plane of the second transfer lens system 23, when the reflection surface of the DFM 24 is made flat, the reflection surface and the rear focal plane of the second transfer lens system 23 coincide with each other. Has been. The illumination light transmitted through the second transfer lens system 23 is a substantially collimated light beam and becomes a light beam directed to the rear focal point of the second transfer lens system 23, and therefore enters the DFM 24 at a specific angle θ. The illumination light incident on the DFM 24 is subjected to predetermined wavefront conversion there. The illumination light that has been subjected to wavefront conversion by the DFM 24 is reflected, enters the second transfer lens system 23 again, and then enters the third transfer lens system 25. The third transfer lens system 25 also has a central axis that is separated from the second transfer lens system 23 by d2, and further, the rear focal plane of the second transfer lens system 23 and the third transfer lens system. Are arranged so as to coincide with the front focal plane. Therefore, when wavefront conversion is not performed by the DFM 24 (when the reflection surface of the DFM 24 is made flat), the illumination light emitted from the third transfer lens system 25 becomes a substantially collimated light beam. The illumination light emitted from the third transfer lens system 25 is reflected by the reflection mirror 212 that is the second reflection surface, and is emitted from the wavefront conversion element optical system 2.

  The illumination light emitted from the wavefront conversion element optical system 2 enters the light beam scanning means 3. Here, the wavefront conversion element optical system 2 is arranged so that the light beam scanning means 3 coincides with the rear focal plane of the third transfer lens system 25. Since the front focal plane of the third transfer lens system 25 is arranged so as to coincide with the rear focal plane of the second transfer lens system 23, the surface of the beam scanning means 3 and the surface of the DFM 24 are conjugate surfaces. It becomes.

  The beam scanning means 3 is composed of a gimbal mirror that can be rotated by two axes orthogonal to each other (see Patent Document 3). By appropriately changing the direction of the illumination light with the gimbal mirror, the illumination light incident on the object plane in the x and y directions orthogonal to each other can be scanned.

  The illumination light reflected at a specific angle by the light beam scanning unit 3 enters the pupil projection lens (first relay optical system) 73, then enters the imaging lens 74, and finally passes through the objective lens 4. Thus, the light is condensed on the object O. The pupil projection lens 73, the imaging lens 74, and the objective lens 4 are formed by a telecentric optical system, and are arranged so that the front focal plane and the rear focal plane substantially coincide with each other.

  A fluorescent light beam to be measured is generated from the object O on which the illumination light is condensed. The fluorescent light flux travels in the opposite direction as the illumination light has passed. That is, the light passes through the objective lens 4, the imaging lens 74, and the pupil projection lens 73, is reflected by the light beam scanning unit 3, and enters the wavefront conversion element optical system 2. The light beam incident on the wavefront conversion element optical system 2 is reflected by the reflection mirror 212, then passes through the third transfer lens system 25, passes through the second transfer lens system 23, undergoes modulation by the DFM 24, reflect. Further, the light passes through the second transfer lens system 23 and the first transfer lens system 22, is reflected by the reflection mirror 211, and exits the wavefront conversion element optical system 2. The fluorescent light beam emitted from the wavefront conversion element optical system 2 transmits only a specific wavelength to be detected by the dichroic mirror 51 next and enters the condenser lens 52. A detector 53 with a pinhole is disposed on the rear focal plane of the condenser lens 52, and the amount of light transmitted through the pinhole is detected at a target wavelength.

  In the configuration of this embodiment, the wavefront conversion element optical system 2 is simply disposed between the dichroic mirror 51 and the light beam scanning means 3 in the basic configuration shown in FIG. It can be easily realized.

  The modulation of the DFM 24 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, portions relating to the second transfer lens system 23 and the DFM 24 in the wavefront conversion element optical system 2 are shown. In this description, the second transfer lens system 23 is an ideal lens, and the illumination light beam has a wavelength λ of 488 nm. In addition, the illumination light incident on the second transfer lens system 23 is focused on the front focal plane of the second transfer lens system 23 by the illumination light transmitted through the first transfer lens system 22. Therefore, the light is incident on the second transfer lens system 23 as a point light source spreading at NA 0.05. Further, the distance d1 from the central axis of the second transmission optical system 23 to the central axis of the first transmission lens system 22 and the central axis of the third transmission lens system 25 from the central axis of the second transmission lens system 23. The simulation was performed on the assumption that the distances d2 are separated by the same distance d.

The illumination light incident on the second transfer lens system 23 is modulated by the DFM 24 that is a wavefront conversion element, and again passes through the second transfer lens system 23 that is an ideal lens. When there is no modulation by the DFM 24, the light beam reflected by the DFM 24 is condensed on the rear focal plane of the second transfer lens system 23. Here, the modulation by the DFM 24 is performed so that the light is condensed to the second transfer lens system 23 side by 10 mm from the rear focal plane of the second transfer lens system 23. The DFM 24 that performs modulation modulates the surface shape inside the diameter of 10 mm, and the periphery of the diameter of 10 mm is a fixed type. When the orthogonal coordinates of the reflecting surface are (x ′, y ′, z ′), the shape Z (x ′, y ′) of the reflecting surface is a quartic free-form surface as shown in the following equation (1). In the coefficient C _j , j is 4 or less.

Z (x ′, y ′) = ΣC _j x ′ ^m y ′ ⁿ
j = [(m + n) ² + m + 3n] / 2 + 1 (1)
In this system, the illumination light is incident on the DFM 24 at a specific angle θ. This angle θ is determined by the focal length f of the second transfer lens system 23 and the distance d between the central axis of the first transfer lens system 22 and the second transfer lens system 23. When the angle θ changes, the shape of the DFM 24 necessary for correction becomes asymmetric with respect to the y′-axis direction. As an example, a graph 1 in FIG. 3 shows the shape of the DFM 24 necessary for obtaining optimum performance when the angle θ with respect to the optical axis is 2.86 ° and 26.6 °. The shape shown in this graph 1 is a cross-sectional view of the surface shape in the y ′ direction and the z ′ direction. As can be seen from the graph 1, when the incident angle θ of the illumination light to the DFM 24 increases, not only the asymmetry but also the displacement amount of the DFM 24 increases, and the control becomes difficult. Further, as an evaluation of the performance with respect to the incident angle θ to the DFM 24, the amount of wavefront aberration is shown in the graph 2 of FIG. From this graph 2, it can be seen that the greater the angle θ, the greater the amount of wavefront aberration even if the DFM 24 is modulated, leading to a decrease in accuracy. If this wavefront aberration exceeds λ, there will be a problem with the performance of the microscope.

Therefore, from graph 2, the allowable incident angle θ is θ <23 °, and this angle θ is the focal length f of the second transfer lens system 23, the first transfer lens system 22, and the second transfer. It is determined by the distance d between the central axes of the lens system 25. That is,
d / f <tan (23 °)
Therefore,
d / f <0.42 (2)
It is more desirable.

  In the wavefront conversion element optical system 2, the distance d1 of the central axis between the first transfer lens system 22 and the second transfer lens system 23, the third transfer lens system 25, the second transfer lens system 23, Even if the distances d2 are not equal, it is possible to construct the wavefront conversion element optical system 2 by adjusting the angle reflected by the DFM 24 of the wavefront conversion element as shown in FIG. In this case, it is desirable that the larger one of the distances d1 and d2 satisfies the above expression (2).

  Next, as a modification of the first embodiment, FIG. 6 shows the overall configuration of the laser scanning microscope of the second embodiment. In FIG. 5, compared with the wavefront conversion element optical system 2 in the first embodiment, the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface are orthogonal reflecting surfaces 214 of a right-angle prism mirror 213 having two reflecting surfaces, 215 is an apparatus capable of moving the prism mirror 213.

  The illumination light reflected by the first reflecting surface 214 in the right-angle prism mirror 213 enters the DFM 24 without passing through an optical element such as a lens, and undergoes specific modulation. This modulated light beam is configured to be incident on the second reflecting surface 215 next, and can be incident on the DFM 24 at a small incident angle. Further, the area reflected by the DFM 24 cannot correspond to all types of objective lenses, and there is a possibility that the luminous flux will be vignetted with a specific objective lens. In this case, in the present embodiment, the right-angle prism mirror 213 is configured to move. In an objective lens in which vignetting occurs in the DFM 24, the right-angle prism mirror 213 is moved out of the optical path and the DFM 24 is used. Observation with no optical system can be made possible.

  Therefore, by moving the right-angle prism mirror 213, it is possible to perform optimum observation corresponding to the observation target and the type of objective lens.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the laser scanning microscope of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect | action of the wavefront conversion element of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the surface shape according to the incident angle of the wavefront conversion element of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the incident angle of the wavefront conversion element of 1st Embodiment, and a wavefront aberration. It is a figure which shows the deformation | transformation of arrangement | positioning of the three lens systems in the wavefront conversion element optical system of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the laser scanning microscope of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the laser scanning microscope when not using a wavefront conversion element. It is a figure which shows the structure of the microscope provided with the conventional wavefront conversion element. It is a figure which shows the structure of the microscope provided with the conventional wavefront conversion element. It is a figure which shows the structure of the scanning optical microscope provided with another conventional wavefront conversion element.

Explanation of symbols

O ... Object 2 ... Wavefront conversion element optical system 3 ... Light beam scanning means 4 ... Objective lens 11 ... Laser light source 12 ... Collimator lens 22 ... First transfer lens system 23 ... Second transfer lens system 24 ... Variable shape mirror (DFM) )
25 ... Third transfer lens system 51 ... Dichroic mirror 52 ... Condensing lens 53 ... Detector 73 ... Pupil projection lens (first relay optical system)
74 ... imaging lens 211 ... reflecting mirror (first reflecting surface)
212 ... Reflecting mirror (second reflecting surface)
213 ... Right-angle prism mirror 214 ... First reflecting surface 215 ... Second reflecting surface

Claims (4)

A light source, a wavefront conversion element optical system including a wavefront conversion element that applies arbitrary wavefront conversion to illumination light emitted from the light source, and a light beam that scans illumination light wavefront converted by the wavefront conversion element optical system in directions orthogonal to each other A scanning means; an objective lens that focuses the illumination light whose traveling direction has been changed by the light beam scanning means; and a detector that detects signal light emitted from the object; and the wavefront conversion element optical system includes: A first reflection surface for guiding a light beam from a light source to the wavefront conversion element and a second reflection surface for guiding the light beam after wavefront conversion to the light beam scanning unit are included. Scanning optical microscope. The wavefront conversion element optical system has two lens systems, a first transfer lens system and a second transfer lens system, for causing the light beam reflected from the first reflection surface to enter the wavefront conversion element, The light beam that has been modulated and reflected from the wavefront conversion element passes through the second transfer lens system again, and the light beam that has passed through the second transfer lens system passes through the third transfer lens system. It is configured to be incident on the second reflecting surface, and the central axis of the first transmission lens system or the central axis of the third transmission lens system with respect to the central axis of the second transmission lens system. The scanning optical microscope according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the scanning optical microscopes is spaced apart by a specific distance. The distance between the central axis of the second transmission lens system and the central axis of the first transmission lens system included in the wavefront conversion element optical system is d1, the central axis of the second transmission lens system and the third axis. When the distance from the central axis of the transfer lens system is d2, when d2 is the larger of d1 and d2, and the focal length of the second transfer lens system is f,
d / f <0.42 (2)
The scanning optical microscope according to claim 2, wherein: 3. The scanning optical microscope according to claim 1, wherein the first reflection surface and the second reflection surface included in the wavefront conversion element optical system are configured to be movable.

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